The Deets is a weekday morning dose of commentary — delivered at 7 a.m. — from sports columnist Dieter Kurtenbach that wraps up everything important in the world of sports and looks forward to another crazy day ahead.
You need culture and talent to win the NFL.
The 49ers, at the peak of their powers, can go toe-to-toe with any team in the NFL when it comes to talent. We saw that last season.
And on Sunday, we were reminded that the culture in Santa Clara is still elite.
The 49ers had injuries up and down the depth chart for their game with the New York Giants, and the contest was touch-and-go in the early phases, but San Francisco pulled away in the second half for a blowout 36-9 win.
The victory was a masterclass in coaching and team-building. Kyle Shanahan had his team believing that they could still beat an admittedly inferior Giants squad in the lead-up to the contest, and then called an outstanding game on offense. Niners depth pieces — the kind the 49ers never expected to give serious snaps — outplayed starters for New York.
Despite the opponent, the circumstances make it a win to celebrate.
But, of course, some folks out there had to overreact — they had to make grand proclamations and prognostications after the contest, forgetting that the NFL is ruthless and everything operates on a week-by-week basis.
Many of those overreactions reached my Twitter timeline and mentions. I won’t name names — no reason to embarrass folks any further — but they know who they are.
Overreaction: The 49ers can do this again next week
I’ll admit that the Eagles, who tied the Bengals in Week 3, are bad. But I can assure you that the 49ers’ last two opponents — the Jets and Giants — are worse. The Giants’ defensive front seven was slow and played an antiquated system — the 49ers run game might not have been strong, but quarterback Nick Mullens was rarely troubled.
And there should be no doubt that Mullens was the better quarterback in that game. The verdict is in on 2019 first-round pick Daniel Jones: He’s not good, though I will concede that former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett calling plays he scripted on Tuesday all contest long doesn’t do him much favors.
San Francisco is favored against Philadelphia in their Sunday Night Football matchup, but presume they’re on the level of their New Jersey neighbors at your own peril.
No one in the NFL is on the same level as those guys. Those are far and away the two worst teams in the NFL.
Overreaction: Nick Mullens played so well that the 49ers should keep Garoppolo on the bench for Week 4
The only thing that can keep Garoppolo on the bench in Week 4 is the health of his ankle.
Mullens hasn’t “earned” another shot at starting. Don’t get me wrong, he played well on Sunday. I’m just saying that’s not how the NFL works.
Garoppolo is the starter for a reason. Mullens is a strong backup. At their best, it’s obvious why the hierarchy is that way.
I don’t think we need to reevaluate any of that after one game against the worst team in the NFC.
If you do, perhaps you should just admit that you crave drama or don’t like Garoppolo.
The 49ers need their best quarterback on the field as often as possible — health permitting, of course. For now, and I suspect for a long time, that’s still Garoppolo.
Overreaction: Long-snapper Kyle Nelson’s nightmare game means he should be cut and replaced
I’ve never seen anything quite like Nelson’s meltdown Sunday, and I wish I could explain it.
By my count, Nelson had eight snaps against the Giants — seven of which were wayward. He was replaced by Justin Skule for the final long-snap of the game.
A long-snapper… replaced.
Is that something that’s going to be a macro-trend?
If a kicker put up the kind of performance Nelson had Sunday, he’d be cut on Monday. There’s no doubt about that in my mind. But I think Nelson keeps his job, if for no other reason than the 49ers had such a hellish time replacing him last year when he was suspended for 10 games to start the season.
Nelson is on a short leash — at best, he has the yips — but there’s still some slack.
Overreaction: The defensive line was just as good, even without injuries
There were some solid performances from the 49ers’ defensive line, which has been ravaged with injuries, but it was nowhere near dominant on Sunday.
Kerry Hyder remains a revelation, Javon Kinlaw is exciting, and D.J. Jones and Arik Armstead are still certified good.
The starting four is still a top-half unit, in my estimation. That’s an accomplishment.
But the 49ers are a team that wants to use depth on the defensive line — that one-gap, “all-gas, no-brakes” system is tiring. And the depth doesn’t appear to be there for the Niners. Dion Jordan was a non-factor in the contest — his one good play was a right-place-right-time bit of luck. Ziggy Ansah didn’t impress. Kentavious Street was underwhelming. The only bright spot was Kevin Givens, but he’s effectively a starter with Jones hobbled.
Yes, the 49ers had no problems against the Giants, but there will be a time in the not-too-distant future where this lack of depth will burn them in a more obvious way than it did last year. The Niners’ cornerbacks better be healthy by then.
This is just the start of it. For my full breakdown of everything that happened in the world of sports over the weekend — including my Giants and A’s thoughts — previews of what will happen today, and my best bet of the day (it’s a lot), subscribe to The Deets to be delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
