Tag: Mike McGlinchey

Notre Dame’s NFL Conference Championship Representation

The hometown and 7.5 point favorite San Francisco 49ers employ a pair of former Notre Dame stars in former top ten pick, offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey and former Irish defensive tackle, Sheldon Day.

To me there isn’t a better day of professional football all year than what today brings.  AFC and NFC Championship Games, an all day affair of football between four usually very good teams.

If you’re like me and most of America, your favorite NFL squad was eliminated from Super Bowl contention long ago and you don’t have a dog in either of the fights this Sunday.

If you’re a Notre Dame fan looking for a team to get behind then the AFC game that kicks off just after 3:00 pm E.T. will be tough sledding as neither the Tennessee Titans or Kansas City Chiefs have any former Notre Dame players on their rosters.

Look into the NFC game however and you may get a little bit conflicted.

The hometown and 7.5 point favorite San Francisco 49ers employ a pair of former Notre Dame stars in former top ten pick, offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey and former Irish defensive tackle, Sheldon Day.

McGlinchey battled through a knee issue earlier this season that ultimately led to him getting a scope, missing four games but ultimately helping the 49ers to the third most rushing yards in the league this regular season.

Day played in all 16 games this regular season for the 49ers, recording 15 total tackles and one sack along the way.

When the 49ers kickoff against the Green Bay Packers at 6:40 pm E.T. today the Packers will have a former Fighting Irish star as Dexter Williams will be wearing the iconic Packers colors.

Don’t expect to see much of the former Notre Dame speedster however as Williams had just five rush attempts all regular season.

Enjoy the games and your Sunday.

49ers run game takes center stage vs. Saints

The 49ers run game needs to be at its best Sunday in New Orleans.

The 49ers offense has its work cut out for it Sunday in New Orleans. The Saints, once a dominant offensive juggernaut, now has a terrific defense to compliment an offense that may have taken a step back.

New Orleans’ defensive talent is good enough to match an equally talented 49ers offense. The room for error Sunday on offense is minimal against a Saints defense that’ll take full advantage of miscues.

San Francisco’s offense is at its best when it’s running the ball effectively. Here are the six players the 49ers need playing well to maximize their offensive production:

RB Matt Breida

(Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)

The 49ers have sorely missed Breida’s explosiveness while he’s been out with an ankle injury. He’s missed the last three games, and until Raheem Mostert broke out last week, the rushing attack has suffered greatly from a lack of big-play ability on the ground. Breida has game-changing speed that can turn a short gain into a long touchdown with one missed tackle. He leads the team with 542 rushing yards, and he’s going at 5.0 yards per carry in his third season. Breida may only get 10 or 12 carries, but the 49ers should benefit a lot from having him back.

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49ers vs. Ravens: 3 things that stood out in the 1st quarter

The 49ers offense started with a bang, but a turnover allowed Baltimore to tie it right back up.

The 49ers offense started with a bang, but a turnover allowed Baltimore to tie things at 7. The defense played well in the first drive against the Ravens’ offense, but has struggled since.

It’s tied at seven after one. Here’s what stood out in the first quarter:

Fourth-and-2? Go deep

The 49ers had a tough choice early on with a fourth-and-2 at the Ravens’ 33-yard-line. It was either attempt a 51-yard field goal or take a chance a go for it. Kyle Shanahan not only chose the latter, but drew up a deep shot. Jimmy Garoppolo connected with Deebo Samuel in double coverage for a touchdown to give the 49ers an early lead. The weather will likely change play calls on both sides and Shanahan took advantage the first try he had.

Fred Warner in coverage

Warner is the hottest player on the 49ers defense and has been since Kwon Alexander went down four weeks ago. On a second-and-10, Lamar Jackson threw a pass toward Marquise Brown on an in route with the linebacker in coverage. Warner looked like a defensive back with his diving pass breakup to prevent the completion. The 49ers will need everything they can get from the defense and Warner’s play led to the Ravens first punt since Week 9.

49ers turnover leads to Ravens points

Mike McGlinchey picked up a blitzing Jihad Ward, but released to pick up Matthew Judon around the edge. That move from McGlinchey allowed Ward to get to Garoppolo forcing him to the ground and allowing Chuck Clark to punch the ball out. The fumble was recovered by Baltimore. Lamar Jackson cashed in two plays later to tie the game at 7-7. Even though it’s wet and sloppy, the 49ers can’t afford turnovers like that to give Jackson an even shorter field.

49ers vs. Ravens: 6 players to watch on offense

The 49ers have scored 30-plus points the last two weeks.

The 49ers have scored 30-plus points the last two weeks. It’s their first time eclipsing the 30-point mark in consecutive weeks since the first two weeks of the season. Now they play a game in Baltimore where scoring 30-plus could be a necessity. The Ravens defense has been excellent the past five weeks, allowing 12.4 points per game in that span.

The offense could have their hands full in what’s expected to be a wet game in the rain. Here are the six players to watch on the offense:

TE George Kittle

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

It’s almost amazing how much better the 49ers’ offense looked against Green Bay compared to the two previous weeks when Kittle was out. The tight end had six receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown in his first game since Halloween. San Francisco will be taking on a high-powered Baltimore offense which means the offense will need to score every chance they get, which should mean plenty of targets for Kittle.

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3 matchups that will decide 49ers vs. Cardinals showdown

It’s a familiar matchup for the 49ers as they take on the Arizona Cardinals just 17 days after their win in Arizona. 

It’s a familiar matchup for the 49ers as they take on the Arizona Cardinals just 17 days after their win in Arizona. The 49ers escaped Arizona on Halloween with a 28-25 victory that saw Jimmy Garoppolo carry the offense with four touchdown passes, and a defense that barely held on long enough to get the job done. The two division rivals will close out their season series Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

Here are the three matchups that could decide whether the 49ers sweep or Arizona can earn a split:

Deebo Samuel vs. Patrick Peterson

(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

With George Kittle out and Emmanuel Sanders questionable for Sunday, Samuel could be the best receiver on the field for the 49ers. With that comes a matchup against one of the better cornerbacks in league. Samuel had the best game of his career against Seattle with eight receptions for 112 despite having a couple of drops that could have added to his numbers. If Sanders can’t go, expect Jimmy Garoppolo to target Samuel a bit but with that comes throwing at Peterson, a three-time All-Pro corner.

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6 players to watch on banged up 49ers offense vs. Cardinals

The 49ers offense needs a bounce-back game, but won’t have a couple key players.

The 49ers offense has been a ‘Jekyll and Hide’ tale the past two weeks. The offense was hitting on all cylinders two weeks ago against Arizona, putting up 28 points en route to a victory. Then the offense struggled and couldn’t get into a rhythm, leading to their first loss of the season against the Seahawks on Monday night.

The offense faces the same Arizona team it rolled over two weeks ago, and looks to bounce back with a repeat performance. Here are the six players to watch:

QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest question entering Sunday is which Garoppolo will show up? The one who lit Arizona up to the tune of 317 yards and four touchdowns, or the one that looked skittish in the pocket all night against Seattle? If Garoppolo looks like he did against Seattle, the 49ers could head into their key game against Green Bay with back-to-back losses.

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Can’t win them all: Studs and duds from 49ers 1st loss of 2019

Monday night was an incredible football game between two rival teams with plenty ramifications for later in the season. 

Monday night was an incredible football game between two rival teams with plenty ramifications for later in the season. Unfortunately, the 49ers came up on the short end and suffered their first loss of the year at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers came in with several key injuries and had several more during the game that hindered the team, but they still had plenty of chances to keep their undefeated season alive.

There was a lot to unpack following the 27-24 overtime loss that dropped the 49ers to 8-1. Here are the studs and duds from a back-and-forth Monday night contest:

Dud: QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

With all the circumstances around the game tonight, Garoppolo had a chance to put himself in the top tier of quarterbacks. Without tight end George Kittle entering the game, and losing wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders during the . contest, made things hard on the quarterback, but he could have taken the opportunity to step up and make plays. He unfortunately couldn’t do it.

There were too many mistakes from him Monday night, including several bad throws and two costly fumbles that led to two Seattle touchdowns. His 66.2 passer rating Monday night was the third-lowest number for Garoppolo as a 49er. Tonight shouldn’t call into question about Garoppolo’s viability as a starting quarterback, but it could lead to questions about his ceiling.

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George Kittle officially inactive for 49ers vs. Seahawks

The 49ers won’t have their star tight end in their biggest game of the year.

The 49ers will officially be without their star tight end Monday night against the Seahawks. Tight end George Kittle has officially been ruled out after being given a ‘doubtful’ designation Saturday. He joins kicker Robbie Gould and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon among the inactive starters for San Francisco.

Here’s the full list of inactives for the 49ers:

TE George Kittle
OL Justin Skule
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
QB C.J. Beathard
DT Jullian Taylor
CB Ahkello Witherspoon
K Robbie Gould

The silver lining in this group is that it doesn’t include Joe Staley, Mike McGlinchey or Kyle Juszczyk. The two starting tackles and starting fullback were instrumental in the 49ers’ dominance on the ground early in the year.

Staley broke his fibula in Week 2, McGlinchey hurt his knee and needed arthroscopic surgery after Week 5, and Juszczyk sprained his MCL in Week 5.

Witherspoon was ‘100 percent healthy’ according to a report from NBC Sports’ Jennifer Lee Chan, but he’s still inactive after being limited in practice all week with foot and quad injuries. He sprained his foot in Week 3, then suffered a setback just as he was getting ready to return.

Gould getting ruled out isn’t a huge surprise. San Francisco braced for that by adding kicker Chase McLaughlin on Wednesday after Gould suffered a quad injury during Tuesday’s bonus practice.

San Francisco survived without their tackles and fullback on offense, now they have to devise a way to win without their most impactful player on that side of the ball.

Here are the Seahawks inactives: