We finally have a name for this thing: The Golden Fool’s mailbag. I thank all of you for coming up with this play on words and also contributing to this week’s mailbag.
If you’re new to the program, we’ll be putting a post up on the feed asking you to submit your questions. I’ll also keep an eye on comments and other posts that bring up good questions.
Thanks for your participation, and let’s get to your questions:
How does Saleh cope with the (irreplaceable) loss of General Warner? Will we see Nick Martin on the field? Will Saleh use more big nickel? Who will call plays and direct traffic?
-Flydyl
He doesn’t. You can’t cope with that. You do what the rest of us do: cry. As for how they can play without Warner? We’re about to find out. Warner was nothing short of reliable until this unfortunate injury, even playing through a foot injury in 2024. In many ways, this may be nice for the younger players because Warner has been able to pick up the slack. Now it’s on them.
As for Nick Martin, I hope we see him on the field; if we don’t, that might be telling about how his rookie development is. I understand him sitting when Warner is on the roster and with the play of Dee Winters, but now that Warner won’t be around for the foreseeable future, one has to wonder if Martin’s lack of usage indicates something more. Plus, this isn’t a sixth-round pick; Martin was a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. That doesn’t mean he sees the field on day one, but in this condition, how he’s not providing relief at the very least is a bit head-scratching.
And thank goodness for Winters because we were wondering who would fill in for Dre Greenlaw. I know some thought Martin might have a chance, but Winters has been a battering ram on the field.
Do you expect to see Watkins play during the regular season?
-9ergold
Not only do I expect him to play this season, but I expect him to play this Sunday. With Ricky Pearsall not practicing on Friday and Marquez Valdes-Scantling heading to IR, we might get a glimpse of Watkins. He was getting lots of love at training camp until his first injury, so hopefully we’ll see it translate on the field.
Why is Foerster so rigid and inflexible? If his O Linemen are doing poorly, shouldn’t he make astute assessments and timely adjustments?
-Seb
There’s only so much he can do with what he has, and what he has isn’t much. The 49ers got lucky with Dominick Puni last year. Puni had to play through a strained PCL to start this season. The guard opposite him, Aaron Banks, left for Green Bay, which led to Ben Bartch filling in. Bartch went down with an injury, and rookie Connor Colby filled in. Colby hasn’t been awful, but he has been a rookie with ups and downs. So that’s just the guard spots.
The 49ers will need to address the offensive line this offseason. Though every time we think that is happening, it doesn’t. Whether it simply doesn’t occur or draft positioning prevents it. The bottom line is, the 49ers are working with what they have. Once Puni heals up, that will help. Colby can take his lumps and maybe get it together.
I mean, this isn’t an Eric Pears or Jordan Devey situation.
Kind of piggybacking NYners strategy/coaching question re: punts;
A few weeks ago there was a story about a couple of teams kickers finding a successful hack for dealing with the new kickoff rules. Essentially kicking a line drive into the landing zone in a way that is hard for returners to field. Are more teams doing it? Why aren’t we? Is it harder than it looks?
-WeWantWinners!!!
Thinking smaller might be a better way here. The 49ers needed a capable kicker who could make field goals before they even tried to time the kicking into those landing zones. Jake Moody was struggling to even place his kickoffs where they wanted. Asking him to zero in on where to put it and give it air time is the equivalent of playing basketball and jumping right into a hookshot before you can dribble or shoot a free throw.
Now that Moody is gone (and that win he had on Monday night for the Bears was nothing short of awesome), Eddy Pinero could go to the next level with such kicks, but with consistency. Pinero didn’t even get a training camp, and after how the season started with Moody’s erratic play, all the 49ers should worry about is him making kicks and extra points. Maybe next year they can do some more exotic things, but right now that’s just simply asking for too much with what the 49ers have.
Should the 49ers trade before the deadline or hold on to their draft captial?
-Boise49ersFan
Hold onto the picks. The 49ers were maybe a hole away from being a Super Bowl contender. Now that they don’t have Fred Warner, the offensive line is in flux, and injuries wherever, going all in for a pass rusher, linebacker, or whatever to fix that still leaves holes. Even a splash trade wouldn’t suddenly make the 49ers Super Bowl-good.
That said, if they can get a player they can sign long term who can contribute now and in the future, absolutely go for it.
At this very moment, they are not a piece away from contending for the Super Bowl. Time to see what they have, get into the postseason with that “easy” schedule, and let the youngsters get experience.
Do you prefer the remasters, pixel remasters, or remakes in the FF series?
-Gaudior
Pixel Remasters. You can adjust XP so you aren’t grinding for hours on end, speed things up, and get some sweet orchestrated tunes. There are specific things I miss about the originals, namely some pixel art style, but it’s a non-issue. The only reason I’d consider the remakes is for the extra content, which I can always do without.
About the Author: Insidethe49
