Le Journal

Why not just wait till the next opportune launch window so they could arrive at Mars after only a 6 month voyage? This mission was originally supposed to launch a year ago but New Glenn was behind schedule. So I don’t understand the rush now just to let the two spacecraft sit out at L-2 for 12 months, exposed to any potential space weather during this solar cycle.

The San Francisco 49ers were rather quiet in free agency this offseason, letting several veterans walk, while not signing any player to a deal worth more than $5.25 million per year. Instead, the goal was to rely on and develop the team’s younger talent as they cleaned the books in what seemed like a ‘bridge’ year for the organization. But, several of those 49ers free agents have been tasked to play key roles at some point this season. So, let’s go back and revisit those decisions and see how the production has been so far. TE Luke Farrell The 49ers handed out their biggest free agent contract to tight end Luke Farrell, giving him a three-year deal worth $15.75 million with $11 million guaranteed. So far, this has been a miss. Farrell, known for his blocking, has been worse than expected in that category and struggled to step up in George Kittle’s absence. The 49ers have long searched for a No. 2 tight end to complement Kittle. Farrell was the latest attempt at that, but he’s been a worse blocker than Charlie Woerner, who signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons last year. The 49ers would eat nearly $3.5 million in dead cap if they release Farrell this upcoming offseason. QB Mac Jones This move has easily been an A+ for the 49ers. Jones has stepped up and looked the part at quarterback amid Brock Purdy’s injury. He’s provided the stability that San Francisco has lacked with backup quarterbacks in the past at a relatively cheap cost (2 years, $8.4 million). Jones has played much better than his contract resembles, leading the 49ers to a 5-3 record as the starter. San Francisco could look to move him this offseason and capitalize on his resurgence, but they value the backup quarterback spot and have Jones under contract for another year. WR Demarcus Robinson The 49ers needed a veteran receiver, as Brandon Aiyuk was going to be out for the start of the season, and Deebo Samuel was traded. They elected to sign Demarcus Robinson to a two-year, $8 million deal with the understanding that a suspension was likely to start the year. So far, Robinson has also been a miss. Playing 46 percent of the offensive snaps, he has 11 catches for 142 yards this year with a catch rate of 52.8 percent. He’s been outplayed by Kendrick Bourne, who was signed after the start of the season, and has disappointed at a position where the 49ers needed depth. FS Jason Pinnock Needing some safety depth with 2024 fourth-round pick Malik Mustapha tearing his ACL in January last year, the 49ers signed Jason Pinnock on a fully guaranteed one-year deal worth $2.2 million. The cost was low, but Pinnock has been a part of a disappointing safety group this year. He’s struggled in coverage and was benched after starting the first five games. He’s slowly found his way back into the mix as a big nickel, but hasn’t fared too well in that role either. Again, the cost was only $2.2 million, but Pinnock hasn’t played well in an underwhelming safety group this year. LB Luke Gifford Gifford was expected to be a special-teamer for the 49ers this year, working in as the No. 4 linebacker behind Fred Warner, Dee Winters, and Tatum Bethune. But, he’s been the No. 3 linebacker in dime packages, with Bethune initially backing up Warner as the middle linebacker. He’s played about 21 percent of the defensive snaps this season, working over third-round pick Nick Martin, who has failed to see the field as a rookie. He’s remained in his role after Warner’s injury, and hasn’t played particularly well, which raises questions about the lack of readiness for Martin at the moment. Gifford has been a regular on special teams, though, and is only on a one-year, $1.8 million deal. P Thomas Morstead The 49ers released Mitch Wishnowsky and signed 39-year-old punter Thomas Morstead after special teams coordinator Brant Boyer was hired. So far, Morstead ranks 29th in the NFL in punting average (44.8 yards) and 27th in net average (37.6 yards). He has pinned over 50 percent of…

The 49ers’ decision not to make a swing for a pass rusher on trade deadline day last week raised some eyebrows, with San Francisco unwilling to pay a premium to boost a defensive line clearly in desperate need of help. Last Sunday’s 42-26 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams served as an illustration of why, even with the 49ers having already made an offseason trade for Bryce Huff and acquired Keion White before the deadline, many believed they needed additional help. On the other side of the ball, the same game provided more evidence that an offseason trade made to boost offensive depth was an increasingly astute move, one that could pay significant dividends down the stretch. After scoring his first touchdown as a 49er in the Week 9 win over the New York Giants against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, Brian Robinson Jr. backed that effort up by finding the endzone again versus Los Angeles. With Christian McCaffrey largely bottled up on the ground, Robinson led the 49ers in rushing, averaging 5.1 yards per carry as he put up 41 yards on just eight rush attempts. It was a small sample size for Robinson, but in his limited role, he once again displayed the decisiveness and burst required to succeed as a running back for Kyle Shanahan and the ability to stay on his feet through contact. As the 49ers approach the stretch run, it is the latter trait that is perhaps most appealing. Robinson’s edge over CMC While McCaffrey doesn’t lack physicality, it is obvious that is one area in which Robinson has the edge over the 49ers’ starter, and the numbers bear that out. This season, Robinson is averaging 3.55 yards after contact per attempt, ninth in the NFL among running backs with at least 40 rushes, per Pro Football Focus. That average is over a yard higher than that of McCaffrey (2.39). McCaffrey does rank in the top 10 for missed tackles forced, with 28 on 180 rush attempts. However, Robinson already has 13 to his name despite receiving significantly fewer opportunities. That is not to say Robinson should eat more into McCaffrey’s workload. Taking McCaffrey off the field is a risky proposition because of what he gives the 49ers in the passing game. But Robinson offers the 49ers a level of thump that can be extremely valuable at this time of year. He is a back who can wear down defenses and have success, not just against struggling teams like the Giants, but also when facing formidable opponents like the Rams. For a team that needs to play ball control to protect its own injury-riddled defense, that makes Robinson a substantial asset, one who could play a key role in helping the 49ers close out games in the coming weeks as they aim to secure a playoff berth. A good problem to have Robinson also has importance as a player who can help keep McCaffrey fresh, and there is a strong argument that the workload should be more evenly distributed in light of the former’s success in recent weeks. Yet given McCaffrey’s status as the focal point of the offense, the 49ers may have to get creative to give Robinson more snaps, and could perhaps look to use pony personnel with both players on the field at the same time, which would double San Francisco’s running threat while maintaining McCaffrey’s presence as a passing game weapon. Shanahan has gone to such looks in the past and, given the 49ers’ issues at wide receiver, there’s a case to be made that 21 and 22 personnel packages featuring both McCaffrey and Robinson have increased appeal. Figuring out how to get Robinson on the field more often is a good problem for Shanahan to have, and though there are areas of the team that are severely lacking because of injuries, the backfield is in strong shape, thanks in part to the decision to send a sixth-round pick to the Washington Commanders for his services.

Week 10 Tape Takeaways: It’s the 2024 Duo nightmare all over again (paywall)“On Sunday, the Rams ran the ball 27 times, excluding kneels. I tracked 17 of those runs as Duo to the tune of 63 yards. That 3.7 yards per carry average isn’t staggering, but 11 of those runs went for at least five yards. It’s the type of run that wears on a defense if it has susceptible edges and defensive tackles, and benefits from smaller linebackers. It’s not a play that always nets explosives, but it’s one which churns away at weak fronts at an efficient clip and keeps an offense on schedule. Teams haven’t run Duo with the same success this season for a few reasons. Chief among them? Mykel Williams. He has collapsed edges consistently this season, and within the first two minutes of Sunday’s demolition by the Rams, his absence was glaring. Watch Clelin Ferrell get moved here on an early 12-yard run…When you don’t have edge players who can condense space, it allows the offense to climb to the second level and attack your linebackers and safeties, which is exactly what the Rams did. I keep coming back to this because it represents an existential threat for the 49ers’ defense. They will face the Seahawks and have other challenges from different offenses down the stretch, but they’ll have some answers in the passing game. The Rams are a wagon right now. You’re going to get beat. But this run game? Without Williams, and even without Collins, I’m not quite sure where you go for respite. Teams are going to copy this recipe — the same from last season — and regardless of how effective those groups are, I find it difficult to imagine ways for the 49ers to compensate without playing more base or big nickel, and not with Luke Gifford as a fifth defensive lineman. They need gaps plugged. If they try and do so, that will likely cause coverage liabilities. Gifford is a liability as it stands.“ A Daniel Jones blueprint? A Mac Jones argument? Week 10 film review (paywall)“Last season was one of experimentation for Purdy as he turned up the aggression dial and played outside of the offense. Jones executes the offense more cleanly and makes his reads exactly as Shanahan wants, and completes throws with great accuracy. Purdy will wait for deeper passes to develop and throw to receivers that will even surprise Shanahan. Purdy balanced executing the system and playing outside of structure well in 2023, but he took a notch too far last season. Jones is showing that if you trust the offense, you can still succeed without your full complement of weapons….A major difference is Jones gets rid of the ball faster than Purdy ever has. Purdy’s average time to throw was only 0.06 higher as a rookie when he was just executing the offense rather than trying to be aggressive. You don’t want Purdy to totally rid himself of that instinct, but recent results have shown he needs to dial it back, and Jones’ success in the system is more evidence of that. When Purdy gets his job back, he should apply the lessons that he hopefully learned from watching Jones play.” 49ers overreactions: Should Brock Purdy start despite Mac Jones’ success?“Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will get considerable interest for head-coaching vacancies. But we agree there is a good chance he remains with the 49ers for the 2026 season. So many teams this offseason will be seeking an offensive-minded head coach to develop a young quarterback. And the major area in which the New York Jets struggled during Saleh’s tenure was at the quarterback position.“ 49ers practice and media schedule ahead of Week 11 matchup vs. Cardinals“Tuesday, November 11Players’ day off Wednesday, November 1212:40 p.m. – Kyle Shanahan press conference1:55 p.m. – Practice Thursday, November 1312:55 p.m. – PracticeAfter practice (approx. 2:45 p.m.) – Robert Saleh press conferenceFollowing Saleh – Klay Kubiak press conference Friday, November 1412:35 p.m. – PracticeAfter practice (approx. 1:35 p.m.) – Kyle Shanahan press conference”