The Frequency 49 Show is an independent San Francisco 49ers podcast from a British point of view.
This week Kat is joined by Nat and Michael to review beating the Bengals and ask if the 49ers can slay the Rudolph-led Steelers.
If you would like to get involved by casting or the more technical side of Podcasts do not hesitate to contact any of the people below or cast.
Lets Go NINERS!!!
Credits:
Music: Audionautix.com
Researchers: Marc Lyon, Kat Victorino
Pick 6 Challenge: Ross Irwin
Social Media: Jason Argo
Editor: Steven Box
Following the at times laboured win over Tampa Bay in Week One, Week Two saw the Niners on the road again, this time at the Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, the stadium the local Bengals fans like to call the Jungle. However, this time it was a much improved Niners performance as the Niners moved to 2-0 on the back of a convincing 41-17 victory.
The Bengals had pushed the Seahawks all the way up in Seattle last week and some would say that they were a missed field goal try away from being the first road team to win in Seattle in the month of September since 2010. So were the Niners that good this week or was this a more realistic Bengals performance, only the coming weeks will truly answer that question.
Last week I was not impressed with Jimmy Garoppolo, but this was much more Jimmy G, 2017 version and it’s clear that the rust that was there on the return from the knee injury is falling away. 17 of 25 for 297 yards and three touchdowns is much more what the 49ers have come to expect from the Quarterback position. There was still the small issue of a needless Interception that he threw, and it is something that seems to be in his locker each week, but Jimmy to his credit does seem to be a winner, admittedly small sample size in his pro career, but if healthy Jimmy does seem to that potential to lead the Niners back to the play-offs.
The relationship between Jimmy G and head coach and offensive play-caller Kyle Shanahan is allowing Kyle to call some fantastically designed plays, like the opening scoring play to Marquise Goodwin, who after sneaking through the traffic at line of scrimmage could not have been more open if he was at a Boris Johnson appreciation event. The former Olympic man then celebrated by setting a new record for the high jump whilst in full football gear.
The big players in this game though were rookie wideout Deebo Samuel and Running Back Matt Breida. Every summer it seems that the Niners bring in a new back to shoulder the load, Jet McKinnon and now Tevin Coleman in recent years, but all Breida does is make plays and maybe its time to consider him as RB 1 going forward. 12 carries for 121 yards is a great return no matter which way you look at it.
Samuel recorded his first pro touchdown catching 5 for 87 yards on the day and the potential to become a No 1 receiver was on display, especially when you have such a dominant Tight End as George Kittle to be concerned about as an opposing defence.
To be fair the Niners running game was in fine fettle as Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson both had pretty good days to help spell Breida with both men finding the endzone as well.
There are areas of concern, Joe Staley going down with the lower leg injury suspected fracture weakens the Offensive Line to a worry that needs to be addressed quickly and it would be nice to see Nick Bosa after a full week of practice and not on the injury report all week, but the defence is looking aggressive and this was another good showing going into next week’s Home opener.
That game will of course see the Steelers come to town but without their franchise QB under centre, Big Ben is done for the season with an elbow injury picked up against Seattle this week, and although Minkah Fitzpatrick has jumped from the sinking Dolphins faster than Ben Johnson being offered a steroid shot in 1988, I don’t think it was defensive backfield that was the Steelers problem area.
This road win, meant the Niners have opened the season with back to back 30 point showings for the first time in many a year and there were signs that the offence was clicking very well. If Coach Shanahan can scheme up something to help cover for Staley’s absence and the Niners pull off another win to go 3-0, they would head into the bye week with a chance to get some more offensive players back on the roster and we could then see Jalen Hurd and Trent Taylor with Samuel on the outside and maybe Goodwin will be used in a wider variety of roles to make the most of that speed.
On to Week 3 we go, lets make it 3-0 in the battle of two of the NFL’s most storied franchises.
This week Kat is joined by James and the long awaited return of Dipak, to review the Buccanners game and also preview thoughts around the Bengals game.
If you would like to get involved by casting or the more technical side of Podcasts do not hesitate to contact any of the people below or cast.
Lets Go NINERS!!!
Credits:
Music: Audionautix.com
Researchers: Marc Lyon, Kat Victorino
Pick 6 Challenge: Ross Irwin
Social Media: Jason Argo
Editor: Nathaniel James
For the first time in what feels like forever the San Francisco 49ers head into Week Two of the regular season with a winning record after overcoming the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road at Raymond James Stadium. That is a good thing, we should all be feeling good about ourselves and looking forward to what is to come, right…
A wise sports analyst once said a win, is a win, is a win, and in a business where your very job security is almost exclusively dictated by just how many wins you achieve, you will take the W anyway it comes, but I have to say there is a large part of me that was not content with what I saw. There were a lot of good things don’t get me wrong, this is not all doom and gloom, but honestly there was some things, I didn’t like.
Lets start by looking at the defence, a defence that managed just two interceptions in the entire 2018 season, now already has three for the 2019 season and has taken two of those back to the endzone to boot, and perhaps more importantly one of those interceptions was by Richard Sherman, reminding opposing QB’s that you throw on #25 at your own peril.
The Defensive Line featuring five first round draft picks, had moments of dominance and Dee Ford in particular was a threat all game long, and it was his pressure that helped rookie #2 overall selection Nick Bosa to record his first NFL sack. These are all encouraging things, good things.
However, here is the flip side, Kwon Alexander for almost one quarter was a beast, a beast who it turns out couldn’t control the emotions of his return to Tampa Bay and was responsible for one of the clearest examples of leading with the helmet that the league could hope for, in it next here’s how not to do video production. The 49ers fans are used to seeing violent hits over the middle of the field, the great Ronnie Lott, one of the best ever at the art form, but Kwon needs to calm the emotions down and stay on the field. For the big money free agent, we need to see more leadership and accountability.
Nick Bosa, was touch and go if he would be playing in the game, so it was great to see him out there and I do believe that he will be one of the great ones if injuries allow, but you need to finish the tackle young man. Early in the second quarter, Bosa had Jameis Winston bang to rights on a third-down play for a huge loss. Now Winston is tricky and a decent QB, but he isn’t Lamar Jackson back there, and Bosa should have had his first sack there and then, instead Winston made him whiff on the tackle and moved the Buccaneers down the field. This could have been a huge momentum swing in the game that the Niners need to capitalize on going forward.
My biggest issue with the defence however, was in the second quarter, a 3rd and 17 play and the play call was to have just three lineman and eight defensive backs, who all lined up a good 20 yards down the field. With no pressure at all, Winston threw a short dump off screen pass and the Buccaneers were able to pick up the first down far, far to easily. Robert Saleh, we need to see better from you please. The second half interceptions went a long way to showing you have that in the locker, but the next 3rd and 17, let your pass rush go and get the QB, especially when you have five first rounders to choose from.
Over to offence, the injury to Tevin Coleman is a huge problem, even more so with Jet McKinnon done for the season again, the running game will trust that Matt Bredia can be healthy and that is not something that history is on the side of so far in his career.
George Kittle was as ever, very good and should have had two TD receptions if it wasn’t for stupid penalties, both teams were as bad as each other but the early score for Kittle had it stood may have resulted in a much different outcome with the potential momentum shift it should and could have provided.
Overall though it felt very much like the offence struggled, outside of Kittle, there were a couple of decent grabs by rookie Deebo Samuel, but the passing game overall seemed stagnant at times and maybe I am being harsh but I expected more from Jimmy Garoppolo than we saw. I appreciate he is returning from injury and that it can take time to knock off the rust, but this was not a good outing for Jimmy G. People were at times wondering about Nick Mullins maybe getting into the game, and just how many games has Jimmy played again?
I trust that the win will settle the nerves again after the rehab and the real Jimmy G will turn up to play the Bengals in week two. There is a very real chance that the Niners could open 2-0 after this game and I think it is fair to even be expecting that, and I am sure we will see a much better offensive performance this time, if not there will start to be some uncomfortable questions for Jimmy G, John Lynch and Coach Shanahan to face.
I hope to see the defence continue in the vein of the second half from Sunday just gone, and the confidence of the win calm heads down to see the offence click into gear. It is very much possible against a Bengals side who should finish bottom of their division, if the Niners want to think play-offs or contenders for play-offs this season, this is a should win game.
I have looked at some of the areas that were lacking in week one, but a win, is a win, is a win so lets move on to 2-0 and tame the Tigers from Cincinatti.
This week Kat is joined by James and Nat, to review the 53 man squad and also preview thoughts around the Buccaneers game.
Lets Go NINERS!!!
Credits:
Music: Audionautix.com
Researchers: Marc Lyon, Kat Victorino
Pick 6 Challenge: Ross Irwin
Social Media: Jason Argo
Editor: Nathaniel James
Reasons to be Cheerful ?
So here we are again on the cusp of another NFL season,must be time for the return of Wide Write, and like most of the NFL we all still don’t really know a great deal about the San Francisco 49ers, and their prospects for the coming 2019 season. Should we be worried? Should we be concerned? Should we be putting the bubbly on ice ready for next February?
But what should the faithful be expecting, are there reasons to be cheerful? I am here to argue that you should indeed be positive about the coming season, and below I list my reasons for this. I am not saying we are going to the Super Bowl or indeed even the Play-Offs, but there is little doubt in my mind that the 49ers are about to take a huge step forward. Strap in and enjoy the ride.
Firstly, Kyle Shanahan, the man is a genius when it comes to offensive football, and now after a few drafts and free agency periods it finally seems that he has created the type of offence that he really wants. He already had George Kittle of course, one of the leading Tight-Ends in the league now and the Niners have been able to supplement that with Tevin Coleman Jalen Hurd and Deebo Samuel, the type of offensive weapons that someone with Coach Shanahan’s imagination can only dream about.
Secondly, Jimmy Garoppolo, is fit again. Yes, he may have only started 10 games in his career, but the man is a winner and has learned from the best throughout his career. Coach Shanahan was convinced that Jimmy G was the man to lead his offence and it would have been nice to have had experience last season to bring into this one, with the expanded weapons available, but having Jimmy G instead of CJ Beathard and Nick Mullins can only be a good thing. Were you aware that whilst injured last season, Jimmy spent a lot of time with Mike Shanahan studying film together and breaking down the looks the defence was showing and how best to exploit what they are looking at. That will only help when he is back under centre this regular season.
My third reason and perhaps the most surprising. The Defence! Hang on a minute, before you jump and down and talk about how they had a record low number of interceptions last season, I know and agree with that, but there have been key additions to this unit now. The best way to stop the opponents passing game is to get to the QB, and the Niners Defensive Line now features 5 first round picks, DeForest Buckner is a break out star in the league, add in the previous first round selections of Solomon Thomas and Arik Armstead, to the new boys in San Francisco, Dee Ford from the Chiefs and number 2 overall pick Nick Bosa and the Niners DL may finally be ready to go hunting the QB.
Yes, Bosa is out injured with a high ankle sprain at the moment expected back week one, but his brother held out in his rookie season into the actual regular season and Joey Bosa still wrecked the league that year, and all reports show that Nick is better than Joey was at the same age, plus Nick has had some time in camp and looked dominant in all he was putting on tape. Opponents beware this 49ers DL is going to be coming after you.
Now the biggest potential reason the defence will be better, Joe Woods. Who? You may ask, but Joe Woods is maybe the secret weapon this defensive team needed. He is the new defensive backs / defensive passing game coach and has a wealth of experience in some of the best defensive teams you can remember, the Super Bowl Broncos teams featuring Von Miller, the Tampa Bay famed Tampa Two, the Minnesota Vikings to name some of his stops along the way to San Francisco. This man knows his onions as they say.
In Richard Sherman he has a coach on the field as well, so add in the pressure up front and a much-improved defensive backfield unit and the poor showings of 2018 are a thing of the past.
Yes, there is room for improvements, yes you wish for more at times, after all, doesn’t every fan want it all, all of the time. One of the most respected NFL media guys, Peter King, said recently he was picking the Niners for the play-offs I am not sure if I am ready to go that far just yet, but things are looking up in Red & Gold.
Let’s get ready to enjoy the ride!
Go Niners!
This week Kat is joined by James and Nat, to review the NFL draft and also review potential thoughts on what impact this could have on the team.
People we will be back around pre-season time.
Credits:
Music: Audionautix.com
Researchers: Marc Lyon, Kat Victorino
Pick 6 Challenge: Mark Caunt
Social Media: Jason Argo
Editor: Nathaniel James
This episode is in memory of two people that unfortunately passed away just recently... Margaret Clegg and Patty Price thoughts are very much with you both.
This week Kat is joined by James and Michael, to review the latest signings in free agency and also review potential thoughts around the 2019 NFL draft for the Niners.
People we will be back in late April to review the draft.
Credits:
Music: Audionautix.com
Researchers: Marc Lyon, Kat Victorino
Pick 6 Challenge: Mark Caunt
Social Media: Jason Argo
Editor: Nathaniel James
This week Kat is joined by Neil and Dipak to review the final game against the Rams, reviewed potential signings/drafts and who should look to remain on the team next season.
Ladies and gents we will be back to review the free agency in February, look out for another episode coming soon...
Credits:
Music: Audionautix.com
Researchers: Marc Lyon, Kat Victorino
Pick 6 Challenge: Mark Caunt
Social Media: Jason Argo
Editor: Nathaniel James
This week Kat is joined by the returning James Little and Michael Wandi to review the win against the Seahawks and to look ahead to this weeks matchup with the Chicago Bears
Credits:
Music: Audionautix.com
Researchers: Marc Lyon, Kat Victorino
Pick 6 Challenge: Mark Caunt
Social Media: Jason Argo
Editor: Simon Holdsworth
