The San Francisco 49ers are like a playlist on shuffle. Sometimes a great song comes on, sometimes a decent song comes on, and sometimes a terrible song comes on, and you wonder, “Who made this playlist?”
Yes, they lost their first preseason game, but the preseason isn’t about wins and losses. It’s about practice, the team becoming a cohesive unit, and second and third string players proving that they should make the 53-man roster. Running Back and former rugby league star Jarryd Hayne was the star of the show during Saturday night’s game against the Texans, while Nose Tackle Mike Purcell may have made a name for himself. The defense started messy, and frankly has A LOT of work to do in learning Eric Mangini’s defensive scheme and in playing as a unit, but they managed to stop the Houston Texans seven straight times inside the 3-yard line, forcing a turnover on downs. It was impressive! And in fairness to said defense, they were without a number of starters, including NaVorro Bowman, Aaron Lynch, and Darnell Dockett. Overall, the rookies shone brightly multiple times, and the team gave me confidence that there is potential for a good season. I was almost humming Queen’s “We Are the Champions!” Almost.
And then, just as I was learning all I could about Purcell (Five Fun Facts anyone??) and finding recipes for Lamingtons, aka Australia’s famous sponge cake coated with chocolate icing and coconut in support of Hayne, I got an alert that wide receiver Jerome Simpson – who looked good in his first NFL game in over a year – is being suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The suspension comes from a July 2014 incident when Simpson was still with the Vikings, and it really wasn’t a surprise. 49ers’ reporter Taylor Price released the following statement from general manager Trent Baalke on twitter:
“The probability of a suspension was known when we signed Jerome. Since joining the 49ers, Jerome has proven to be a great teammate. Although he will not be able to participate in the first six weeks of the season, Jerome has done everything asked of him, both on and off the field. We are in full support of the NFL’s decision, and look forward to Jerome’s future contributions to our organization.”
Surprise or no, the news stung, especially on the heels of Aldon Smith’s release. It felt as if shuffle had pulled up Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again,” but then I remembered something. Just two short months ago, I felt strongly that Simpson had turned a corner and the suspension does nothing to change that. Simpson knows he messed up and he’s ready to face the music, so to speak.
Per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, Simpson sees the suspension as a fair one.
“The choices you make, you’ve got to deal with the consequences. I’m just going to keep working hard,” said Simpson. “I looked at the schedule and it’s a good game to come back on, the Seahawks game.”
I have to agree with Jerome there. If you’re going to make a comeback, a Thursday night home game against your team’s biggest rival is certainly the way to do it.
But are the 49ers concerned about Simpson and potential future problems? No.
Also from Inman, head coach Jim Tomsula stood strong in his support of his probable #3 wide receiver.
“We went through the research. He’s a talented football player,” Tomsula said. “We deal with everything individually. I personally feel the guy is on the right track. He understands exactly where we are, and we’re moving forward. He also understands there is no margin for error. I do believe in Jerome. I think this is going to be a success story.”
Per CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Maiocco, QB Colin Kaepernick had praise for his wide receiver as well, saying yesterday:
“He does a lot of things well — very fast, very athletic, has a good feel for the game. He’s been an all-around good teammate, someone who’s come in willing to learn, willing to do everything he can to help this team.”
There you have it. From a human perspective, I feel good. From a football perspective, I may feel even better, as this means Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington, and maybe even rookie DeAndrew White, are going to be competing to be the third wide receiver in the Niners’ offensive scheme, and that’s a lot of talent right there.
For the first time in a long time, the San Francisco 49ers are giving me a lot of hope and perhaps even a little smile. Excuse me while I go play “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles, especially since my seats are on the sunny side of Levi’s Stadium. Let’s see how I feel after this Sunday’s preseason home game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Go Niners!