Tag: Trent Williams

Giants fined more than 49ers following Week 3 clash

The NFL has hammered the New York Giants with several big fines after a Week 3 game that saw the San Francisco 49ers play very, very dirty.

Following a Week 3 game between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, it appeared inevitable that several fines would be handed down from the NFL.

After all, the 49ers played a very dirty game that saw offensive lineman Trent Williams punch defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson in the face and center Jake Brendel deliberately injure defensive tackle D.J. Davidson.

Williams was penalized but not ejected for his flagrant personal foul, while Brendel didn’t even draw a flag.

After the game, the NFL offered up a lame excuse for why Williams wasn’t ejected.

“When we have a flag thrown on the field for unnecessary roughness, members of the officiating department are able to review available video, Rule 19, to determine if there is a flagrant action that should result in a disqualification,” NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson said after the game. “We ended up looking at the video we had available to us, and we just didn’t see anything that rose to the level of flagrant, which is the standard that we have to apply to disqualify the player.”

The league’s clown show continued this week as Brendel somehow escaped both a fine and a suspension. And while Williams was fined $11,473 for his punch, he also avoided a suspension.

Adding to the circus, the NFL fined A’Shawn Robinson the same $11,473 for unnecessary roughness and also hit linebacker Jihad Ward with a $8,139 fine for unnecessary roughness.

Still not laughing at the show? Well, the NFL decided to hit Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams with the game’s biggest fine, slapping him with an invoice for $16,391. The reasoning? Because he made a very normal, everyday football play.

Just to recap: Robinson was fined the same amount as Trent Williams after getting punched in the face.

And this “penalty:”

Was fined more than this non-penalty:

Okay then.

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Giants’ Brian Daboll refuses to criticize refs even though they deserve it

Giants coach Brian Daboll refused to criticize officials for their horrible performance on Thursday night, so social media did it for him.

Shawn Hochuli and his crew were an absolute dumpster fire on Thursday night during a game between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.

There were nearly 20 flags thrown throughout the game with 12 of those being accepted in total. Among them was a roughing the passer call against Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams.

Hochuli argued that Williams came down with the full weight of his body on 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy which, by definition, is a violation of the rules. But in this particular instance, it was a bang-bang play and Williams had no chance to fall off to one side.

However, it’s not as if Williams didn’t try to abide by the impossible rule. He clearly puts his left knee down to alleviate some of the impact but that didn’t suffice. It was a 15-yard penalty, it extended San Francisco’s drive and it ultimately led to a touchdown.

What makes that call more egregious is that 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams later avoided ejection after punching Giants defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson in the face.

By rule, that’s an automatic ejection and clearly, Hochuli & Co. abide by the NFL rules and the letter of the law without question, right? That’s the reason Leonard Williams was flagged.

But no. There were instead offsetting penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct and Williams was allowed to remain in the game. Although the officiating crew saw the Leonard Williams “penalty” clear as day, they somehow missed Trent Williams’ close fist, as they explained after the game.

“When we have a flag thrown on the field for unnecessary roughness, members of the officiating department are able to review available video, Rule 19, to determine if there is a flagrant action that should result in a disqualification,” NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson said after the game. “We ended up looking at the video we had available to us, and we just didn’t see anything that rose to the level of flagrant, which is the standard that we have to apply to disqualify the player.”

There were other astonishingly bad or missed calls throughout the game and at one point, Giants head coach Drian Daboll completely lost his cool. But given an opportunity to criticize the referees during a Zoom call on Friday, he took the high road instead.

“Those guys have got a tough job to do out there and that’s really all I’ve got to say on that,” Daboll told reporters.

Daboll wouldn’t even criticize the officials for missing a clear and extremely dirty play by 49ers offensive lineman Jake Brendel, who yanked Giants defensive lineman D.J. Davidson down by his arm UFC-style, resulting in what appeared to be a serious injury.

“It was a physical game. A lot of emotions, so hopefully he’ll be okay,” Daboll said.

While Daboll refused to criticize the officials, plenty of others did it for him on social media.

Studs and Duds from 49ers’ 30-12 win over Giants on Thursday Night Football in Week 3

Here’s a look at some of the studs and duds from the 49ers’ dominant win over the Giants on Thursday Night Football.

After two crucial road wins to start the season, the San Francisco 49ers showed no signs of letting off the pedal in their home opener on Thursday Night Football against the New York Giants. 

Behind Deebo Samuel breaking tackles and Nick Bosa wreaking havoc up front, the 49ers cruised to another 30-point performance in a 30-12 win over the Giants in primetime.

After the 49ers became the NFL’s first team to move to 3-0, here’s a look at some of the studs and on dud from Thursday Night Football in Santa Clara.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

NFL explains why they allowed Trent Williams to punch a Giants player

The NFL offered a comically bad take on why they didn’t eject 49ers OT Trent Williams for punching Giants DT A’Shawn Robinson in the face.

San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams completely lost his cool on Thursday night, unloading a closed-fist punch that landed squarely to the facemask of New York Giants defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson.

Although a flag was thrown for the right hook, Williams was not ejected from the game — something that is mandatory based on NFL rules.

After the game, Williams laughed about getting away with the punch and even suggested that he shouldn’t be fined for it.

“It was a love tap,” a smug Williams told reporters.

So, why was Williams allowed to punch Robinson in the face and avoid ejection? The NFL and their officials scrambled to find an excuse following the 30-12 San Francisco win.

“When we have a flag thrown on the field for unnecessary roughness, members of the officiating department are able to review available video, Rule 19, to determine if there is a flagrant action that should result in a disqualification,” NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson said after the game. “We ended up looking at the video we had available to us, and we just didn’t see anything that rose to the level of flagrant, which is the standard that we have to apply to disqualify the player.”

A deliberate punch to the face apparently doesn’t qualify if it’s a Giants player on the receiving end.

Anderson then made an even more absurd claim, suggesting that game officials couldn’t determine if Williams used a closed fist despite countless angles leaving that without question.

“Couldn’t confirm that 100 percent from the standpoint of was it truly a closed fist with a strike,” he said.

Okay.

Robinson refused to address the punch after the game but did say something in Serbian when asked by The Athletic’s Charlotte Carroll about the incident.

There is a long history between Williams and Robinson dating back to the latter’s time in Los Angeles, and it’s apparently personal — something that extends beyond the game of football.

Still, the NFL’s explanation for why Williams wasn’t ejected is ludicrous.

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Trent Williams clearly punched Giants’ A’Shawn Robinson but wasn’t ejected for some reason

How did Trent Williams not get ejected for landing a punch on a Giants player?

The San Francisco 49ers have one of the best left tackles in the game with Trent Williams, but he lost his cool in the most surprising way against the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football.

In a brief scuffle just before halftime, Williams landed a literal punch on Giants defensive tackle A’Shawn Williams that got flagged for unnecessary roughness by the referees. However, a Giants player also got the same flag, so it wound up being offsetting penalties.

Williams had been unusually flagged three times by halftime, but this punch could’ve gotten him ejected for the rest of the game. The 49ers have to be lucky that the refs thought both teams were at fault for this scuffle.

That’s just not the kind of play you want to see from a future Hall of Fame veteran like Williams, but he was able to brush off the lapse in judgment with just a foul that didn’t bother his team either way. However, we wouldn’t advise any punching for any NFL players anytime soon.

49ers LT Trent Williams was rooting for Steelers 1st down during 1st half

Trent Williams wound up pulling for a Steelers first down during a dominant #49ers first half.

It’s hard to exemplify complimentary football better than the 49ers did it Sunday in Pittsburgh. That was particularly true through the first 28:25 of the first half. It got so bad for Pittsburgh that 49ers left tackle Trent Williams started pulling a little bit for the Steelers offense.

San Francisco’s defense started the game on fire, forcing four Steelers punts and an interception on their first five possessions. In that stretch Pittsburgh managed just one (1) yard in 15 plays and didn’t secure a first down.

Meanwhile the 49ers offense was rolling. They scored on their first four possessions before finally punting with 1:35 left in the second quarter. The result was a lopsided time of possession where San Francisco’s offense had the ball for 21:06 of the first 30 minutes.

“At one point you just kind of wanted (the Steelers) to get a first down,” Williams said via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “There were all those three-and-outs and we kind of needed a break.”

The 49ers defense didn’t oblige until Steelers running back Najee Harris rumbled for 24 yards on a third-and-1 with 1:24 left in the second quarter. On that drive Pittsburgh had five first downs, including their lone touchdown of the game – a three-yard pass from quarterback Kenny Pickett to tight end Pat Freiermuth.

Things evened out a little bit in the second half, but the final two quarters were still dominant for the 49ers. They wound up winning the time of possession battle 37:23 to 22:37.

Ultimately the 49ers would love to put Williams in a position every week where he’s pulling for the opposing offense to extend a drive a little bit to give the offense a break from rolling down the field and scoring.

If they can play complimentary football all year at the level they did Sunday, the 49ers will find themselves in the thick of another deep playoff run.

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49ers restructure 2 contracts, create $23 million in cap space

The #49ers created a boatload of cap space in 2023 with a couple restructures.

The 49ers on Wednesday needed to clear a little bit of cap space to get under the $224,800,000 threshold for this season. They cleared a ton of it by restructuring the contracts of tight end George Kittle and left tackle Trent Williams according to ESPN’s Field Yates. By executing the pair of restructures, the 49ers cleared $23.224 million in space.

San Francisco now has a ton of maneuverability under the 2023 cap. They only needed to clear a little less than $2 million per Over the Cap, so by pushing that money into the future they give themselves plenty of wiggle room to make moves this year.

The restructures don’t change the amount the 49ers will ultimately owe Kittle and Williams, it just redistributes the money into the future. That could just be rollover space they plan to utilize next year, but it also gives them space to fit in a trade acquisition mid-season if needed.

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49ers don’t have a face of the franchise, and that’s a good thing for now

Who’s the face of the #49ers? That it’s a debate is actually a good thing for now:

The 49ers’ team-building route has pushed them off the beaten path of a typical Super Bowl contender in a variety of ways.

While we typically talk about what that means for them on the field and the pros and cons of how they’ve constructed a roster, a conversation on the radio offered an interesting angle on how San Francisco differs from other top NFL teams.

Steiny and Guru on 95.7 the Game in San Francisco wondered whether head coach Kyle Shanahan was the face of the 49ers, and whether it’s good if he is.

This is an interesting question because it circles back around to how the 49ers are built and, frankly, underscores how good their roster is.

Generally the face of an NFL team, if they have an elite quarterback, is the quarterback. Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow – the list of elite QBs is exactly the same as the list of QBs who are the face of their respective franchise.

Then there are teams like the Steelers, where TJ Watt would likely be considered the franchise’s face. Pittsburgh is very good, but Watt is the undeniable star of that group. The Titans and Derrick Henry probably fit that mold as well.

Then there are teams that don’t really have a face because they’re in the midst of a rebuild – word to the Cardinals and Texans.

The 49ers fall in a unique bucket among the NFL’s Super Bowl contenders in that they don’t have a superstar QB. Brock Purdy got plenty of shine last year as the final pick in the draft who led the 49ers to the NFC championship game as a rookie, but he’s far from proven as an elite QB.

Finding a “face” in the 49ers’ locker room is hard because there are arguments to be made for so many players. Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Fred Warner and George Kittle all have legitimate arguments. Even a players like Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Aiyuk might be able to make a case if they have huge years in 2023.

Williams plays on the offensive line and having an offensive lineman as the face of the franchise is tough given their lack of profile among casual fans.

Bosa might get there if he signs his long-term extension, but even then a defensive star in terms of “face of the franchise” is always going to take a back seat to an offensive star.

Warner is the team’s emotional leader, but the typical uphill climb for defenders is even steeper since he’s not the club’s best defensive player (which is wild, FYI. He’d be the best defensive player on perhaps 28 other teams).

Then there’s the offensive group of Kittle, McCaffrey and Samuel. Kittle is undeniably the most outspoken and among players on the 49ers probably has the best case to be the “face” of the franchise. And if we had to name one, it would likely be him.

However, his productivity over the last couple years has started to dip in terms of volume as he gives way to the other offensive weapons. A face of the franchise who is the third (or perhaps fourth) option on offense is tough to justify.

Ultimately this discussion is probably one the 49ers would prefer to see given the big-picture meaning. If their roster wasn’t very good, any one of that group would be the unquestioned face of the team. Just ask Christian McCaffrey after his last couple years in Carolina.

Instead, there’s a debate because the bucket of players to choose from is so expansive and any argument for one eats into the argument against another.

If the 49ers had their druthers, their group of potential franchise faces would stay deep with Purdy playing well enough to elevate himself above the rest to become the undeniable face of the franchise with other stars settling in behind him in the pecking order.

For now though it remains a question mark, and that’s certainly not a bad thing.

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Trent Williams still NFL’s gold standard at OT

The #49ers have a ton of good players, but LT Trent Williams might be the best of them.

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While the 49ers’ offense is so often lauded for its array of versatile offensive weapons, there may not be a more important piece than left tackle Trent Williams. Heading into his age 35 season, Williams is still perhaps the best player in all of football, and he landed at No. 1 in Touchdown Wire’s ranking of the top 11 offensive tackles in the NFL.

Williams is an exceedingly rare combination of size, strength and athleticism that allows him to put together a highlight tape of dominant run blocks at the line and in the second level, while also standing firm as one of the best pass-blockers at his position.

Here’s TD Wire’s Doug Farrar on Williams’ incredible run over the last two seasons:

Over the last two seasons, the future Hall of Famer (book it right now) has allowed just two sacks, eight quarterback hits, and 32 quarterback hurries. Last season, with no clear winner in the QB Derby, and all kinds of question marks everywhere else on the line, Williams gave up one sack, two hits, and 16 hurries, with just two hits and three hurries coming in pass sets.

While Williams is dominant in-line, some of the funniest tape you’ll see is when he gets on the move, and second- and third-level defenders have to deal with the idea of No. 71 aiming his 320-pound frame right at them.

No thank you, please.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is able to work around some other question marks on the offensive line thanks in part to his dominant left tackle. Knowing that the QB’s blind side is safe, and any run to that side will be aided by the NFL’s best run blocking tackle helps a play caller stack plays together more confidently.

San Francisco can figure out its offense if one of its star play makers goes down. If they lose Williams for an extended period though it may be hard for the 49ers’ offense to reach a championship level.

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Ranking Commanders 25 most important players for 2023: No. 9

Charles Leno is important to Washington’s offensive success in 2023.

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As we look toward the 2023 regular season, we count down the most important players for the Washington Commanders ahead of training camp. On Monday, No. 10 was cornerback Kendall Fuller.

We continue our countdown today with No. 9, left tackle Charles Leno Jr.

From 2000-2018, Chris Samuels and Trent Williams manned Washington’s left tackle position. That transition from Samuels to Williams at one of the NFL’s premier positions is a rarity and akin to going from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers. It’s too bad Washington wasn’t better at other positions over those two decades.

Williams missed the 2019 season, which would be his last with the franchise before head coach Ron Rivera traded him ahead of the 2020 season. After the Chicago Bears released former Pro Bowl left tackle Charles Leno Jr., Washington quickly signed him.

Leno was solid in his first year with Washington, earning a three-year extension. In 2022, Leno took a step back, as did the rest of the offensive line. Leno wasn’t terrible by any means, but he was hardly dominant. With so many other offensive line positions needing to be upgraded in the offseason, the Commanders stuck with Leno.

Washington needs Leno to be better in 2023. And the Commanders could be in trouble if Leno is injured. Yes, Cornelius Lucas is back, but he fits better on the right side if there’s an injury to Andrew Wylie. Washington selected Braeden Daniels in the fourth round of the NFL draft, but it would be less than ideal if he needed to play left tackle as a rookie.

So, while Leno may not be one of the 10 best Commanders, he’s certainly among the 10 most important.