The latest from around the NFL…
- The 49ers are 3-7 and bound to finish with one of the league’s worst records this season, but it might not be the team’s win-loss results that decide if head coach Jim Tomsula will return for a second year. Instead, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (video link), it could come down to how well some of the 49ers’ young players progress over the final six games. As Maiocco notes, the 49ers chose Tomsula over Adam Gase, among others, in the offseason – a pick they were happy with at the time. They wanted Tomsula because of his teaching skills. Thus, it’s certainly not a foregone conclusion that they’ll get rid of him because of one subpar year.
- With Marshawn Lynch injured, the Seahawks are especially fortunate to have rookie sensation Thomas Rawls as a member of their backfield. Rawls could have signed elsewhere as an undrafted free agent last spring, though, as the $15,000 the ex-Central Michigan standout got from Seattle wasn’t his highest offer, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Dallas was among the teams interested in Rawls – who chose the Seahawks because he wanted to learn from Lynch, according to his agent. If not for off-field issues, Rawls might have been drafted and unable to choose his destination.
- The Bills shut down four-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Kyle Williams for the season Friday because of a knee injury, and the 10-year veteran isn’t a lock to return to Buffalo for an 11th season in 2016. He does intend to keep playing, though, and he hopes to remain a Bill. “I want to see everything, every dream, every goal I’ve had since I’ve been here 10 years ago, I want to see it come true,” said Williams, according to The Buffalo News’ Tyler Dunne. “We’ve got a great staff and we’ve got a lot of guys who believe in one another.”
- The 3-8 Cowboys have gone 0-7 in games not started by Tony Romo this year, and they’ll have to play the final five weeks of the season without the injured Romo. That means Matt Cassel will be under center, which hasn’t been a positive for Dallas this season. Cassel, who has underwhelmed statistically in addition to going winless, might not be a Cowboy next year. Regarding the upcoming offseason, owner Jerry Jones said (via The Dallas Morning News’ Brandon George), “We’ll look at certainly where we are at our backup quarterback position, which probably if I could redo some of the thinking there this year, that would be the first place I’d start looking in my mirror.”
- 49ers running back Carlos Hyde – sidelined since the end of October with a stress fracture in his foot – is a candidate for season-ending surgery, per Maiocco.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap took a look at the upcoming class of free agent tight ends. Cleveland’s Gary Barnidge is among the players highlighted. While Barnidge is having a big year (48 catches, 667 yards, seven touchdowns), Fitzgerald doesn’t expect him to cash in to a significant extent because of his lack of track record relative to his age (30).
I don’t know if anyone realistically expected the 49ers to be competitive this year, especially given the mass exodus of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Tomsula was an underwhelming hire at the time, and I don’t know that he’s done anything to warrant keeping his job, but he hasn’t done anything to lose it either. Generally speaking, it’s always best to maintain continuity, particularly when dealing with a first-year HC.
Certainly a confounding season for Hyde, who put together one of the best games of the season by a running back on opening night. Unfortunately, given what happened after that (only one more game where he averaged 4 yards per carry) on this cratering team, this was pretty much a lost year for Hyde. Fortunately for his status, the 49ers have much bigger issues. His spot should be secure for next season if he’s shut down.
True, but the Niners need to bring in a RB who can share the load with Hyde. He can’t do it alone.
And Barnidge coming off a 1,000-yard season I’d expect to earn a bit more per year than $3MM. There just aren’t many tight ends with that on their resume. It’s not as if Barnidge is Brandon Myers, who thrived largely because of playing with Carson Palmer and the Raiders consistently in garbage time in 2012. Playing with Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel, Barndige has shown consistently he’s an upper-tier tight end, but this anticipated contract length should be accurate. Production-wise, though, he’s well-ahead of ahead of Charles Clay or Jared Cook, staples among the NFL’s highest-paid TEs. That should warrant more annually than $3MM.
Coaches look good when the team is winning. Tomsula deserves a chance to coach a season without Kaepernick. Gabbert has looked pretty good the last couple weeks.
Tomsula is a good HC in my opinion…I think he needs a solid offensive coordinator, a good draft and some well thought out free agent signings and he will be ok