Welcome back to football, folks!
Well, something close to football. This surely wasn’t the full thing.
But it was good enough for August.
Here are the studs and duds from preseason game No. 1 against the Titans.
STUDS
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Brandon Allen and Josh Dobbs
» Allen executed well, even with a couple of overthrows. Dobbs was impressive in the second half, elevating the bottom of the roster with nice throws and some necessary scrambles.
As evidenced by the order they played (Allen in the first half, Dobbs in the second), it’s clear where the depth chart stands. But Dobbs played well enough to justify the 49ers keeping three quarterbacks on the active roster come the end of the month.
Starting offensive line
» Credit where it is due: after seriously questionable practices, these guys played well against the opposition.
The Niners had to hold out Jaylon Moore, as he is the team’s starting left tackle until Trent Williams shows up to work. That put Chris Hubbard in the most important position on the line. He was fine. We also saw Nick Zakelj play center with the first unit — a telling move from the 49ers that could indicate the now-veteran is a lock to make this roster.
Malik Mustapha
» There’s every reason to believe he can be a special player. He made two get-out-of-your-seat plays in the run game. For a defense that is going to struggle in the run game (Saturday being the latest indication of that) this could prove huge, particularly in the season’s second half.
Eric Saubert
» The veteran blocking tight end was wiping out opposing defenders. The Niners were upset they lost Charlie Woerner in free agency. I think they upgraded with Saubert.
Kyle Shanahan
» The Niners’ head coach didn’t call plays for the first time since arriving in San Francisco, letting Klay Kubiak run the offense.
“I didn’t really know what to do with my hands,” Shanahan said after the game.
Cody Schrader
» The stat sheet says very little, but anyone who watched the game saw that Schreder was excellent, not only as a runner but also as a pass protector. He’s the team’s No. 3 running back until Elijah Mitchell comes back.
JP Mason
» There’s your No. 2 running back. That might be the case even when Mitchell returns from his injury.
DUDS
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Jake Moody
» What was that first kickoff? Kicking it to the 7-yard line couldn’t have been the plan. Ambry Thomas and Curtis Robinson deserve scorn here, too, for Tennessee’s big return. Starting at the 49ers’ 15-yard line following a penalty is unacceptable.
Ambry Thomas
» A massive miss on the Titans kickoff. A hold to negate an excellent third-down, goal-line stop. Miss after miss in the run game. Thomas might have to consider himself lucky he was injured in this game — he can stay on the roster now.
The defensive line
» Kalia Davis had his moments, but the Niners received nothing from Yetur Gross-Matos, Robert Beal, Ty McGill, and the rest of the second unit that played in the game.
That’s a problem, because the 49ers will need to use the second-string defensive line frequently this upcoming season.
There’s a reason the Niners were looking for a defensive end in any trade for Brandon Aiyuk. We saw it Satruday.
