John Cashman: Hello! Welcome to Niners Talk. It’s Victory Tuesday here, boys. I’m John, joined by my brother Tim, and my brother from another brother, Brian. We are three obsessed Niners fans, who talk Niners each week. Victory Tuesday, fellas. Tim, how you feeling?
Tim Cashman: I think anytime you go on the road and beat an opponent 30 7, I think we should all be feeling pretty good.
Yeah, I mean, you know, it was, I think a lot of us had predicted a tougher game, a closer game. But it just, the Niners came out and, you know, watching the game again today, I mean, the Niners just came out and just… They, they just were firing on all cylinders and Pittsburgh just couldn’t even get out of the gates, so, uh, it was 30 7, but it could have been a lot worse, so, first game of the season against what I still think is a quality opponent in a, you know, in a respected organization on the road, 30 7.
Uh, yeah. Nothing but gold stars right now.
John Cashman: Brian, how you feeling?
Brian Caynan: Definitely. It was a great game to watch. Definitely low stress for me, not unlike Tim’s, , Garmin. , it was fine. , it was fine. It was probably stressful for the first, like , you know, probably the first quarter. Um, you know, but obviously everyone’s a little antsy.
It’s the start of the season. It’s the first game. But, uh, you know, after that it felt pretty good, you know?
John Cashman: Since I was, yeah, since I was sitting, sitting right next to my brother, I would say the stress started to abate about halfway through the fourth quarter. That’s what I think, okay.
I think we got it. That’s when it occurs?
Tim Cashman: Can I set the benchmark for our listeners? Because, yes, I tend to get very stressed. And I do have, uh, a device that’s on my wrist that measures my heart rate and in general overall stress through, I don’t know, some sort of algorithm.
And whenever the Niners come on, it spikes! And it spikes for three hours. So, yes, around midway through the fourth quarter, I started taking some deep breaths. And we can expect this kind of level to continue for the next, uh, 16 games. So, and, you know, that’s not including playoffs, hopefully.
John Cashman: Yeah, but let’s, let’s talk a little bit of a week in review, because the last time we came on, which was a week ago, Nick Bosa was still in Florida, and we were on in the panic meter pretty high.
I was up at an 8, I think Tim was at a 9. 3, Brian was in the 8. So, Brian, where were you when Nick Bosa got signed?
Tim Cashman: Where did you hear the news?
Brian Caynan: I want to say I was working from home and that, as usual, Tim was my, um, breaking news update. So, uh, thank you, Tim, for letting us know. I think it might be you,
Tim Cashman: John.
You’re welcome. One of you two. You’re more than welcome. Yeah,
Brian Caynan: thank you. You should, you should, you should come up with, like, your own jingle. Like, the ESPN jingle. Um,
John Cashman: for you guys. I don’t know. Dun dun dun! , Tim, where were you?
Tim Cashman: I was sitting at my desk at work, and because I was checking, uh, Twitter or whatever, X, or the, the site formerly known as Twitter, whatever Elon’s calling it these days, obsessively, and I just happened to refresh it where I saw across the newswire, I think it was from either Twitter.
E S P N or the ap? It was a two minute, you know, it had been, it was two minutes ago. As Nick Bosa agrees, I immediately grab my phone and my AirPods race into a conference room and call you. Mm-hmm. . I mean, we were, we, we, it was, it felt like on par like, you know, hey, my wife is in labor kind of moment. , I apologize to my wife right now in advance for even comparing the two situations.
But, uh, yeah, I was, I was at work and all of a sudden the Thursday just became so much more stress free.
John Cashman: Wasn’t it awesome? I mean, the colors outside were better. The birds were chirping. The food tasted better. You know, it was like, a little victory, a little victory cocktail. I mean, it was, it just made everything better.
the skies were blue. Yeah, and then that night, Detroit goes out and beats Kansas City. So, yeah, it was, it was a good day all around. But let’s, let’s get into… It’s all part of the plan. Yes, it’s all written into the script. What’s the best ad campaign ever? Like, what if we write Patrick Mahomes off? Hey! Um, But let’s talk, let’s talk about the game.
Um, this is our obviously week one. We got 16 more of these to go, but, , I watched the game with my brother, and it was, for me, it was, it was a pretty dominant Niners performance. They looked crisp, they looked, uh, the defense looked real. Like, oh, I don’t, I don’t want to go against there. , I thought they controlled it right out of the gate.
And that hit Fred Warner put on Najee Harris, which I think was like the third play of the game. Pittsburgh never had their rhythm back after that. It was like, I don’t even know, like, we’re in a street fight now and I forgot to bring brass knuckles. So, I thought it was just a really good… In the last four years, it’s been one of the best opening day victories we’ve had in quite a while.
Brian, thoughts?
Brian Caynan: Yeah, I was, um, my stress level was probably just a little bit high during that first drive and, um, but I think after, you know, um, gosh, I’m trying to remember, was that like a, was that the fourth down throw when they had to kittle? Um, it was like a fourth and short. Yeah. Um, when I felt like, okay, things, uh, things are looking really good.
And I was surprised that they were going for it on fourth down, but they probably felt really amped up and they, um, you know, Shannon let them do it. And, uh, I think that really fired up the team once they picked up that first down. And, um, I think just from that play, I think the offense just sort of clicked right after that.
And, uh, yeah, it was a fun day. It’s a good game to watch.
Tim Cashman: Tim? Yeah, I, you know, the, I mean, Pittsburgh surprised me by their opening drive. Uh, they threw three straight times, and actually the play you were referring to, John, was on their second possession, but, you know, it’s third down, uh, Pickens gets pressured by Armstead up the middle, he’s pushed out to the left where Drake Jackson makes, the first sack of, , of 20 23.
And the Niners immediately get the ball, and they start driving, they, they have a fourth down, and I wasn’t surprised that Shanahan went for it, I think, you know, he’s like, I’ve got all these weapons, I’m going to use them. , it was a great play to Kittle. He came in motion away from, uh, T. J. Watt out to the left side.
, Purdy got the ball out quick, and from there, Niners just marched right down. And, you know, before the Steelers, I think, could even blink at 7 0 on a beautiful pass to Iyuk. , where the, uh, Steelers cornerback, uh, Peterson, uh, did slip. , but the Niners just set the tone early, and as, John, as you mentioned, we were watching.
You know, a lot of people have been thinking the Steelers were going to make a statement in this game. It was, I mean, I thought it was going to be a close game, but as you said to me very clearly, you, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. And I think the 49ers just punched Steelers right in the mouth in the first quarter.
John Cashman: Yeah, no, I agree. Uh, but let’s go over, we had some keys to victory that , we thought, I mean, being the football pundits that we are. Um, keys to victory. And let’s see if the Niners hit them or if they weren’t really anything the Niners needed to do and we’re just a bunch of idiots trying to sound like we know what we’re doing.
, well their first key, which was one of mine, was they signed Nick Bosa. Mission accomplished. But they also did, which this is going to be really interesting come the rest of the year, they restructured a lot of contracts. And they opened up a lot of cap space. So now you have some big questions for the rest of the year.
Are they going to use it? What is the trade line? Trade deadline? Is it like sometime in October, November? Are they going to trade for somebody? Are they going to push it into next year so they can sign someone like IUK? That was really interesting with the Nick Bosa signing, opening up all of the Salary cap now the most salary cap in the league.
I just gotta say kudos to Jed Thanks for opening the pocketbook and spending about a hundred million dollars in a week but that was I thought that was definitely one of the keys to victory because everybody Felt like it was you know ready to go. . So yeah, the salary cap now is a big advantage for the Niners, but I think it’s a little bit outside the, the keys to victory. Do you guys have any thoughts on, uh, the salary cap
Tim Cashman: they’ve obviously created a room for you know cap space in 2023. I have not looked at it close enough to see what 2024 is going to look like , obviously, you know, that’s going to be another interesting offseason, but, , right now, the Niners have obviously been pushing a lot of chips into the table, if not all the chips into the table, uh, for this run, so, , we’ll have to see, but, you know, I, I, I credit, uh, not only, uh, Jed, John Lynch, Parag, for getting the deal done, and Nick Bosa’s camp for, you know, at one point saying, alright, this may be best and final, and we should take it, and, We’re not gonna gain anything by Nick being out week one.
So I think it just, it also sent, uh, a great spark throughout the locker room. You know, we saw tweets from Fred Warner. We heard, you know, what the reaction was in the locker room. So that was obviously a, a big, uh, emotional lift for the Niners, um, before heading out to Pittsburgh. Brian?
Brian Caynan: Yeah, I, I, just like Tim, I’d be, uh, interested to see how this affects, like, the cap space in years going forward, , I, I’m not an expert on it in any way, and I’m not familiar with all the terms, but, , how that affects it, but I’d love to see how that kind of would come into play.
I, you know, I did see, and I did text you, John and, and Tim, kind of the night before that I wasn’t sure how this was going to affect the salary cap, and I was shocked just like everyone else that have, , All the changes they were able to do to restructure a lot of those contracts. I think to turn some of the, what is it, they turned a lot of the uh, um, Guaranteed salary money into like signing bonus money.
And , I guess that helps in every way. So um, But yeah, I was very happy to see that. And just like Tim also said, yeah, it did create a spark. With a lot of the guys in the locker room, like, I remember something like Fred Warner just going nuts and um, so yeah, it was great to see and I’m sure it showed on Sunday.
So. When they were out there. Yeah.
John Cashman: Yeah. So let’s, let’s get back to the keys to victory. So, so Tim, I thought we were going to see a lot of Steelers running the ball. We didn’t in the beginning and I don’t think they, they
Tim Cashman: ran. Uh, no, certainly, I mean, as I said, you know, their first opening drive, , it was, uh, it was three passes, uh, their second possession, as you said, John, Fred Warner just comes in and absolutely just blows up Harris.
So, you know, with that, they go three and out again. What I think you, what you saw in this game was… The 49ers on their first three possessions, uh, touchdown, field goal, touchdown, they go up 17 0. The Steelers, I think, had a total of two offensive yards at that point. So, you’re down 17 0. At this point, you have to start thinking about getting back into the game.
So, the Niners, I think, by the second quarter, had taken the Steelers out of their game plan. And the Steelers now are going to have to lean on a lot more of their quarterback. Who I don’t think they were planning on doing. I think they felt that their defense was gonna keep it closer They would be able to take some chances throwing the ball, but they were gonna lean more on their ground game And that’s just the 49ers Being able to score that quickly combined with the Steelers just not being able to do anything plus having one turnover in the first half on the Tavares Ward interception , that forced the Steelers out of their game plan early, and it just, uh, yeah, at that point you have to start throwing the ball.
You have to start opening it up, and that played right into the Niners hands.
John Cashman: And , the key is always in any game, honestly, is turnovers. We saw that in last night’s game. With Buffalo and New York, obviously Buffalo had a real chance to win the game. After Aaron Rodgers goes down, but they turn over the ball four times.
Niners in this case had , plus turnovers. They had to various war interception, Huff’s interception. We lost one, but still plus in turnovers with that gets us to the offense. So Brian, your thoughts initially on the offense?
Brian Caynan: It did look really good. I think they were pretty fluid. Um, you know, CMC out there, NIU and, you know, even Kittle and, and Debo.
I think they all look pretty, just pretty fluid in, in kind of everything they were doing. So, I think I was just impressed with a lot of the, , the cuts, the, just everything they were doing. It looked, it looked good. It looked nice and smooth.
John Cashman: Tim, any, any thoughts that you have on the offense?
Tim Cashman: I mean, it was just, it was the CMC show, and, you know, early on, and what I saw quite a bit was the CMC, , was obviously, well, was going to the left quite a bit, and why wouldn’t you go to the left when you’ve got, , two blockers like, uh, Banks and, uh, Trent Williams out there? , TJ Watt we knew was going to be a problem, and I know we’re going to get to that in just a little bit, but…
You know, we saw quite a bit of an extra tight end, sometimes it was Kittle, sometimes it was Warner, , making sure that they could seal him off either on pass protection or on run plays when they did go over to the right side. Uh, but then of course there was Brandon Ayuk, who had an awesome game, , I think he just, he played like it was a contract here, which obviously it is.
Uh, but no, very efficient. You put up 20 points, uh, on the road, uh, in the first half. Uh, you’re up 20 0, uh, with about a minute to go. Like, that’s exactly where you want to be as a football team. So, you know, very, very efficient. Uh, pretty, there was maybe some, some concern that, you know, there would be a little bit of rust, a little bit of angst because of the injury.
How would he be feeling? But we saw none of that. We saw none of that.
John Cashman: . So that brings us to the last key to victory, which is kickers got a kick. And when we started out last Tuesday, we didn’t know if he had a kicker, but Jake Moody came in and looked like the kicker we thought he was going to look like. What’d you guys think?
Uh, I just think he
Brian Caynan: had the shakes, you know? He’s a rookie, he’s first time out there, , he didn’t really get to practice much at Levi’s due to Taylor Swift, , Yeah, I just you know, he’s just a rookie and I think he just had to figure some things out So I will chalk it up to that. Yeah, Tim.
Tim Cashman: Yeah. Well, hey he hit he hit the extra points You know, we saw him miss one.
I think in the preseason And he hit three field goals. So yeah kudos kudos to Jake I think one of them was I don’t think Tom was trying to ice him But there was one where I think the entire Left side of the Steelers jumped offside, but, you know, he kept his composure, he came in , and, and still made the kick, so, uh, kudos to Jake, I, I think our emotions on him have come down a bit, so, good for Jake.
Jake, we love you.
John Cashman: But how good was week one to have real football back? , I have to say like, you know, what’s the Niners Steelers was, was done. , got to have a little bit of red zone. I had it on the car driving back. I wasn’t watching it. I was listening to it. Um, but
Tim Cashman: that we will, we got to take you at your word on that.
John Cashman: But that, that Miami Los Angeles game was crazy. Yeah. , just, I mean, it was basketball on grass. And again, I don’t know , how the chargers keep that coach around. That guy finds more ways to lose than anybody out there. But Tim, what else stood out for you in Week 1?
Tim Cashman: Well, the fact that the team that I absolutely abhor, Seattle, lost.
And when the 49ers win and Seattle loses, I gotta say it was a good day.
John Cashman: And Brian, anything else stick out to you in Week 1?
Brian Caynan: Uh, Tyreek Hill is pretty damn awesome. That was, uh… That one play to ice the game, um, against the, against the Chargers is pretty sweet. Yeah. The Dallas defense, um, getting two touchdowns and, uh, pitching a shutout. That was pretty. Pretty good. I didn’t get to watch much of the, uh, the Chiefs and the, uh, and the Lions game.
But, you know, from what I understand, that was, uh, pretty exciting. And I, you know, heard it from a lot of people. Um, yeah, some great games and it is so good to, to kind of watch all this stuff come out. So,
John Cashman: really excited. Get back in the rhythm of things. Monday night football, Tuesday talk about it, Wednesday set your lineups, Thursday night football.
Friday, Saturday, college football. Sunday, regular football. Rinse and repeat. It’s all good. So, but let’s, let’s get to , each of our stars of the game. For me… It was Brandon Ayuk. Brandon Ayuk had two touchdowns, one of which I didn’t even know he had caught the ball. , his second touchdown when he beat Patrick Peterson, uh, it was just like, how’d you catch that?
And how’d you get both feet down? And then his block to spring CMC. Yeah. Was just ridiculous. Absolutely. So for me, he was the star, he was my star of the game, , he just jumped out on tape. And good for Brandon, he’s been in the system for a while and he’s obviously playing for big money. Uh, so.
What about you Brian? Who’s your star of the game?
Brian Caynan: The one and only Christian McCaffrey, um, he was just, he got the ball. Early and often and you felt like you was just gonna break something here or there and um, yeah He was it’s just all around impressive. He had 152 yards on the ground on 22 rushes.
He obviously had that big one , at the start of the third quarter, um, yes, IU did help him on that, uh, on that awesome block. So that was really great to see. , C M C also had three catches for seven 17 yards, so that was pretty good. I saw that. Was there that, um, uh, no, I was thinking of something else, but I don’t know if it was him, but there was one play where Brock Purdy looked like he was about to get sacked and he kind of just threw it out there to someone on the flat.
And I, I don’t remember if that was C M C or Elijah Mitchell, but he just happened to, to grab it. So, , obviously I don’t know if that was him or not, but that was my start of the game. Christian McCaffrey. Um, and that run of his in the third quarter was just, was just awesome. Yeah.
John Cashman: Tim, who do you got
Tim Cashman: for a star of the game?
Well, before I do that, I just wanted to add a couple things to both of your guys. I mean, Iyuk had, he was, and well, seriously, I mean, when I looked at some of the stats, Iyuk was targeted eight times and made eight catches. So that just shows what kind of day he had and you know going to the again back the McCaffrey run in the in the early in the third quarter Iukes block reminded me so much of what Kyle Juszczak did in 2019 against the Steelers where Uh, you know, he literally just threw a guy off him, , after catching a pass.
I mean, iu, he, he, this was not a pancake. This was just, you sent the guy, he sent the res, the defensive back, just absolutely flying. So mm-hmm. , , kudos to iu. That’s, you know, that’s kind of wide receiver that Shanahan, uh, demands. , that’s kind of a play he wants. Uh, and then for C M C, I mean, you know, yeah, he had 22 attempts, but he was on the field for 59 snaps.
So, he was out there just about for the entire game, save a few plays where Elijah came in. But, that, that just shows, you know, how much this guy wants, yeah, I think wants, not only wants to be on the field, but how much the Niners, you know, just believe in him that, you know, what a difference maker, uh, he is.
So, anyway, I wanted to add that to, uh, to each of yours. Mine is gonna be Drake Jackson. , three sacks on the day. I don’t know what, what, what do you call it when you, if you stretch out both your arms, is that your wingspan? Is that just, you know, from, yeah. So your wings, I don’t know what it, what that guy’s wingspan is, but I can tell you from just watching, it’s impressive.
He, that guy’s got some long arms. , his first sack of the day, you know, he was able to just get a hold of Pickens. Um, you know, again, Pickens was trying to scramble, uh, on his second sack, and Drake just came up from behind and was able to ground him again with those long arms. And just, you know, he’s the kind of player that the 49ers really wanted to see take a step forward, , this season.
He’s done that in Week 1, you know, and I hope he just continues that throughout the rest of the year because that’s going to be such a compliment to Bosa. If he’s able to continue that kind of performance.
John Cashman: Absolutely. Anyone else?
Brian Caynan: Well, I buddy Jake, uh, from State Farm, but you know, we don’t have to talk about him anymore, , so, you know, um, but Jake does get the star of the game though.
Yeah. Yeah. He, he definitely deserves it. , I, I did was also, and I’m glad you put this on here, John, um, Mitch, uh, he did have some awesome, awesome punts. Mm-hmm. , and I thought he was gonna be a little, , I remember I think he was dealing with some injuries, I think early in the preseason, but he ended up doing some really good, you know, it’s that, that drop kick that he does.
, he pinned the Steelers back a couple of times and that was great to see. Yeah. I
Tim Cashman: mean all And he and he even did the kickoffs? He did. He did. And, uh, actually Shanahan commented on that, saying that that was a precaution because of Moody’s injury that he does expect moody to, mm-hmm. resume kickoff duties, I think as soon as this week against the Rams.
But going to back to which now he had three punt. All three punts were, you know, not only inside the Steeler 20, but the Steelers, because of his three punts, they started on their own five, their own six, and then their own four. Yeah, that’s what you want out of a punter. Absolutely. It, you know, you flip the field, they’ve got to go longer.
I mean, granted, the Steelers did get that. Um, but that is, you know, such a difference maker how you flip the field, uh, make the offense have to go that much longer and give, you know, uh, a defense like the 49ers, uh, the ability to make a play and then create a short field free for their own offense. So yeah, gold stars to, to Mitch on this, on this game.
Yeah.
John Cashman: But let’s talk, um, one more, uh, because he is the heartbeat of the defense. And that’s Fred. , I thought Fred set the tone early with that hit on Najee Harris. It, that was one of, he was launched out of a cannon. , his closing speed was, was ridiculous. And also another one, , a buddy texted me during the game and he said, Dre, Dre Greenlaw’s a bad man.
Tim Cashman: Yeah.
John Cashman: So, those two were definitely bringing the thunder.
Brian Caynan: Yeah, and I was looking at, I was looking at the , the tackles chart. I didn’t realize Lenore had 10 tackles. Yeah. Yeah, that was pretty impressive. He had more than, than Fred. So that was something that shocked me, or surprised me, I should say. And I was looking at the stat sheet, so,
Tim Cashman: I was gonna say, I mean, Fred, Fred had a whale of a game. , he almost, almost has a pick six. Yeah. Uh, I think all of us, and more so even Fred, was shocked that he didn’t come down there. But, second half, I don’t know why, I still don’t know why Pickens threw this ball. It seemed like he was throwing right at Fred Warner.
, but Fred tips the ball, Hufanga makes the interception, so, uh, you know, Fred was, as John said, was all over the field. And yeah, Drake Greenlaw, , he was hitting some guys, I, on one play, I don’t remember the running back who caught it. It seemed like, I thought he was gonna get nailed for a horse collar tackle, but it was just Fred’s arm just coming over and leveling him.
John Cashman: Yeah. I think it was Dre’s, I think. Uh.
Tim Cashman: Oh, excuse me, Dre. Correct, correction.
John Cashman: Um, well anyway, it’s not all sunshine lollipops. There are some places where the Niners, I think, can improve a bit. , and let’s start with, with always one of my favorites being, uh, an official. Penalties. Tim, there are way too many dumb penalties weren’t there.
Tim Cashman: Well, I, I love that you came out and said, because I’m an official, and officials of course are, you know, never wrong. Never wrong. Are they ? Never wrong. Never. No, no, no. Um, at least not during a game. We, we know that, at least not during a game, but we know that, you know, referees are humans. , they do have families of their own.
And, um, we should, you know, obviously remember that when we talk about the referees, , Yeah, 11 penalties, uh, for the 49ers, obviously a couple that, you know, that stand out, , two penalties on Lenore Drive where the Steelers scored, although I would say that, uh, the second penalty, which was an illegal contact, I thought that one was borderline, but…
The first one, which was a late hit out of bounds, is something that the Niners need to be a bit cleaner about. Yeah. And then, you know, Buford, I think Buford had a false start, a holding penalty, and I forget what the next one was. But, yeah, those are areas that you don’t want to see, and I think they were overlooked just because of how lopsided the game was getting.
John Cashman: Yeah. Uh, Brian, anything else you saw where the Niners can improve a bit?
Brian Caynan: Yeah, you know, , I guess the special teams coverage was one thing that I kind of was watching the game I was like, oh no, like, you know, I felt like whenever There was a punt return or kick return and maybe I’m just exaggerating it because you probably You know, seen it like two or three times, but I felt like those, those returners were getting like at least 20 yards.
Yeah. Um, each time and that, that’s obviously something I know that they’re gonna try to look to clean up this week. So, um, yeah, I’d love to see that one kind of taken care of when we play the Rams next week.
Tim Cashman: Yeah, because
John Cashman: Tim brought up a great point, which Snowski was pinning them deep, but those are all non returnable balls.
But if somebody got their hands on it, they were just taken off. I’m like, so yeah, I was a little, I was a little concerned about that. Another one, which, you know, my brother and I started looking at each other going, , how much longer is this dude going to be in? Was, Niners had the game pretty well in control, but CMC was out there still running between the tackles.
I’m like, you know, I wouldn’t mind seeing Jordan Mason or Elijah, , or some other guys out there, you know, handling the rock. , so I was, I was concerned. I saw today, um, on Lion Barrows was like. In the press box, he and Kyle Kamey are looking at each other going, again, CMC is still out there. But from what I’ve been reading, the big reason around that is because of that Detroit game, they pulled out everybody and then Detroit came just throwing them back.
So it’s like, just keep your foot on the gas. , that was just, to me, just stuck out. It was a little odd, uh, because we wanted to last all 17 games, but obviously he came out, he didn’t have any injuries, but that position is so rough that. You know, you don’t want to spend too much. So Tim, any other concerns that you saw?
Tim Cashman: One, and it’s a big one. Right tackle Colton McKivitts against TJ Watt. That was not good. That was, as you would say, John, no bueno. Yeah, it was no
John Cashman: bueno. I, I feel like I’ve jinxed Colton a lot because I was sitting on the couch with my brother and I’m like, you know, we haven’t heard Colton’s name yet. And then all of a sudden, well, bam, well bam.
I’m like, whoopsie, . Yeah. So, yeah. But I mean, it’s hard to tell at this point because he is going against TJ Watt,
Brian Caynan: Brian. Yeah, he is. He is gonna get targeted, you know, that, you know. Mm-hmm. , he’s gonna, in every game coming up, um, he’s gonna be, That target. So, um, you know, he could have Aaron Donald lining up over there.
I’m not sure, but like every game now going forward, everyone’s watching this
John Cashman: tape and I tell you right now, Micah Parsons will be on that side
Tim Cashman: very much.
John Cashman: So, but yeah, that’s just, I think. I want to see Colton take it, take another step forward. Um, it’s not like we have another guy that we can just bring in. , but I’d like to see him take another step forward,
you know, do better. But, uh, I saw also, you know, McGlinchey. You know, gave him a pretty big one to Max Crosby. So I don’t know. I don’t know if he would have been better at keeping the, you know, the old guy too. So, but it’s there and there, those are the places to improve. I think those are places that definitely can improve over the next few weeks and we’ll see what happens with.
, the Ram. So unfortunately though, last night, you know, being here on the East coast, , brought a bit of bad news and that was Aaron Rodgers tearing his Achilles. , I was watching it. Uh, Tim, are you watching it as well? I was watching it.
Tim Cashman: Yeah. Yeah. What about you,
John Cashman: Brian? I
Brian Caynan: was just coming home from work.
So no, I did not, but I, as soon as I got off the bus, I did see those, uh, those, uh, alerts kind of notifications pop up. So that was pretty crazy.
John Cashman: Yeah. And my first thought was, , at first I was like, did he break something? But when they were starting to show it and they showed it, you could actually just see it snap.
I’m like, okay, well, Achilles. But, my other thought was, How, when are they gonna just tear up the turf at that field? It’s like a house of horrors. How many more people need to go down?
Brian Caynan: Yeah, he’s got hurt. Bosa got hurt over there, right?
John Cashman: Bosa got hurt. Solomon Thomas got hurt.
Tim Cashman: Jimmy G got hurt. Yeah, he had a high ankle sprain.
Um, it’s one of the things about the NFL that absolutely befuddles me is you’ve got these players that you sign for, , multi million dollar contracts. You’ve got these, , stadiums, you know, billion dollar stadiums, and yet you go cheap on the turf because… Well, you’re trying to be cost efficient.
Okay, I think there are other areas you can be cost efficient, but it just, you know, you can go back to Emmanuel Mosley playing against Carolina, which I still don’t understand why Carolina went from grass to turf. I know that’s another stadium. But yeah, I, it’s one of the things about the NFL. It’s like, guys, it’s not that hard.
You can employ some. There’s gotta be some great gardeners out there who can show you how to plant a grass field and make it last. I’m just saying that. The other thing
John Cashman: is, all those stadiums are gonna have World Cup games. They have to take the turf out to put it in grass. Yeah. Soccer teams won’t allow it.
So it’s like, guys, tear it up, put it in grass. It’s not that hard. They have grass in Green Bay. So, yeah, I feel for Aaron Rodgers, I feel for the Jets, but yeah, epic comeback. We’ll see how they do the rest of the year, but let’s let’s move on to some other stuff Which was my positive betting results this year week, so I went Five and two I bet on the Niners Jets Browns Packers in Detroit to all win and that all happened And I lost on, uh, I had a hedge with the Chiefs, uh, and then I thought the, uh, the San Francisco Pittsburgh game would be an over.
So, um… What was the line on that? , that was, uh, 41. 41. So I missed about four points. Really? Because the Pittsburgh didn’t score. Yeah, well, I thought Pittsburgh would actually, like, score some points. , and then in the survivor pool, I, the Ravens able to pull it out, although they gave me a little bit of a…
, so I’m still alive. So this week, for those of you who are stupid enough to bet with me,
Tim Cashman: Way to sell it.
John Cashman: Well, hey, that is a disclosure. Like, hey, you’ve been warned. But I did go four and two last week. So, you know. . So in my survivor, uh, sorry Zach Wilson, but I’m picking the Cowboys over the Jets. I don’t think Zach Wilson is going to have a snowball’s chance in hell.
Because he was really running for his life last night against Buffalo. And I think the Dallas D is at home. It’s just going to tee off on him. And then for normal bets, , the Giants and Cardinals I’m going to bet the under. Uh, because both offenses are horrible. Um, Chargers over the Titans because the Chargers offense , is, can score a banana about a bunch of points and Ryan Tannehill does not look like he’s playing very well right now.
, the Bucks over the Bears. Uh, I’m actually going Tampa Bay to be 2 0. Saw the Bears, the Bears did not look good. , Baker, it’s at, I think it’s in Tampa Bay. Baker went into Minnesota, beat him, Bucks still have a good defense, Bears have an awful offense, so we got that. And then, Tim, you like this one? I’m saying the Seahawks are going to be 0 2.
Lions are going to beat the Seahawks. I wouldn’t want to beat the Seahawks and play the Lions right now, off a mini bye and… Uh, you know, having to go all the way out to Detroit. So,
Tim Cashman: Talk about the Seahawks and the Rams shortly. Well, we’ll talk about the Rams and based on their performance and the Seahawks, but, uh, yeah, uh, Seahawks.
Not, uh, did not inspire too many people there. So, yeah, going in, going in against a line team that’s coming off of a pretty emotional, significant victory, knocking out the Super Bowl champs at home. , I think they, they sent a message, uh, pretty well. Brian, please go ahead. When
Brian Caynan: you’re, when you’re making , these bets, John, are you playing the money line or are you playing on points?
Like, uh,
John Cashman: like, uh… Oh, I play mostly the, the, um, points. So when I, so I’ll say, , Chargers to cover against the Titans, Bucks to cover against the Bears, Lions to cover against Seahawks. What
Brian Caynan: are those early, do you know what those early lines are? Chargers over Titans? I
John Cashman: guess I know. I don’t know off the top of my head.
, the one that I am looking at also, that will be interesting. is the Dolphins are favored by two and a half over the Pats and again the Dolphins offense looked awesome but the Pats defenses was no joke against the Eagles who have a very good offense as well so I don’t know about that one if I don’t really know then I’m like you want to just chase money so but yeah I think that’s what I’m going to be looking at this week and we’ll see how we do
Brian Caynan: so.
So Giants at Cardinals John that’s 39 and a half right now.
John Cashman: Yeah, I don’t know if either team could score 10 points. So
Brian Caynan: Chargers plus three over
John Cashman: the Titans. Yeah, that one. I’m feeling pretty good about, , because even though it’s in Tennessee, the Chargers just looked, that was just crazy. How, like there’s points going all over the place.
I, the only, the only thing about the Chargers is their coach is an idiot. Like, Hey, let’s go for it. It’s fourth and five on your 10. Let’s go for it. We got
Brian Caynan: it. What do you guys think about this line? Seahawks. You were talking about this one. John, uh, Seahawks minus six, um, at the
John Cashman: Lions. I, I think the Lions are gonna, I think are gonna beat them and I think they’re gonna beat them pretty bad.
Gino did not look right. , and you know, if DK Metcalf is pushing people around, , you know, delivering cheap shots, that team looks a little in disarray.
So anyway, so we’re off of John’s bets and we’re onto Niners Trivia Time with Brian. So Brian, what do you got for us this week? Okay.
Brian Caynan: So we are playing the, , the LA Rams, the heated rivals of the Niners for many, many decades. , this first trivia question is where was this team founded originally city and state and bonus points.
If you can tell me the year of when they were founded.
Tim Cashman: I’m going to go with the
John Cashman: St. Louis names, but Tim’s going to know this probably.
Tim Cashman: Well, no, it was Cleveland. , Cleveland, Ohio. Just FYI. Uh, when they were founded…
Your point being?
So, Cleveland, I don’t know when they were actually founded. I know that the Browns, , the original Browns, uh, who were in the AAFC along with the 49ers were founded in 1946. So, I’m gonna go 1942.
John Cashman: John? I, uh, 1978. My answer’s wrong. I have no idea.
Brian Caynan: Okay. Uh, next question. , as the Niners and, and the Rams have played each other, since the fifties, , the record between the Niners is, um, was it 77 and 68 and I think three. , that includes, uh, the, um, uh, playoffs. , at one time, the Rams had a 22 game winning streak against the Niners. Or 22 games up, I should say, uh, in terms of the, uh, win losses.
The Niners had a win streak of their own against the Rams in the 90s. How many games did the Niners win in a row?
John Cashman: I’ll take a shot in the dark and say 17.
Tim Cashman: See, can I, uh, John, you may have to pause the podcast because I have to do some math in my head.
Or we could just, you guys can just chat amongst yourselves while I do some math because I have to run through the game starting in, , 1990, uh, going up to 1999. So, let’s see, 91.
. I’m gonna go, I’m gonna go with the Niners won 17 games in a row from 1990, November of 1990 to November of 1999.
Brian Caynan: Okay. Alright.
Tim Cashman: 17 it is. I was waiting for John to start humming Jeopardy theme music. I was pretty
John Cashman: close.
Tim Cashman: Okay. You can get your guitar and try to do it on that. I could. Let’s move on. Brian.
Brian Caynan: The Rams have eight players who have their numbers retired. Eight name, five of those eight. You don’t have to tell me the numbers, but you can tell me the names.
Name five of those eight.
John Cashman: I’m going to go Jackie Slater. I’m pretty sure that’s one.
And Marshall.
Tim Cashman: I will also go with Merlin Alston.
John Cashman: Oh, uh, Crazy Legs Hirsch?
Tim Cashman: I’ll say Eric Dickerson.
John Cashman: I was gonna say Dickerson, too.
I don’t think they ever talked about Kurt Warner’s number or, um, maybe Isaac… I’m gonna go, uh, Kurt Warner and Isaac Bruce.
Brian Caynan: Okay. Tim,
Tim Cashman: any more?
I was kind of thinking somebody around, uh, like Leroy Irvin, but I don’t think that’s it. No, I think we’ll stop at that.
Brian Caynan: Alright, uh, moving on. Last question here. When the Rams moved back to St. Louis in 1995, where did they play their games?
John Cashman: TWA
Tim Cashman: Dome. Bush Memorial Stadium, because the TWA Dome wasn’t ready yet.
Why do you guys have to laugh at me when I give you the answer? Is it really, like, what do I do with it?
John Cashman: I thought I was right on that one. But I wasn’t.
Tim Cashman: Alright. Alright. Let’s move on.
John Cashman: Let’s give the Niners a collective pat on the back. Victory Tuesday is now over. We’re moving on to the Rams on Sunday.
Tim, what do you think it’s going to take for the Niners to go 2 0 against our southerly neighbors?
Tim Cashman: Well, we were talking about the betting earlier, and the Niners have already been established early as 8 point favorites on the Rams, so, obviously, Vegas believes that the Niners are the stronger team, uh, granted, um, you know, it, it’s, well, it’s a divisional rival.
You know, these teams know each other very well, for obvious reasons, playing each other twice a year. So, it’s, it’s not going to be anything different. I mean, the Niners, what I did find was, um, what I didn’t realize, the last time the Rams beat the 49ers in a regular season game was in 2018, and that was Shanahan’s second year, and Nick Mullins was at the helm.
I think that was also the same year the Rams went to the Super Bowl. But other than the NFC Championship, where the Rams, , bested the 49ers, or I would say outlasted the 49ers, it’s been all San Francisco, though. I think, , it’s going to be the usual. I think, you know, obviously, um, you got to get pressure on Stafford.
You got to make sure he gets hit a number of times, , get a couple stacks. He’s not a very mobile quarterback, so there’s not that element to worry about. But he’s definitely a step up, uh, from what the Niners faced, , in Pittsburgh. So, it is, uh, but it’s, it’s Sean McVay, it’s Matt Stafford, it’s Aaron Donald.
These three guys have won a Superbowl, and they won a Superbowl for a reason. So, we’ll expect some wrinkles. I know this is supposed to be a rebuilding year in L. A., coming off of a pretty tough, uh, 22 campaign, but, you know, obviously, McVeigh knows his record against San Francisco. It would be a huge boost to this team and they looked impressive against seattle.
They came into you know a notoriously tough stadium Granted they were down at the half, but they were down at the half On mistakes that they were making they were shooting themselves in the foot , and I think in the second half that the Rams had something like two yards of offense. They had absolutely nothing going on where the Rams were just marching up and down the field.
Excuse me, the Seahawks only had about two yards of offense in the second half. So, and the Rams put up about, I think, over about 436 yards against the Seahawks defense. So it’s, you know, they’re both 1 0. The Niners should win on paper, but these are the kinds of games that… The 49ers, you know, should win, ought to win, and they just need to go out there and take care of business.
John Cashman: Yeah. , Brian?
Brian Caynan: Yeah, I think keeping up the pressure on, Matt Stafford, as Tim was alluding to, is going to be huge. , obviously with, with Bosa back , and no major injuries from last week, you know, they should be able to dial up the pressure just as much. , I think I have here, I saw, um, PFF 28 pressures on, on Pickett.
So, you know, that’s, , just keep that up and I think that’ll disrupt the whole offense that, that day. Also, just in terms of the players, I mean, yeah, they do have Aaron Donald, but they do have some weapons in terms of, you know, their receivers. , I know Cooper Cupp’s not playing right now, but, , Tyler Higbee is always a good option at tight end.
Um, you know, you see his name pop up all the time. , Cam Akers at running back, , always tough to bring down. And then, they have our old buddy Akilah Witherspoon, who’s now a corner. Playing for the Rams. Um, no more Jalen Ramsey. But, um, uh, I’m sure they’ll, they’ll they’ll put up a fight. And, and McVay always will have his team fired up to play the Niners.
, for Shanahan. So, even though they haven’t won in the regular season for a while, they did win when they counted in twenty, uh, twenty one, twenty two. But, um, you know, I just think the Niners should be able to cover this one. , take the eight and hopefully go
John Cashman: over. So. Yeah, I mean, first. I thought the Rams, I was really impressed.
, everybody’s like, okay, well, rebuilding. Uh, you know, they’re through salary cap hell, but, you know, as Tim pointed out, they got to the Super Bowl two years ago, and it’s not like McVeigh forgot how to coach. And sometimes when you get that infusion of young blood, they’ll buy into the message. Um, and they still have veteran presence with Stafford and Aaron Donald.
The biggest thing I think for me in the game is, is twofold. One is… You have to get Stafford on the ground and you have to get him out of his rhythm because if he does what he did in Seattle, he just sits back there and picks you apart. , I would like to see a little bit more out of Debo this week.
He was there, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him, you know, break a long one. , I would love to see Nick Bosa be full go. Uh, we didn’t do any Bosa runs this week because he didn’t have any sacks. So, we’re at zero on the old odometer. , but, I think this is gonna, this is, it’s one of those like, I’m kind of the Seahawks.
Because, they’re not gonna get underestimated. And that’s one of the things that you kind of like, okay well. You know, we can look to the Giants or the Cowboys in the weeks ahead, and we’ll just go roll over the Rams like we usually do, and no, the Rams might be pretty good. You know, the Rams also have the, one of the best wide receiver names ever, Takuku Pakua?
Is that his name? And he had a great game against Stock. , so yeah, I just think Niners should win, they’re Levi’s South. , the defense should be able to get it after it, but, you know, don’t overlook them. And, they’ll let Stafford sit back there and pick you apart. Cause he can do it. And I think he’s got more weapons with the wide receivers and the tight end.
It’s not Cooper Cup, but, you know, he can spread the ball around. , but let’s talk some fantasy football. So, , Brian, how did you do?
Brian Caynan: Well, in the league that we’re in, I did win my game, , against my buddy Doug.
He surprisingly had Dallas defense, which is projected to have seven points, but ended up having 37 points because of, uh, two touchdowns and pitching a shutout. I think from my side on my team, I had some, um, really strong players. So I uke, obviously, our guy, 120, 29 yards with two TDs. , And then Aaron Jones, um, Green Bay, uh, 86 yards, but he had a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown.
So kind of overall, Oh, I had Nick Folk also from Tennessee. So he had, , I think what, four field goals. So he ended up pretty, doing pretty good. , yeah. How about your team, John? How’d that do? My team sucked.
Tim Cashman: Let’s not sugarcoat it, John. No, it was like,
John Cashman: I don’t think I got a touchdown on any of, like any of them. Like, I mean, Joe Burrow. Decided he cashed a check. Why do I need to be Joe Burrow now?
And it just it was like i’m like there’s no way i’m winning this game You know, I got a few points here and there but I don’t think any of my players I didn’t know this was statistically possible. I don’t think any of my players scored a touchdown
Brian Caynan: You know, you had bryce young. Yeah, the rookie from carolina.
He had one passing touchdown But everyone else none of your receivers none of your backs Your other quarterback, obviously Joe Burrow, didn’t uh, didn’t do shit.
John Cashman: This is how bad my team was. I picked up Zach Wilson.
Tim Cashman: How bad were they? I picked up Zach Wilson. Wait, wait.
John Cashman: Zach Wilson’s gonna be an improvement.
That’s how bad the situation is. So yeah, I’m the New York Jets right now of our fantasy football team. But I’m gonna channel my inner Salah, get him back on track, run some stadiums. So, anyway. Um, all right. Well, Brian, why don’t you tell us how we did on our trivia?
Brian Caynan: Okay. All right. Rams When were they founded and where was their original city?
So tim you said cleveland, ohio you guessed what? 1942
Tim Cashman: 42
Brian Caynan: Uh, they were founded. Yes in cleveland, ohio as the cleveland rams , they started in 1936 Um, and then they ended up joining the NFL, I want to say, here, what is that, in 46? , but the Niners didn’t end up joining the NFL until 1950. So, they were in that other league at first.
So, , Cleveland, Ohio, 1936, I should say. Never would have thought it.
All
Tim Cashman: right.
Brian Caynan: Question number two, the winning streak. John, you said… 17. Tim, you said 17. Yes, it is 17. So, um, pretty good.
John Cashman: In my guess, it was a complete guess in the dark. Tim actually like went through every game from 91 to 99 and counted.
Brian Caynan: Do you, do you know these win streaks, Tim? Like when I, when we come up against the Cardinals, like, are you going to be able to like say like, oh. The Niners have been in the Cardinals.
Tim Cashman: Well, I mean, I do some research before we do these podcasts, just, you know, because we want to try to make them credible, legitimate, and intelligent.
Um, I also happen to just be an absolute fanatic in the 80s and 90s about the 49ers, so I remember those decades extremely well. So, those, those, a lot of it are just tied to memories, and I think that just… That’s how it comes up when you ask these questions. I
Brian Caynan: try to pick questions that’s around that time frame so, you know, maybe it might spark something.
John Cashman: So Brian, my brother and I once went on a tour of Levi’s Stadium and we were standing in like the, one of the nice sections, and he looks up and there’s a picture of Steve Young from a game against the Houston Oilers. Indianapolis Colts. Indianapolis Colts. He’s like, that shouldn’t be there. What are you talking about?
He’s like, we lost that game. Not kidding. And then he sent me the picture from the game like, see? I’m right. Like, okay. So. Oh,
Brian Caynan: man. Uh, okay,
Tim Cashman: next. Point and laugh at me. No, no,
John Cashman: no. You have a special quality.
Tim Cashman: Please keep going, Brian.
Brian Caynan: Uh, okay. Retired members of the Rams. There are eight, you guys said. A bunch of people. Yeah, why don’t you say them out loud and I’ll, I’ll just
Tim Cashman: read them off to you. Yeah, just read them off. Yeah, let’s read them off.
Brian Caynan: Bob Waterfield. He was at quarterback from 45 to 52. Number seven, so that was number seven.
Number 28, San Diego State product, Marshall Falk. , 99 to 05. And then Eric Dickerson. Okay, we got 29. Got that one. , 83 through 87. I didn’t know he was only on the team, like, was that four or five years, so.
John Cashman: Yeah, but what a, what a four year run. Yeah. Still holds the single season record.
Brian Caynan: , number 74, Merlin Olsen, , who’s on there, 62 76, defensive tackle.
, Deacon Jones, I remember he was on the Brady Bunch, uh, back in the day.
Tim Cashman: 61 71. That’s why his number’s retarded? That’s it. Okay. That’s okay, I remember that episode too.
Brian Caynan: Jackie Slater, 76 to 95. Man, he was on there for, was it 20 years? Yeah, he was
Tim Cashman: there for a long time, long time. Well,
Brian Caynan: 78, uh, okay, number 80, Isaac Bruce.
John Cashman: Yep, got that one. Former
Brian Caynan: Niner, I mean former. Yeah. , 94 to 07. He was there for 13, 14 years. And then last one, Jack Youngblood, defensive end, 71
Tim Cashman: to 07. Uh, yeah.
John Cashman: Great. Hall of Famer. We got everyone, Kurt Warner we were wrong on, uh, Crazy Legs Hirsch we were wrong on, and whoever that Bob guy was. I
Tim Cashman: think I said Lee Brayward.
Bob Waterfield and
Brian Caynan: Jack Youngblood I think. You guys got everyone else.
Last question. Where did the Rams play when they moved back to St. Louis? John, you said? The TWA Dome. Yep. And then, which they did, , but Tim, you said first they played one year over at?
Tim Cashman: Bush Memorial Stadium.
Brian Caynan: You’re right. I did not, I did not think you would be able to remember that one, but yes, they did play there for one year and then they moved to, ,
John Cashman: so let’s go to one of my favorite sections of the year before I wrap it up.
So it’s , stuff we bought on Amazon this week. So I’ll go first. We bought K Tree food from the wild, natural hamster food, and KT Extreme Odor Control hamster bedding. So, not only is our hamster fed well, but smells like a peach. So, we got that going for us. So, Brian, did you buy anything on Amazon this week?
Brian Caynan: Uh, no, but I bought something on eBay. So, a, uh, I bought a piece for my, , roof rack for my, my Highlander, my Toyota Highlander. A piece fell off and I found it on eBay and I was able to buy a replacement piece. It’s pending to arrive, but that’s the only thing I bought online.
John Cashman: Okay, well I don’t know if I want to drive behind you anytime soon.
I know. I think it’s the second or third piece you’ve bought
Brian Caynan: for that thing. Yeah, it’s just, it’s just this plastic piece that just kind of popped off. I’m not sure why. Yeah, I’m,
John Cashman: I’m, I’m, I’m rolling ahead of you, uh, on the highway. , Tim, are you staying on the old Amazon?
Tim Cashman: Why, why, yes there is. I bought a, yes, I bought a charging station for multiple Apple products, iPhones and iPads, because when the previous one has four, uh, has five plugs but four of them don’t work, you find that family members turn against one another to get the one good charging port to get their Apple product charge, and I felt it was driving a wedge between my wife and my daughter and myself.
But the new one did arrive, so things are much better now. And I’ve also bought kosher salt. Yeah, everything’s charged up, you know, the devices and our emotions and love. Nice. Yes, and for whatever reason there seemed to have been a supply chain issue with kosher salt at the local supermarket, so we bought that.
Nice.
John Cashman: So on that note, Final thoughts on the Niners. What are you guys gonna watch this week?
Tim Cashman: What are we gonna watch this week? Where are you gonna watch it? I’ll be, as usual, probably in the man cave, uh, pacing quite a bit. Uh, it’ll be a four o’clock start for you and I, John, so I’ll get some exercise in before the game and yeah, it’ll just be, I’ll be in my.
My little area that I need to be by myself. Stress out. Exactly. Throw pillows. Ryan, what about you? No, no, I never throw pillows.
Brian Caynan: Uh, I didn’t get to go to that brewery that I wanted to, um, uh, the people I wanted to go to had bigger nights on Saturday nights, so, uh, they decided. So, I just stayed home last week to watch the game, so I’m probably going to go to that brewery that, um, I talked about last week.
So, it’s Adobe Brewery in Novato, California. So, I’ll be heading over there. Nice.
John Cashman: Very cool. Yeah, I think I’ll be watching it downstairs in my man cave. I think I might make myself something, , and then just, you know, have a early dinner and, and watch the game and, and enjoy Red Zone, you know, before, uh, probably just doing a little exercise on my bike , and having it right next to me.
So, but other than that, I think, uh, that wraps it up. Niners win against Pickburg or 1 0. Subs by www. zeoranger. co. uk We’re moving ahead to Rams week. Let’s go Niners.
