David Troy:Fox News -Why defending Champs could struggle

[94Smith]

Oh, I get that. I remember watching y'alls games and wondering who the hell you had in at RB in '24.

IF history has any predictive value, though, one would have to think that another boatload of injuries is headed the Niners way in 2026. Why would we expect it to be any different than in years past?

Now you have two rookies, who have never taken a snap in the NFL, as your only hope if CMC goes down?

I still don't understand why you didn't keep Robinson. He looked very good last year, to my eye, and history suggests you will need more than two backups anyway.

Shanahan may have shown that multiple running backs can have success, but he's also demonstrated that multiple running backs can suffer injuries. It certainly didn't work out so well in 2024.

I wouldn't disagree if you wanted to say that our RB staffing is arguably worse right now, but if CMC were to miss the start of the season, I would say our situations are roughly identical. To me, it seems really lucky that he remained so healthy last year.

I don't think you could have, or will be able to, make it without CMC, and Shanahan is likely to then run out of options, and hit the under, likely by a decent margin.

Jordan James is actually a second year player. He missed most of the start of the season due to a camp injury, which necessitated signing Robinson. He actually spelled CMC in the Seahawk playoff game when he got dinged and played well. They let Robinson walk because 1) Jordan James was actually ahead of him in the depth chart at the end of the season 2) Robinson was not a pass catch threat out of the backfield and it completely changed the offense when he was in there

Isaac Guerrendo is still on the team as well and is a 3rd year player now. My suspicion though is he will not make the team as long as Kaelon Black works out. He again is not much of a pass catching threat. I think he also runs too upright

Rookie RBs usually do fine in the NFL as long as they can pick up the pass protection. Kaelon black was the next running back taken after Price in the 2026 draft

Yes, the Seahawk and 49er positions will be very similar if CMC gets injured. I would think the 49ers rush ability would actually get better with one of the younger players starting. CMCs rush ability took a step back last year. His pass catching was still elite though

Injuries are difficult to predict. A lot of it is luck. Age and injury history plays a big part yes. The Seahawks were remarkably healthy last year. With the 49ers, 2025 and 2024 were horrible injury years but 2023 they were the 4th healthiest

 

[94Smith]

I'll go out on a limb and say that if CMC misses 50% or more games next year, Niners will win 7 games or less. Wonder if there is a way to parlay that

I think you are putting too much of the 49ers offensive success on CMC. Even in 2024 with him out all year they were top 5 in yards , top 10 in DVOA and top 15 in PPG. They actually probably lost 3 games that year due to special teams, which were one of the worst in the league, and the drop off in rush defense in the last half of the season

 

[Rat]

You say this like you believe Fox News is worse than the rest of them.

That’s laughable, all of the mainstreams suck, unless one is seeking confirmation bias.
In that case I catch your drift.

Yeah, all the mainstream networks had to pay out $800m for lies they told, not just FOX News. I catch your drift though.

 

[Trackhawk]

Somehow I missed that he made it into the second half of the final game of the season. You are correct, he did get six carries, only one of which came during meaningful time, before they were down 41-7. He also had 1 reception for 7 yards.

His first carry came after they were already down 24-6. He had only two carries before the Niners gave up on the game and pulled Purdy. 5 of his carries came after they were down 41-6, and 3 of those were in the final drive where they were just trying to burn the clock.

So yes, he is not technically a rookie, and he has had a half dozen carries in the NFL.

Certainly not something to hang your hat on when it comes to predicting how he would look in replacing CMC.

And yes, they amassed some stats in ‘24. Shanahan teams are going to amass stats. Those stats don’t always translate into wins, though.

I hope we don’t get the chance to find out what a CMC less Niners team does this year, but it will be interesting to see if I’m right that the offense runs through him, and his affect on the entire game execution is larger than just his personal production. He’s probably the biggest centerpiece player in the league, quarterbacks excepted.

 

[94Smith]

I hope we don’t get the chance to find out what a CMC less Niners team does this year, but it will be interesting to see if I’m right that the offense runs through him, and his affect on the entire game execution is larger than just his personal production. He’s probably the biggest centerpiece player in the league, quarterbacks excepted.

I just have confidence in Shanahan. CMC joined in 2022. 2021 offense #10, 2020 offense #15, 2019 offense #4. I also think Purdy is better/highly efficient than most people give him credit for, especially in Shanahans offense

 

[Trackhawk]

I just have confidence in Shanahan. CMC joined in 2022. 2021 offense #10, 2020 offense #15, 2019 offense #4. I also think Purdy is better/highly efficient than most people give him credit for, especially in Shanahans offense

Shanahan, the man who is known for amazing stats, blown big games and getting his players injured?

The one thing I will give him is that he has an unmatched ability to make chicken salad out of chicken shit. Last season was the pinnacle, but what he was able to accomplish in ‘20 and ‘24 is no slouch either, despite the W-L records.

 

[MontanaHawk05]

They did lose some key pieces of their defense as well. Perhaps the one that will be the hardest to replace is Klint Kubiak, who is now the Raiders' head coach.

I’m still trying to figure out who these “key pieces of their defense” are that are going to make the team worse.

Coby Bryant was an underrated guy. Mafe and Bryant...eh. National Writer syndrome. We know what we had there.

I'd say this team has just as good a chance at repeating as the Brady or Mahomes-led teams.