Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Thursday, May 2nd, 2024
“There’s also another way to look at it: Samuel would ostensibly be entering a contract year, is close friends with Aiyuk and badly wants to win a Super Bowl. Samuel had his best season in 2021 (1,770 yards from scrimmage with 14 touchdowns) on the way to his current contract, and a motivated Samuel is the most productive version of him.
Samuel and Aiyuk have been kept in the loop on the Niners’ plans throughout the offseason. Plenty of things can derail a promising season, but San Francisco’s core players understand how the business side of things work, which is why a disappointing season would likely be the product of something besides hurt feelings.”
“If you watched the 49ers last season, you noticed the holes along the offensive line at every position to the right of left tackle Trent Williams,” Miller wrote. “Kansas’ versatile Puni should be penciled in as a Day 1 starter at right guard, where his power and agility will be a major upgrade over Jon Feliciano.”
Branch: 49ers roster predictions: Who makes the team, who gets cut and why (paywall)
“ The surprise here would be the 49ers keeping Bartch, a 2020 fourth-round pick of the Jaguars, and parting with Burford, their own 2022 fourth-round pick. After rotating with Daniel Brunskill as a rookie, the 49ers gave Burford the full-time role at right guard last season before benching him in favor of Feliciano late in the season.
Why the demotion? Burford’s performance provided some insight after he replaced an injured Feliciano in Super Bowl LVIII. On one of the game’s biggest plays, Purdy’s harried incomplete 3rd-and-goal pass in overtime, Burford left All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones unblocked.
“I should have just played within the scheme,” Burford said. “I played on instinct.”
That was hardly the only reason the 49ers lost. But it could be among the reasons Burford loses his roster spot.”
Ex-49er Aldon Smith appreciates flattering words from Staley, Williams
“Smith, apparently, left an impression on Williams with a two-sack, four-quarterback-hit game against Washington in 2013. He also had two sacks against Washington the following season, but Williams was inactive for that game.
“When people ask me that, he’s the first face [I see] — not only his name,” Williams told Staley. “I just see him in his uniform, from the huddle, side view. Looking 5 yards [away], I just see those long arms. That’s who pops in my mind.”
How Aldon Smith discovered ‘most important thing’ through struggles
“I think it’s important for us to understand that the relationship we have with ourselves is the most important thing, and how we see ourselves is the most important thing,” Smith said.
“When you guys met me as a 20-year-old, I probably had the worst self-esteem, the worst relationship with myself. And to everybody else, they probably wonder how could that be when I was so successful on the field. But I didn’t see myself how everybody else saw me. And so I struggled with a lot of things.”
Smith said he learned a lot during those dark times to identify his coping mechanisms.
“Through my struggles with drinking and all of the different things that I went through. I was able to develop that relationship along the way by all of the times that I was away from ball and went to a treatment center or a therapist,” Smith said. “It gave me a chance to really work and develop on who I am.
“I’m so excited to be able to share that because you’ve seen the different stages, and I’m so blessed to be able to have this opportunity to talk about how it felt looking at life through the lens one way and now having a completely different perspective on life and what that shift can do.”
Smith said the past three years without football have been the most difficult years of his life. While acknowledging his life is a work in progress, he said he is achieving consistency.
Smith has knowledge through life experiences that he believes can enable him to serve as a resource for young men entering the NFL — or people of any age. He will be serving as a mentor for rookies with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders.”
About the Author: Insidethe49
