{"id":13343,"date":"2024-10-16T08:57:50","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T08:57:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13343"},"modified":"2024-10-16T08:57:50","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T08:57:50","slug":"kurtenbach-ricky-pearsall-is-the-boost-the-49ers-need-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13343","title":{"rendered":"Kurtenbach: Ricky Pearsall is the boost the 49ers need right now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ricky Pearsall\u2019s return to the field is the exact boost the 49ers need right now.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

And that\u2019s not strictly on an emotional level, either.<\/p>\n

Yes, seeing the Niners\u2019 first-round pick, who was shot on Aug. 31 in an attempted robbery in San Francisco\u2019s Union Square, cheating death and playing again is worthy of celebration and all the good vibes that emanate from that.<\/p>\n

But Pearsall is also the exact kind of player the 49ers have needed all season long. Combine both factors, and his first NFL game could be the turning point of the Niners\u2019 up-and-down season.<\/p>\n

When that first game will come is anyone\u2019s guess as of now. Given the unprecedented nature (at least for the Niners) of Pearsall\u2019s delay, you\u2019d be hard-pressed to find anyone in a position of authority in Santa Clara with confidence in what the \u201cright\u201d move is here. You\u2019re not only dealing with the injury itself but also the mental health considerations that stem from the traumatic moment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But if Pearsall is cleared to play by all qualified parties involved (of which neither you nor I can claim to be) and the 24-year-old rookie wants to play, the 49ers shouldn\u2019t hesitate to put him in the field.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the Niners\u2019 passing offense has a clear-cut issue this season: man-to-man defense.<\/p>\n

In past seasons, that was something the Niners wanted to see \u2014 running back Christian McCaffrey is indefensible one-on-one. The Niners threw it to No. 23 out of the backfield when all else failed.<\/p>\n

But McCaffrey has missed the entire season to date and isn\u2019t coming back into the fold anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, per Pro Football Focus, Niners receivers have caught less than 50 percent of their total targets against man-to-man coverage this season, compared to 74 percent (73\/99) in zone coverage. Niners receivers are not separating when pressed and shadowed, save for Brandon Aiyuk, who isn\u2019t being thrown the ball often enough this season.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And the worst part is that teams know it.<\/p>\n

The Kansas City Chiefs played man-to-man on 60 percent of the 49ers\u2019 dropbacks in the Super Bowl, pressing up on the Niners\u2019 receivers at the line of scrimmage and daring them to win. It forced Niners quarterback Brock Purdy into tight-window throws and took Deebo Samuel out of the game, as he didn\u2019t have a single catch (six targets) against the coverage.<\/p>\n

It should be noted that McCaffrey caught four all four targets in man coverage, tallying 59 yards with 66 yards coming after the catch.<\/p>\n

The NFL is a copycat league, so the Niners are seeing more man-to-man defense this season. Until they prove they can beat it (something that hasn\u2019t happened yet), capable teams will press the button again and again. If nothing else, it takes Samuel \u2014 a true game-changing player \u2014 out of the contest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shanahan saw all this coming. Pearsall was drafted to solve this exact problem.<\/p>\n

In his 2023 season for the Florida Gators, Pearsall had a success rate of 76 percent against man coverage, per Reception Perception, the best mark of any receiver taken in his range in the draft. It doesn\u2019t take a scout\u2019s eye to see why he wins \u2014 he\u2019s a sudden and crisp route runner. If he can release off the line of scrimmage, he will be consistently open down the field. I saw it again and again in rookie mini-camp and training camp.<\/p>\n

That kind of a player \u2014 that kind of threat to a defense \u2014 is precisely what the 49ers need.<\/p>\n

Seriously, what do you think the Chiefs will do on Sunday? Probably the same thing they did in the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And the immediate need for a man-beating receiver isn\u2019t to suggest that Pearsall should see serious snaps from the moment he\u2019s deemed ready to play \u2014 whether on Sunday or after the Niners\u2019 bye week on Nov. 10.<\/p>\n

But if the Niners can substitute Pearsall for Samuel on 5 to 10 plays a game to start \u2014 and specifically plays the Niners believe opponents will play man-to-man defense \u2014 it could prove huge for the offense. Not only would it give Samuel much-needed plays off, keeping his legs fresh, but it could also result in big yardage, as, with two man-beating receivers on the field, Purdy can use the entire field.<\/p>\n

So yes, Pearsall\u2019s return to practice is a feel-good story for the Niners.<\/p>\n

But that might be underselling it because, tactically, Pearsall could be a game-changer \u2014 a season-changer \u2014 for the Niners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ricky Pearsall\u2019s return to the field is the exact boost the 49ers need right now. And that\u2019s not strictly on an emotional level, either. Yes, seeing the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nKurtenbach: Ricky Pearsall is the boost the 49ers need right now - Sport News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13343\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kurtenbach: Ricky Pearsall is the boost the 49ers need right now - Sport News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ricky Pearsall\u2019s return to the field is the exact boost the 49ers need right now. 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