The Jock Blog spent 45 minutes in the Giants dugout with Farhan Zaidi earlier this week, most of the time with pursed lips and furrowed brows.
And that was just Farhan’s reaction.
So, there will be a time and place to break down the future of the listing San Francisco Giants, but how in the name of Deion Sanders, Charles Haley and Ken Norton, Jr. can we *not* fire up for 49ers-Cowboys on Sunday Night?
So. Let’s fire up for Cowboys-Niners on Sunday Night.
Because it’s super fun going in knowing that the 49ers have the superior organization, superior coach and superior QB.
Yep. I said it.
Jed York’s shop > Jerry Jones’ shop, at least as the current landscape stands, sports fans.
Kyle Shanahan > Mike McCarthy, McCarthy’s 13-year old Lombardi Trophy notwishtanding.
And Brock Purdy > Dak Prescott, as I was just saying to my Pro Football Reference page that shows Dak’s 2022 NFL-leading interception rate and January 2023 NFC divisional playoff game at Levi’s Stadium.
I can hear you all yelling now, as you are wont to do at a Jock Blog: DON’T JINX THIS. DON’T POKE THE BEAR. MICAH PARSONS IS RUMORED TO BE GETTING ON THE PLANE TO SANTA CLARA.
Fine, fine and please STOP YELLING at the Jock Blog, would ya?
And all due respect to the wrecking ball that is Parsons. I imagine he will be heard from at some point on Sunday Night. That’s how these things go.
But man, are the 2023 49ers in a great position in this early October landscape. I fully expect them to win, because I fully believe they are a better team at almost all of the critical spots.
York has allowed John Lynch and Shanahan to operate in space, free of obvious interference, and the results have been wildly impressive, from your 4-0 record to your Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams trades. They’ve even withstood the public disaster of the Trey Lance Incident, Q-ratings intact. Finding a low-key Joe Montana knock-off in the 7th round will do that for your squad.
And Shanahan, who can be as prickly as his game-day scruff when questioned about his team or his intentions, is busy drawing up play after play after play for Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and the YAC Bros, resulting in a 31 points per game average that only trails Mike McDaniel’s Miami (The Magnificent 70) Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills. “Purdy for 30” is dangerously close to bumper-sticker status in the Bay.
As for Purdy, I’m still grasping for comps to his mind-blowing story, from the 262nd pick in the draft to a guy who might be having a “party with Lombardi”, as our pal Tim Ryan likes to say. ESPN’s Todd Archer came on our show this week and wondered aloud if the comp is Tony Romo. Interesting. Romo was an undrafted free agent from Eastern Illinois who wound up as a four-time Pro Bowler, and a top-3 MVP finisher in 2014, when he led the NFL in completion percentage, yards per attempt, QB rating and passer rating.
I confess, I have higher expectations for Purdy already, who is the best fit for Shanahan since Kyle arrived in the 408. In fact, Purdy has already won as many playoff games in less than one full season than Romo did his entire career. They each have two postseason wins. I’m thinking more of another out-of-nowhere comp: undrafted Kurt Warner, with all due deferential respect to ‘The Greatest Show on Turf’. While I’m not saying Purdy gets a gold jacket like Warner — a little early, right? Ha! — I am saying the goal of winning it all is the Warner standard for Purdy.
So while Jerry Jones is playing possum with his “49ers are most likely to win the Super Bowl” radio hit in the Big D, I say embrace it. The 49ers, who have won 14 consecutive regular season games — dating back to Oct. 23, 2022 in a home loss to the Chiefs, so long ago that Taylor Swift didn’t know Travis Kelce from Travis Scott — are reminding me of the late 1980s/mid 1990s heyday, when the Walsh/Seifert/DeBartolo/Montana/Young/Lott standard ruled the day. No games off, even before Belichick and Brady thought of it.
Yes, this is a big game, bright lights, great helmets, a ferocious Cowboys defense. But if you’re a 49ers fan, you welcome it. This team is primed, and until further notice, ready to take on any team in the league.
We’ve been waiting all week for Sunday Night, and it’s virtually certain to be the 49ers night.