The San Francisco 49ers will look to cement their status as playoff contenders in the NFC by beating the Vikings, here we look at three players to watch.
The San Francisco 49ers face a stern test of their playoff credentials when they take on Minnesota Vikings on the road in Week 1.
Underdogs to start a campaign in which they will look to live up to the considerable hype they have received with a win, there are a number of players who will be pivotal to their hopes of pulling off what would be a huge statement victory.
Here we look at three such 49ers who will play a key role in determining the outcome of the regular-season opener.
Ronald Blair
Blair was seen as a possible casualty ahead of the 49ers cutdown to a 53-man roster but, if he was on the bubble, successfully made his case to stay on the team with a disruptive performance in the final preseason game, in which he had five tackles and a sack.
And Blair, who has the versatility to play inside and out, appears in line for a decent workload in the opener due to an injury to Dekoda Watson, who had been converted to a LEO defensive end but has now been placed on injured reserve.
Though not the most athletic of defensive linemen, Blair has shown enough in the past to be trusted rushing the passer off the edge either stood up or with his hand in the ground, displaying the bend to cause blockers consistent problems.Speaking on Friday, Shanahan, per 49ers Webzone, was effusive in his praise of Blair, who he clearly believes is a player the 49ers can depend on:
"“I’ve got a lot of respect for Ronald. First of all, he plays at a high level. He wins a lot and he can play all of the positions. When you have that versatility on a D-Lineman, that’s a guy that’s very tough to replace. He is mainly on the outside from his size and stuff, but when we put him on the inside, he’s tough enough and scrappy enough that he gets it done. So, Ronnie can make plays on his own and he can help us in a lot of situations depending on how the game can go throughout who you have up on game day.”"
With Watson out, the 49ers will definitely need Blair’s help in Minnesota. San Francisco is a team that has had problems turning interior pressure into sacks, the Niners will likely look to Blair to help make sure that issue does not impact them against the Vikings.
Fred Warner
Linebacker depth is a significant issue for the 49ers, and rookie third-round pick Warner is set to be thrown into a role of high responsibility, putting the pressure on him to perform right off the bat.
Reuben Foster is suspended and Malcolm Smith is doubtful with a hamstring injury and in their absence the 49ers have handed the start at MIKE linebacker to Warner, meaning he will be in charge of communicating plays to the defense.
Therefore, this will not only be a test of Warner’s coverage skills — he had seven interceptions in college — but also an early examination of the former BYU captain’s leadership. Shanahan, though has full confidence Warner can succeed as a MIKE (also per 49ers Webzone):
"“We felt Fred earned that spot. We thought he played at a very high level throughout the practices and the games that he got in on. So did Reuben [Foster] last year. But, we thought he was better at the other spot, not doing the communication. Fred, it hasn’t slowed down. He’s been good with it and since he earned it physically and it didn’t slow him down from a mental aspect, it was a pretty easy decision.”"
The middle of the field was a problem for the 49ers last year, with teams regularly able to exploit their linebackers and pick apart the defense by finding the soft spots in their zone coverage. If Warner can limit Minnesota’s ability to do that and excel as the lead communicator of the defense in a difficult environment, then he will take a big step towards locking down a starting role for good.
Mike Person
After Jerick McKinnon’s season-ending knee injury, there will be a huge focus on Matt Breida and Alfred Morris as the 49ers look to get their running game going without their big ticket free agent acquisition.
But just as key as the performance of the 49ers committee backfield will be that of the offensive line, and right guard Mike Person will be under particular scrutiny after winning the starting job ahead of Joshua Garnett. Person and Garnett both looked very good in pass protection in preseason and each have the athleticism to get to the second level in the ground game, which is a key trait in the Niners zone-running scheme.
However, it was Garnett who appeared the more effective when blocking on the move. Should Person struggle and hinder the Niners ability to move the ball on the ground, the competition with Garnett could swiftly be resumed.