Aaron Rodgers future

coffee flavoured coffee

FMR

 

And up until now I liked you

 

In the preseason, I mentioned what we learned about older elite athletes from Dara Torres (age 41 at the time) during the 2008 Olympics.
- They can still reach the physical peak from when they were younger
- Have fewer maximum-efforts in the gas tank
- Will hit their "endurance wall" faster (unless they are managed carefully), have a sharper decline, and it will be more difficult to get back to their ceiling

I wasn't concerned about Rodgers for the opening day or the week after the bye.
My concern was the weeks after that, when he gets ground down because he needs more rest to recover compared to just a few years ago.

My suggestion is to give Rogers the next week or two off. (Doubt it happens, but that is why it is a suggestion.) Get him back to his physical peak for the Bills and the first Ravens game.

There would obviously be concern if Mason can do enough to get wins against the Bengals and the Bears, but my guess is that Rogers will not snap back to playing better unless he deals with the contusion to the birth certificate (to use a Tomlinism).Highly competitive athletes will sometimes try to do even more (which makes things worse) instead of pulling back.

 

I may grow old

I will never grow up

 

With a stacked roster, during the last 7 years the 49ers went 4-12 (2018), 6-10 (2020), and 6-11 (2024).
Shanahan does well when things are going his way, but it is questionable how well he handles deficiencies on his team.

 

won a playoff game most recent
has a legit bona fide #2
no pom poms

 

Shanahan has also been to two Super Bowls, won 2 NFC Championships, and lost 2 NFC Championships in that time frame, which is better than the Steelers' Pastry Chef Head Coach since 2018, whose buttercream defenses can't get out of the first round.

My point is, we don't have an offensive-minded, creative head coach. We have a platitude machine.