The Skillz Report

Give & Go: 49ers Preseason '13, Games 2-3

 

By D-Rock; originally written 8/26/13

 

Game 2

The preseason matchup between the Niners and the Chiefs seemed to show a devolution in both Scott Tolzien and Colt McCoy.  I didn't imagine that both McCoy and Tolzien would look worse than they did in the previous game against the Broncos.  But they did.  I could say the same thing for A.J. Jenkins, who essentially played his way ONTO the opposing team.  Go figure.  The bright spot was B.J. Daniels commanding a methodical drive that spanned 90 yards and resulted in a touchdown.  (And yes, he scored on the Chiefs' twos and threes but you could only discount so much from such a pleasant-looking performance.)
 
 
Game 3

The preseason matchup between the Niners and Vikings served to ease a lot of Niner fans' trepidations that came from the first two preseason games.  There appeared to be more electricity and flow with the offense, defense and special teams units that we didn't see before.  McCoy was granted the lion's share of playtime and was able to exhibit his talents to Coach Harbaugh (and possibly some suitors).  The questions are: Was it enough to solidify his spot on the Niners roster?  Will a team offer up a player (or draft pick) to bring McCoy over to their roster (as rumors have suggested)?  Harbaugh said after the game that McCoy is 'the backup'.  Yeah.  But is McCoy THE backup?  We will soon find out, as the season is almost underway.
 
 
Quick Notes
 

• Dawson connected on two 50+ yard field goals; nice to see after a shaky effort in the preseason opener.

• LaMichael James looked shaky on a number of punt receptions; as much as I like LMJ as a player overall, I think he should stay away from punt-returning duties.

• Special team coverage has looked downright awful; however, I'm confident that we have the right personnel for the job; I chalk it up to a bunch of player-shuffling on coverage team due to the large roster/trying guys out.

• With the scant amount of time that Daniels has played, he has still shown more promise than McCoy and Tolzien; heck, even Seneca Wallace looked as polished as McCoy has and he only played 30 seconds of football as a Niner.

• Some of the offensive line backups (Omameh, Looney, Netter, etc) look so outmatched against their counterparts; Looney will likely make the team although he didn't do himself any favors by taking a cheap-shot at a Vikings lineman; I hope Looney is better than what he's shown.

• The battle for the wide receiver positions continues as there are 10 receivers for five or six available spots; cuts are looming as all NFL teams must reduce their roster to 75 by this Tuesday; Marlon Moore, Anquan Boldin, and Quinton Patton are locks, what about Collie and Hawkins and Hall?

 
 
New Developments
 
- Tolzien has been cut, along with D.J. Harper, Al Netter, Joe Holland, and Colton Schmidt.
- Parys Haralson has been traded to the New Orleans Saints; it is still unknown what the Niners received in return.