Jayden Daniels doesn’t scare me. Sonny Styles doesn’t scare me. Terry and Stefon don’t scare me. Only the football gods of chaos and variance scare me. There’s too many good matchups to exploit… from putting CMC in the pass game, to spamming Mike Evans against the hapless Commanders secondary, to blasting the Commanders’ shoddy offensive line… the 49ers’ biggest opponent is themselves tonight.
Let’s get it!
Serial spitter? 49ers’ Kyle Juszczyk says C.J. Gardner-Johnson spit on him in 2025 (paywall)
“Juszczyk called out Gardner-Johnson presumably because he’s among a group of players who have had enough: Gardner-Johnson was named the league’s most annoying player in the Athletic’s anonymous player poll in 2024. His ejection Sunday was the second of his career. He’s committed seven unnecessary roughness penalties and had three unsportsmanlike conduct infractions.”
From Joe Montana to Joe Williams, Peter King had a front-row seat to 49ers history (paywall)
“[Joe]Williams had off-the-field issues that Lynch viewed as disqualifying, most notably “retiring” during his final college season before later returning. Lynch thought Williams quit on his team. Shanahan viewed him as an ideal offensive fit.
“Kyle loved him,” King recalled. “And he said to John Lynch, ‘I would love to get this guy tomorrow. Would you please just think about this?’”
Lynch didn’t just give his blessing. He traded up 22 spots to ensure Shanahan got his guy in the fourth round. [Joe] Williams, of course, was a spectacular bust who never played a regular-season snap in the NFL.
Why did King, 69, recently recall this nearly decade-old memory? It had nothing to do with Williams not working out. It was about what King thought the pick said about how Shanahan and Lynch, then both rookies in their roles, would be able to work together after inheriting a 2-14 team.
“I left that draft thinking, ‘I don’t know if the guys they picked are going to be any good,’” King said. “But I really liked the chemistry I saw…..”
…..Before Walsh announced his retirement, emotionally spent after 10 seasons at the helm, he met at midfield with Cincinnati head coach Sam Wyche, a former assistant, and collapsed into his arms.
“I was outside one of the locker rooms watching that moment on TV, and it looked like Sam Wyche was almost carrying Bill Walsh off the field,” King said. “It was like Walsh was totally devoid of energy.”
Young was also out of gas, severely dehydrated, after leading the 49ers to their fifth and last title in January 1995 by throwing a Super Bowl-record six touchdown passes in a 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers. But his response was the opposite of Walsh.
Back at Young’s room at the Miami Airport Marriott, where a large group of friends and family members had joined him, King observed as the game MVP was stretched out with IVs in both arms and EMTs standing on each side of his king bed. Despite his condition, Young was almost overcome with joy.
“Is this great or what?” Young said. “I mean, I haven’t thrown six touchdown passes in a game in my life. Then I throw six in the Super Bowl!”
In his 2024 farewell column, King called this scene his favorite moment from his 40-year career.”
49ers safety Malik Mustapha still playing with chip on his shoulder
“Credit to Raheem and my DB coach, Jerry Gray,” Mustapha said. “They actually made a pretty interesting comment because they know how downhill and aggressive I am in the run game. But then being able to shift your mind in the pass game and being able to play with that same tenacity, but being able to read the quarterback and being able to still fly around and make plays on the ball as well.”