I can’t wait to see how Connor Colby and Jake Brendel handle the Miami Dolphins defensive line, how the 49ers secondary takes care of the Dolphins offense, and whether the 49ers throttle up or down. It’s natural to let your guard down, being in their position, so we will learn a lot about this team today. I have high expectations. They earned it with their performance ten days ago. Let’s get this win and let’s get out with minimal injuries. Go Niners!
How the 49ers are readjusting after weeklong Australia trip
“Perry, the team’s vice president of player health and performance, and his staff provided players with instructions on how much water to drink on the plane, how long to stay up before falling asleep and when to wake up.
Right tackle Colton McKivitz said the objective was to stay up for a couple of hours (an easy enough task with so much adrenaline still pumping from the game), go to sleep in their lie-flat seats, and then wake up for the final few hours of the flight.
McKivitz estimated he slept for about seven hours. Running back Christian McCaffrey said he was out for about 13 hours, which was about the same as rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton. Defensive end Nick Bosa was in the same range.
“I actually felt it worse on the way back,” Bosa said. “Going out, you just kind of power through a few hours and then go to bed early and then just stay on a little earlier wake-up is what I did. And then when I came back, it’s been kind of hard to get to bed, but [Tuesday] night I got to bed nice and early.”
Kawakami: Why do the 49ers suffer so many injuries? Here’s my grand unifying theory (paywall)
“Shanahan and John Lynch seek out players who never want to come off the field, which is good for team spirit and fighting through tougher times but sometimes bad for the health of those players.
I don’t think Shanahan and Lynch have ever told an injured player to keep going no matter what. I just believe that they seek out hardy souls who run to contact and don’t want to let down their teammates. Which happen to be character traits of players who will try to ignore more reasonable medical advice.
Should Stribling have been kept off the field on Thursday after he initially hurt his ankle? Yes. But he wanted to keep going. The 49ers’ doctors allowed it; there’s always risk of worsening an injury and it’s always a judgment call.
But if Stribling didn’t want to go back in, he wouldn’t have gone back in. And the 49ers have built this roster — and won a lot of games — with players who want to go back in…
….they gather hard-nosed players, they charge through practice, they play games full-tilt, and they believe that tough players sometimes can make it back into the lineup faster than anyone else expected.
This stuff resonates in an NFL locker room. When you trust the players, the players trust you. Plus, sometimes it really pays off. Why else would the 49ers have brought George Kittle and Nick Bosa with them to Australia and to play in Week 1 after both had only recently returned to practice?
Or how could Shanahan and Lynch know that this group of players would respond well to flying out to Australia a week early, blow out the Rams, and understand what it takes to be ready for the Dolphins on Sunday?
The 49ers put a lot of trust in their players. Sometimes they put too much trust in their recovery powers; there are benefits and there are consequences for this. But the 49ers would rather keep that level of faith than players who deserve no faith at all.”
Eddy Pineiro will kick for 49ers against the Dolphins
“According to Matt Maiocco, the team did not sign either one, which means they’re confident Eddy Pineiro is no longer sick and will be available for Sunday’s home opener against the Miami Dolphins.
Pineiro didn’t practice all week due to an illness. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday the team would work out kickers ahead of the game. It was unclear whether that move was preventive. Turns out, that’s exactly what happened.”
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