After a long wait from 49er fans ready to put the tumultuous offseason behind them, football finally made its return on Monday night as San Francisco hosted the Minnesota Vikings. With the story heading into the game swirling around the return of two of the game's best at their respective position -- All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman and future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson, only one would come out victorious. Bowman, who saw his first regular season action since sustaining a left knee injury during the 2014 NFC Championship over a year and a half ago, looked like a man possessed with no cobwebs at all. As for Peterson, who hasn't played in over a year after serving a suspension stemming from a child-abuse case filed against him, the former NFL MVP looked rather rusty.
With all eyes on Peterson in the run game, it would be San Francisco's running back who stole the show. Making his first career start, second-year running back Carlos Hyde would make his starting debut a memorable one by putting up career-highs in almost every category. Hyde led the way for the 49ers offense, shouldering the load left by the franchises all-time leading rusher Frank Gore who departed during the offseason for Indianapolis. In it's first game without the future Hall of Famer Gore, San Francisco's run-game didn't skip a beat as Hyde rushed for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns on 26 carries, spinning and diving his way into the end zone on one carry, reminiscent of a Madden juke move. But before Hyde found the end zone to put his team on the board, the 49ers endured a special-teams nightmare in the first quarter. On their opening-drive, QB Colin Kaepernick and Hyde led the offense on a promising drive that sputtered near the red zone and went up in flames as kicker Phil Dawson had his field goal attempt blocked and nearly taken to the house. Luckily, Minnesota would fail to capitalize as Vikings kicker Blair Walsh shanked a field goal wide right from 44-yards out. The 49er special teams would later shoot themselves in the foot once again when former Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne fumbled his first career touch when called on to return a punt.
With a 7-0 lead heading into the half following the first of Hyde's two rushing touchdowns, rookie head coach Jim Tomsula addressed his team's sloppy play as the team played a much more fluid game during the second half, not committing nearly as many penalties as they did in quarters 1 and 2. 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick didn't overwhelm anyone with his numbers, but logged a clean sheet while managing to play a turnover-free game. In many ways, Kaepernick registered an Alex Smith-like performance, playing it safe and not forcing anything as he completed 17 of 26 passes for 165 yards while gaining 41 yards on the ground. On the other side, Minnesota's Teddy Bridgewater who many are expecting to take a huge leap forward this year, had arguably his worst night as a pro yet. Bridgewater threw for 231 yards and was picked off once by Tremaine Brock on a night where he was sacked 5 times as Minnesota's only points came via a field goal.
Seeking his first 100-yard performance in a season-opener since 2009, Adrian Peterson entered Monday night's game having struggled against the 49ers throughout his career. With only 51.3 yards per game and 0 touchdowns in 4 games vs San Francisco, Peterson saw much of the same as the 49er defense shut him down and held him to only 31 yards rushing on 10 carries. Credit first year defensive coordinator Eric Mangini who drew up the perfect game plan on the ground for Peterson and through the air for Bridgewater as neither looked comfortable all night. On a night where the 49ers debuted their new black and red uniforms, the first ever alternate jersey in franchise history, San Francisco pulled off the 20-3 victory. And despite Carlos Hyde's 168 yard performance which marked the most rushing yards by a Niner since 2011 (Gore) and was the second-most yards by a 49er running back in a season opener behind only Garrison Hearst's 187 in 1998, the game ball was awarded to coach Jimmy T in the locker room after the game with Kaepernick doing the honors. It would be the 7th consecutive win for SF on Monday Night Football, the second-longest active streak behind only the hated Seahawks who have won nine straight.
Week 2 Preview: Even after his team won in his first career game as head coach, Jim Tomsula made it known that there was little time to celebrate and that it was on to Pittsburgh where the (0-1) Steelers will look to bounce back from a 28-21 loss to the defending champion Patriots in the season-opener. Though the (1-0) 49er defense looked stout in the win against Minnesota, they'll be given the tough task of having to face Big Ben Roethlisberger at home in the Steelers' home-opener. The Niners will look to spoil Pittsburgh's homecoming and make it 2-0 as defensive coordinator Eric Mangini renews his rivalry with the Steelers, a team he's grown to know quite well spending time in the AFC as head coach of the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets.
Injury News: 49ers RB Reggie Bush was the only reported injury after Week 1's win as he sustained a calf strain in the first quarter which forced him to leave the game. Bush has been listed as week-to-week which opens the door for rookie Jarryd Hayne who should see his reps at running back increase come Week 2.
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Just when you thought the 49ers' tumultuous offseason couldn't get any worse following the retirements of multiple payers and a handful of key cogs lost to free agency which practically gutted the franchise, the team was dealt yet another crushing blow over the weekend. With preseason football on the horizon for the San Francisco 49ers, the team was left with no other option but to release one of their brightest young talents following the arrest of Pro Bowl linebacker Aldon Smith. Smith, a player with tremendous talent but a knack for running into trouble, had his fifth run in with the law since being drafted in 2011 when he was taken into custody by Santa Clara police on alleged DUI, hit and run and vandalism charges.
The incident which stemmed from a woman reportedly parking in Smith's parking space, fueled Smith's actions which resulted in his third DUI and fifth incident overall. Though Smith was interviewed after being released the following day from county jail where he claims he was not intoxicated during the incident, 49ers GM Trent Baalke and team owner Jed York had seen enough as the team decided to part ways with the troubled 25 year old. Neither Baalke nor York would speak in front of the media, however, as first year head coach Jim Tomsula would be the one called upon to speak at the podium and in front of a live press-conference where he announced the team's decision. Given the circumstances, the organization handled the incident as well as they could have, lending a helping hand as Tomsula let it be known that although he's no longer a member of the team, Smith will be helped and supported by the franchise along his journey to recovery, stating that Aldon, "will not have to walk this path alone," while encouraging others with similar issues to seek help.
For Smith, the incident comes several months after both parties agreed to restructure the former first round pick's contract in a way that he'd be paid on a game by game basis, betting on himself as a supposed changed man who would stay out of trouble. On Friday, those promises came crashing down on Smith and the Niners like a ton of bricks. Since 1982 when sacks became an official stat, Smith, who was drafted 7th overall out of Missouri, had accumulated the most sacks through the first two seasons to start a career with 33.5 sacks from 2011-12, 2.5 more than Hall of Famer Reggie White. As for Niners defensive coordinator Eric Mangini, his first year at the helm just got that much harder as he'll now be given the challenge of having to find a replacement for one of the game's best pass rushers. With everyone wondering who's the next guy in line to fill the void of Smith at outside linebacker, several potential candidates include rookie Eli Harold who was dubbed a steal in April's Draft with the 79th pick, third-year player Corey Lemonier and Aaron Lynch who dazzled in his rookie campaign last season.
Just when we thought it couldn't get any dumber than the airport incident which landed Aldon some jail time for allegedly stating to a TSA agent that he had a bomb, Smith goes berserk and loses it over a parking space. As much as his absence sets the team back, the truth remains -- he needed to be let go.
Alongside the recently retired Justin Smith, Aldon shined in the Niners pass-rush as the two became one of the most formidable tandems in the league and were appropriately nicknamed the "Smith Brothers." With both Smith's now gone, the pass rush is one of the biggest areas of concern heading into the new season. Simply put, the 49ers franchise has been gutted and put on 'reset mode' since the end of the 2014 season which ended in disappointment following a third place finish in the NFC West at 8-8 and missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 2010. With many expecting the Niners to take an even bigger step back in 2015 even before the release of Aldon Smith, coach Tomsula and company has a tall order ahead of them as they look to quiet the critics and prove that the team is in reload mode rather than rebuild mode.
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