At long last, the 49ers are here: Game Day in Melbourne, with a season opener that already has plenty of layers before the first snap. San Francisco heads into Friday’s international matchup against the Rams with a lot of new pieces, a lot of curiosity around the offense, and a defense on the other side that has drawn serious respect.
The matchup itself is shaping up to be a test. Seattle’s defense was described as looking as good as ever, and the Rams are expected to bring their own challenges even without Aaron Donald.
One prediction had San Francisco taking a 24-20 win, with Matthew Stafford moving the ball at times and the Rams’ defense looking sharp in the middle stretches. Still, the 49ers were picked to use their “Melbourne mojo” to get out fast and finish strong.
A big part of the focus is what Kyle Shanahan wants to do with Christian McCaffrey this season. Shanahan said Black is fully capable of doing all the things McCaffrey is able to execute in the run game. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel also is capable of lining up in the backfield, too.
The real issue, though, comes when McCaffrey leaves the field on passing downs.
“There are things you’re only going to ask Christian to do,” Shanahan said. “And when he’s out, you got to change that stuff up, and the threat of that stuff gets changed, too, for the defense.”
Up front, San Francisco is expected to roll with Connor Colby, a second-year player who started six games a year ago. Colby, rookie Carver Willis, and veterans Robert Jones and Austen Pleasants all had a shot at the job.
Willis also could see action on Friday against the Rams. Jones has been released, and Pleasants starts the season on injured reserve.
Even with Donald out of the picture, Colby will not get a soft landing. He still has to deal with interior defenders Braden Fiske and Poona Ford.
The 49ers also took a look at Australian rugby player Ben Te Kura, who has aspirations of becoming an NFL offensive tackle.
There’s been plenty of attention on Brock Purdy, too, and not just because of what he does on the field. In a look at how he leads, Purdy opened up about the way he thinks about faith, accountability, and the occasional flash of fire that comes with being a quarterback.
He admitted to judgmental thoughts and getting caught up in living comfortably. He sometimes catches himself staring at his phone when he could be helping his wife, Jenna, clean the post-dinner dishes. He wants to do a better job of maximizing his time with their 13-month-old daughter, Millie.
“He’s the same guy now as he was when we were rookies,” Zakelj said. “None of this has changed him.”
That said, Purdy has not exactly softened into silence. On Aug. 8, he screamed a decidedly unchurchlike word while hollering at Jordan Watkins after the second-year wide receiver failed to come back aggressively for a pass that was intercepted during a training-camp practice.
Purdy was apoplectic: “Attack! Attack!”
Then on Aug. 23, with trash-talking linebacker Fred Warner giving the offense an earful, Purdy barked at Warner after floating a completion over him. He didn’t use gentle language there, either.
Purdy said he has often asked himself how he can honor God with what he’s been given, and he’s come to see that as part of doing the job fully. That means being demanding when it counts.
“I think that’s stewarding the job God has given me well,” Purdy said. “Rather than saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to be this perfect, nice guy and not say anything and let things slide by.’
It’s like, ‘No, I’m called to hold my guys accountable and hold myself accountable.’ … When guys saw me do that (to Watkins), I think they had a lot of respect for it.
And, honestly, they might want a little bit more of it.”
The travel into Melbourne has also become part of the story. One expert said the 49ers at least gave themselves a cushion to deal with both jet lag and the fatigue that comes with a 16-hour flight. Another pointed out that arriving early gives the team a chance to shift time zones gradually, sleep properly, eat, hydrate, and get sunlight at the right times.
The Niners even gave each player a specific amount of water to consume on the plane ride based on size and needs.
Still, the return trip won’t be simple. The team will get a few extra days off after coming back to the West Coast, but getting back onto Pacific time will take careful planning before practice resumes. As one expert put it, reacclimating east may be more difficult.
The Rams will deal with their own version of the problem. Every player is expected to come off the plane stiff, with aching joints and a rehab job waiting. And beyond the physical wear, there’s the timing issue: less than 24 hours after the flight, the body clock and local time will still be fighting each other.
“The travel fatigue from the journey itself, cramped up, no sleep. And the dehydration is real on a long flight like that. So, you’ve got the physical tiredness and then the time zone, the jet lag, which is the mismatch between body clock and local times.”
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