The San Francisco 49ers are changing. Maybe the most since Kyle Shanahan took over as head coach in 2017. The changes, on display in training camp and the preseason, brought the good and the bad.
Following their 30-23 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, there are obviously some concerns as well.
Of course, it could be the wide receivers and(the injury bug) or the offensive line’s health and depth.
Then there’s the special teams. Sure, Junior Bergan looked good for a hot minute. In fact, some might say he could be the punt returner. Then again, it’s not like he had much to compete with. For a rookie, he got an “S” for satisfactory. At least up until Saturday, when this happened:
Fans may be reminded of Ronnie Bell’s ball skills with that video. Thank goodness they found Skyy Moore because who knows if Bergan can be trusted with punts, at least for his rookie season. Maybe Moore could be a better returner. The 49ers’ special teams have enough to worry about.
But nothing is more worrisome than their kicker situation. One that began with a competition that ended abruptly, and maybe with the wrong guy declared the winner.
Last week, Jake Moody sank a 59-yarder through the uprights, and everyone was ready to forget two seasons’ worth of inconsistency. Even his coach said that very kick could “change his career.”
So, after Moody just got accolades from everyone and was ready to put the past behind him, there were some reports of shaky kicking this week on the practice reports. No big deal, we’re talking about practice. Practice numbers can be shrugged off. This, unfortunately, could not:
When Moody came out for his second extra point, he was booed, per this video.
Oh, and it wasn’t just kicking through the uprights either. After tying it 13-13 in the third quarter, Moody booted the kickoff following out of bounds. To be fair, Moody made his only field goal, and his single miss of the night came from the extra point. Together, it’s not exactly changing the narrative.
“I thought he had one of the best games I’ve ever seen a guy have, last week,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I know he didn’t make the extra point today, which definitely doesn’t make us happy, but we’ll see how it goes in the year.”
Moody’s game-winner last week was a good first step, but there needed to be more, a lot more. Two years can’t be written off with a single 59-yard game-winner. When there was a kicker competition going on, 49ers special teams coach Brant Boyer wanted something similar.
Saturday brought something else: the Jake Moody 49ers fans have seen the last two years.
And yes, this discussion is over a single point. The extra point—no longer a given since the distance for attempts got pushed back. So a miss is something that happens from time to time, and dare I say, unfair to scrutinize. That wouldn’t matter except for the fact that the name of the game is consistency.
Right now, the kicker situation is probably the 49ers’ biggest concern heading into the regular season.
A preseason PAT miss is as much a non-issue as banking a 59-yard game-winner. But when you combine the two, over back-to-back weeks, with a kicker who has a history of inconsistency, one has to wonder if Moody’s reliability will ever improve.
Oh, and don’t forget the kick out of bounds.
It’s probably too soon to tell. It could be another 17-week ride to see if Moody can hold on. Or he’ll shank his last kick for the last time midseason and force the 49ers’ hand.
The 49ers may need distance kicks to close out games, especially with all the injuries. Right now, Moody is a big question mark, and probably the most concerning thing now that the preseason has concluded.
But what are you most concerned about with the 49ers at the conclusion of the preseason? Do you think it’s the kicker situation or something else?
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