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00:00Island's guest line is in a time for you to discover the islands River Islands in Lathrop. Let's bring in Mike yam
00:06host on the NFL Network
00:08Friend of the program Mike. How you doing? Good to good to talk to you, man
00:13Yeah, always appreciate the invite guys
00:15Happy Thanksgiving cuz you're knocking on the door of that and certainly looking forward to some good football. Yeah, absolutely
00:21Let me throw this at you. I'm kind of throwing it out to our listeners today
00:24And it's about the 49ers and they're five and six, and I'm just wondering if I gave you three choices one would be
00:32You know what they're going through some adversity right now, but they're still gonna win this
00:37NFC West and they're gonna go to the playoffs
00:41That can be one sentiment the other sentiment could be you know what we just don't have it this year
00:46We've been bit by the injury bug
00:48But you know things will change and next year will be fine
00:51This is a gap year or the third would be you know what this team may be in trouble long term
00:57Which of the three would you choose or a hybrid of the three?
01:02So I actually don't think it's the latter, right?
01:04I mean look there are windows and they're in typically teams
01:08Windows aren't insanely long to begin with I'm not a believer though that this window is closed
01:14And we need to blow this thing up and start from scratch
01:17I mean I I think there's very few teams in the NFL
01:21That would be able to
01:23Navigate the sheer abundance of injuries and then injuries to key players like the Niners have had so far this season
01:30It sounds like a cop-out
01:31But you know the reality is like I don't know if you take
01:34This rosters as good as any one healthy good as good as any in the NFL the issue is when you start out the season
01:40And it's you know basically half the year before Christian McCaffrey comes back Brandon
01:44IU gets a huge deal, and you know he's been a non-factor because he gets hurt hurt earlier this season
01:49You know there were some distractions before the year started not only IU contract but Trent Williams
01:54To see George Kittle be out and now Brock Purdy
01:57There's there's a lot of factors that play it was good to see Kittle back in the lineup
02:01But I just don't know how many teams can take that much talent that high level talent and still expect to go and win now
02:08I don't know if this team
02:10I don't think the team is a playoff team if they don't win the division the beauty of it this season is the fact that
02:15The NFC West is really in flux right I mean Seattle Arizona and the Rams world
02:20We're all talking about you know basically a game separation
02:22So they're in it in terms of the division the problem for San Francisco is they've already lost to Seattle at home
02:27They lost to an Arizona team so
02:29When tiebreakers start coming into play like that's a factor and the margin because there's not much real estate left in the season in
02:36Terms of the amount of games every game is a must win
02:39And I thought the Seattle game a couple weeks ago was one that they needed to have they didn't get it
02:43I think going on the road to Green Bay
02:45Without your starting quarterback is a problem, and they got manhandled in that game
02:49And it's just gonna be easier against the bills on Sunday Night Football
02:52So for as much as this is the longest-winded answer to what was a relatively simple question
02:57And I apologize, but I don't think it's time to blow up
02:59I do think they've just been snaked it by the injuries good stuff Mike
03:04Let me ask you about Brock Purdy and
03:06Everybody's hoping he plays Sunday night against Josh Allen right, but he missed last week, but this this season Mike
03:12He hasn't played bad. I hadn't been able to put my finger on it, but even from the outset of games
03:17I'm just like that was an odd throw, but it's just an incompletion
03:21What have you made from Brock Purdy when he's been out on the field this season?
03:26Yeah, it's been a little different
03:27And I hate that it has looked a little different to be totally honest with you because I've been on the Brock Purdy
03:32You know bandwagon
03:33I don't think it's fair the amount of criticism that he's gotten the last couple years and the perception of his game
03:38I think look at the end of the day this dude's gonna get paid considering what the quarterback contracts look like
03:43This guy's a 200 million dollar guy just based off of the market alone
03:46And that's what got it's going right now for what quarterbacks go and do and the problem is in San Francisco
03:53Is gonna rely on on on him to sort of execute at a high level and I think the concern that I have
03:58About his play and this goes back to some of these injuries right like the the
04:04Complete perception of what this team can be offensively at their best is very different than what we're getting right now
04:10And I know it sounds like a cop-out and we can easily point to a lot of teams that are getting hurt
04:15But the one thing about Brock and more specifically the quarterback position
04:19How do you elevate the guys around you and right now when I think he does a great job of
04:27Making sure that the players around him are
04:29Ridiculously successful, but I don't know if there's another gear right now from what I'm seeing with this Niners team
04:36Yeah, we're Brock Purdy is single-handedly lifting this squad and I think that's the difference
04:41But once again, I don't know if Brock Purdy's, you know a top five quarterback in the NFL
04:45I think he's an upper echelon quarterback certainly top half and you know fringe top ten, but there's only a handful of guys
04:51There's like three or four off the top of my dome that I can name that can say hey
04:55That guy can elevate your team and single-handedly carry him and by the way
04:59One of those guys are gonna play this week Josh Allen's one of those players
05:02I think Lamar Jackson is one of those players, right?
05:04But these are two of the guys on the shortlist for the MVP this year Patrick Mahomes is another one
05:08So not everyone can have one of those guys, San Francisco's fortunate. They have a dude
05:13He's just not quite at that level, but he's in that next year Mikey. I'm joining us from the NFL Network
05:19We're talking San Francisco 49ers Christian McCaffrey's been back three games
05:26Doesn't quite look like himself. Is that just normal rust or
05:30Would you be a little bit more concerned about age and injury over time?
05:35Yeah, I'm not overly concerned
05:37You know, it's a big chunk of time that that he was he was down for I still look at him
05:43It's one of the elite guys. I think what's you know, sort of more alarming to me is this is a guy that's shorthanded
05:49You know, this is a player that typically does not fumble the ball in his career and to see one
05:54Uncharacteristic that said I thought Derrick Henry fumble and he never fumbles and he fumbled the other night against the Steelers of the you know
06:01A week and a half ago, whatever it is at this point against them
06:04I mean it was a issue that Baltimore had in that game with penalty like things that don't happen
06:08Justin Tucker missing two field goals
06:09There are Henry fumbling 12 penalties against the Steelers and they lose by two on the road. I think
06:15Sometimes in sports and you guys know this it's not just an NFL thing
06:19It's a sport thing when things are going wrong some it sometimes snowballs a little bit and I think injuries
06:26Combined with not being out there not getting a ton of reps
06:28I think sort of have led to to this with with CMC, but certainly not worried about him long-term at least
06:35I'm not Wow Mike
06:36Let me run this by you, you know all season long out here in the Bay
06:39All we heard from the reporters is the shape the Debo Samuel was in and this was the best shape of his life
06:45And now he's almost been rendered ineffective and I'm asking you
06:49Because I came down his road with the whole peppered situation on the sideline, especially when he wasn't having the bad gear
06:55I didn't like how he handled it, but he didn't do much Sunday didn't talk to reporters
07:00Have we seen the best of Debo or is this on Kyle to kind of reinvent the the Debo experience?
07:08It's actually a great call we were doing game day preview on Sunday morning
07:13And this obviously was one of the the signature games for a lot of reasons two good teams
07:18You know a San Francisco squad that was sort of desperate for a win and Steve white shoes one of our analysts and reporters
07:23And NFL Network we were talking off-air about it
07:25And he turned to me like, you know, people's been a little quiet
07:28Like this is this is the game for him because we know how dynamic he could be
07:32You know a couple years ago is my favorite player to watch
07:34I mean, it just felt like every big play it was exposed to play after exposed to play
07:38It was yards after the catch. It was you know, a lot of creativity in terms of using him and
07:44God I feel like every question I'm answering with some sort of injury issue
07:48But I think that's the story of this season, you know to have you know
07:52Some of the the issues that he's had health wise this season. I don't think that's going to help the situation
07:57I saw him bust out for you know
07:59One touch that he had and thought that might spark the team
08:03Over the weekend and it certainly didn't I just I candidly I don't know what to make of what we're seeing because
08:10When you would ask me about
08:13What this team is and some of the issues the long term?
08:16That one's a little bit of a red flag for me
08:18And I think most Niners fans who have been watching the team
08:22Probably are concerned about him because he went from you know
08:25the short list of one of the the most talented wide receivers and certainly the amount of ways that you can use them to a
08:30That's not having that type of impact and I don't know I'm with you
08:35I don't know what to put my finger on on this one and and and how to explain it
08:39But it is concerning because when you don't have Brandon like someone else got to step up and he's getting paid like one of those
08:45Yeah, he's got the the ability to be that guy
08:47We just haven't seen it like who's the player on this Niners team that is going to lift them out of a five and six
08:54Into the postseason and there's numerous guys like Kittle's playing his butt off every single time I go and watch him, right?
09:01But like that's clearly not enough. So I don't know if it's a quarterback situation Brock being healthy
09:06I don't know if it's like hey get this trio of McCaffrey and Kittle and Debo working on the field together in unison
09:12But something's got to give and they got too much firepower and too much star power not to be in the playoffs this year
09:18Mike you still think they're gonna win the NFC West?
09:25I
09:26You can't really guys. I don't know. I don't I don't think it happens. I thought we lost the connection with
09:34What cuz you're you hey, I know who I'm talking to you right and like the fans there like I get it
09:39Like you expect this team to be there
09:41I think the one thing I'm learning and I it's a tough lesson that I learn every single year
09:46Cuz and you guys know that you guys are in the radio business
09:48I know what happens right like, you know before the season starts we speculate we talk about what could happen with these teams
09:53We feel good about a roster get back to the Super Bowl look on paper and look at what we have and yet
09:58It doesn't play out that way sometimes for teams and it hasn't for San Francisco
10:02And I think the problem that I'm having is I look at this roster. I think about the expectation level
10:07I think about this team and one of four teams that I would have said hey can win the Super Bowl this year
10:13And now they're sitting at five and six on the outside looking in and you know
10:16They've got some losses in the division like this is a problem
10:20And I think what I'm learning is at some point you need to boot and maybe we're past that point
10:26I don't know if it's the midway point
10:27I don't know if it's five weeks or ten weeks into the season
10:29Whatever you want to call it where we just say hey
10:32This is who this squad is no matter what we thought or how much we think they can be good and and make a run
10:38Here and that's what concerns me and I just it worries me the division is gettable and that's why the door is still open
10:45I just don't know if they win it Wow Mike
10:46I need your help with this one because my partner and I've been going back and forth
10:50I'm no, you know offensive genius
10:53But I've called Kyle Shanahan a genius in regard to scheming plays and dialing it up
10:57So when McCaffrey was out Jordan Mason pop for five weeks, I'm not saying he's Earl Campbell
11:03He led and broken tackles and led and rushing but since McCaffrey's come back
11:07He's been an afterthought and I just look at the Andy Reeds and the great play callers thinking, you know, Ben Johnson in Detroit
11:14how can
11:16Mason just be an afterthought and people like well, what do you want him to do to just make it happen?
11:21Is that too far-fetched as a fan to wonder and scratch my head? Hey Kyle, you gotta make it work
11:27Just I'm not saying 20 carries Mike, but he's got to have an impact
11:32Yeah, look I do
11:34I'm with you and I think Kyle Shanahan is is on the short list of one of the best coaches in the NFL and it's
11:39Candidly a reason why I was hedging on this game
11:42And I know that sounds crazy heading into Green Bay on the road without Brock Purdy, but I felt like alright
11:48Kyle's so good and and might be able to scheme up a game plan
11:51Maybe the defense steps up where the Jordan love who's been susceptible to interceptions
11:55Maybe there's a turnover to that creates some easy easy point opportunities for San Francisco
12:01That didn't happen the only pushback and I'm with you because Jordan Mason hasn't necessarily been that dude since EMC came back
12:07I also think when you're down 17 nothing, you know, basically just to start this game
12:12It does become difficult
12:14But like I'd also don't know what the option is, right?
12:16Like you're on the road in Green Bay Brandon Allen's your quarterback. You're down 17
12:20Like do you just say hey
12:21Let's just grind this thing out and and and try to claw back in it or are we in a position where we have to take?
12:26Some chances and I just think all the things that went wrong. They couldn't have had they didn't they needed a fast start
12:33They couldn't fall into a deficit the way that they did and I think that affected some of the production that you saw
12:39Coming out of that backfield
12:41Mike thank you so much as always
12:44Yeah, have a great Thanksgiving and rest your holiday season
12:48You guys are the best always appreciate the invite and looking forward to it. We'll talk again
12:52Well, we'll find out into the season if this team is a playoff squad. Absolutely. Thank you, Mike
12:56All right. Take care. That's Mike. Yeah, I'm NFL Network