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00:00:02
Speaker 1: All right, welcome back. Larry Kruger with you tonight on The Sports Leader. Big Monday night. Hope everybody's having a great Monday. And joining us on the UMA Guest Line, one of our favorites, Chase Senior, covers the Niners and the Philadelphia Eagles, for that matter, for chat sports. And they do a fantastic job, and he's with us on the UMA Guest Line to talk it up and talk a little Niners after their 38-17 win. yesterday over the Raiders, the fight before the fight. Did you see how many brawls there were after the game? I mean, it was embarrassing. I know you cover the Eagles, so there's probably a few fights in Philly as well. But, I mean, did you see how many Niner and Raider fans were squaring off, Chase? It was absolutely out of hand. Ridiculous.
00:00:51
Speaker 2: First off, we've been streaming for years on The Krug Show on YouTube, but anytime we get to talk some Niners here on KNBR, the sports leader, it's a privilege, and I appreciate everybody for hanging out here with us.
00:01:01
Speaker 3: My takeaway from that, grow up. Are you kidding me?
00:01:06
Speaker 2: You're fighting before the game, after the game, and during the game when you were paying a premium to see what was a very exciting game between two historic organizations at the NFL, and you're going to run the risk of getting kicked out because of your ego?
00:01:24
Speaker 1: Grow up!
00:01:25
Speaker 2: We're fighting outside of NFL games, and the crazy thing is, it's not just like little scuffles. There were multiple knockouts. I saw one guy get knocked out. Looked as though he tore both of his ACLs and he's just slumped backward. And now you got to go home. And what are you going to tell your bosses on Monday? Yeah, I got in a fight at the Raiders Niners game. It's like, what are we doing here?
00:01:49
Speaker 3: It's ridiculous.
00:01:51
Speaker 1: It's totally ridiculous. And the other thing is like, you know, I went, my dad used to take me to the candlestick in the seventies and we, you know, Giants, Dodgers, and, Friday nights and you know, there'd be, there'd be fisticuffs. But I mean, I remember as a little kid being terrified by it. You know, if you, I don't, if you and I see a fight going on, no big deal, but a five-year-old sees a fight going on and it's the most scarring thing he's going to see in his life. I mean, a seven-year-old sees a two guys bashing each other's skulls in. It's going to stick with him for the next decade of his life. I mean, that, that, you know, some of these people just think so much about themselves in the moment. It's like, come on, you got kids, you got women, you got people sitting around watching this stuff. It's like, come on, man.
00:02:37
Speaker 2: It's a shame too, because this is a really good rivalry. Obviously the Raiders never faithful to the Bay. They left Oakland for LA. Then they came back to Oakland, left for Vegas. The Niners have always been faithful to the Bay, but it does have that feeling.
00:02:49
Speaker 3: Of an old school blue blood type of.
00:02:52
Speaker 2: NFL rivalry and And any time these teams meet, it's intense. These games are really good. That game a couple of years ago on New Year's Day was one of the more entertaining back-and-forth regular season games that you'll see. The game yesterday, I know the Niners ended up pulling away because they forced those five turnovers in the second half, but that was a fun game to watch, and it's ruined by stuff like this. A couple of crazy days consecutively in Santa Clara. You had news choppers in the sky following Drew Rosenhaus and Brandon Ayuk. Then you had snipers on roofs. for the Niners Raiders tailgate.
00:03:23
Speaker 3: Unbelievable. Unbelievable.
00:03:26
Speaker 1: Great win for the Niners, 38-17. Maybe the best NFL game of his career so far in the young career of Jordan Watkins. Four catches, 85 yards and a touchdown. chase. I mean, it's amazing. They've only targeted this kid 13 times. He's got 10 catches. He's been very efficient this year and he's a big play guy and we're talking. And yet I'm reading all the Niner media people on Twitter and the, you know, Hey, they need a receiver. They need a receiver. And if Watkins is going to play that way, if Evans and Debo and stripling are coming back and you got to Marcus Robinson, you got Brandon cooks. Do you really need a receiver? I mean, you can only really dress five receivers on game day.
00:04:13
Speaker 3: I don't know.
00:04:14
Speaker 1: I mean, has receiver been, is it still the primary need or is it not the primary need for the Niners?
00:04:21
Speaker 3: Well, Watkins is explosive.
00:04:23
Speaker 2: And remember during his rookie training camp, he was making plays and in the preseason, he caught that 50-yard bomb on a rope from Mac Jones and he injured his ankle. And then he never fully got the trust of Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy. Mac Jones, for that matter, too, as he came in to replace Purdy as Watkins tried to come back from that high ankle sprain. One of the biggest things that Kyle Shanahan said after the game, we trust Jordan Watkins, and he's been building up that trust. Brock Purdy said, yeah, that trust with Watkins is starting to build. We know that Kyle Shanahan can be very hard on and be very particular with young wide receivers. Dante Pettis was in the doghouse. Brendan Ayuk at one point was in the doghouse, got out of it. Now he's back in it. But the wide receiver position is a very nuanced position for Kyle Shanahan in this offense because of the route tree, the route combination, some of the small things that you need to do outside of running routes, depth of routes, and, of course, blocking. But as Watkins has started to embrace that more, and then he approached Kyle Shanahan early this year, and Shanahan said, you've got to be better on special teams and do some of these little things better, he's turned into a good player. He can track it, 4'3 speed. I think he plays a
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little bit bigger than his size. We saw that against Atlanta. on some of the plays that he did finish and didn't finish, and then that touchdown catch with the DB draped on him on that laser throw from Brock Purdy, as good as it gets. So, yeah, the Niners are going to get back Mike Evans, Debo Samuel, Dajon Strubling. They got back to Marcus Robinson. You have the emergence of Jordan Watkins. I don't think trading for a wide receiver would be bad because it's hard to trust that Debo, injury-prone player and older, Mike Evans, injury-prone player and older, can stay healthy. But I do think wide receiver in the pecking order of biggest needs for a team that is trying to chase the Super Bowl. I think it's number three behind edge rusher and defensive tackle after the Grayson-Halton injury. Shoot, you could say fourth behind corner just because I have so much trust in Kyle Shanahan calling the plays, designing the offense, and with how Brock Purdy is playing right now.
00:06:25
Speaker 1: Cousins threw 32 times and, you know, was only was, was not sacked at all. I mean, the Niners didn't get a single sack on him. They did hit him six times. They pressured him at times. Uh, they sped him up at times, but they didn't sack him. This is two games in a row where they've gotten zero sacks. How much, you know, it sounds like you're, you've got edge rush at the top of the list. Um, is, is the, is, is it, you know, the lack of pass rush? Is that the thing that keeps the Niners from winning the super bowl this year? I mean, What's the bigger need? The interior piece without Halton or the edge piece due to the fact that I think their pressures, they only got three pressures yesterday from defensive ends.
00:07:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the one thing that I'm really worried about is the lack of pass rush because you think about some of the teams that the Niners might have to face in the playoffs. Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson, Abevia Weapons, Jordan Love, Matt LaFleur, And that Packers offense, which has a lot of good receivers, and they might make a trade for a running back. If you can't generate a pass rush on Caleb Williams or Jordan Love, it could be a long day. And that could be the one thing that keeps the Niners from winning a Super Bowl. And then you think of some of the teams that you might face in the Super Bowl on the AFC side.
00:07:47
Speaker 3: Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen.
00:07:50
Speaker 2: If those quarterbacks have all day to survey the field, go through their progressions, and They're not worried about a pass rush getting to them. Just makes them more comfortable, makes them more difficult to stop. Whereas if you have that pass rush, the Niners are already really good against the run. Their linebacking group has significantly improved from last year because Fred Warner, I think, is a defensive player of the year. Dre Greenlaw has been fantastic. Your corner play has been solid. Your safety play has been really good. But it all starts and ends with the pass rush. And what's concerning to me, you couldn't get to Kirk Cousins, who can't move. you generated four pressures on 34 dropbacks against Michael Penix, which was your lowest pressure rate in a game since 2024. So there have been some highs for this Niners pass rush, but they haven't been consistent. And so that's why I'd make a move for a defensive end and or defensive tackle by tomorrow's deadline.
00:08:43
Speaker 1: Who do you think are the best guys out there? And, you know, you, you know, we can all sit there and quote the rumor mill, but you know, the way it goes, it's like a lot of the guys that are rumored to be available, aren't available. Like, Khalil Mack, is he available? I mean, it sounds like the Chargers are telling people, go away. Stop calling us. We don't want to trade. So, yeah, they haven't won a game, but it doesn't mean Khalil Mack, it doesn't mean they have to move Khalil Mack. We've heard Josh Sweat, but he's in the division. You know, you've got to get Manny Austin for it to say, okay, we'll face him twice a year in the NFC West. There's, you know, there's Will McDonald from the Jets who wants out, but, you know, the Jets are saying, yeah, we have no interest in trading him. maybe they'll change their mind in the next 24 hours. But is there a defensive end? I mean, I would say I threw a chop Robinson a few times from Miami, but he's a young defensive end on a young building football team. I don't know that Jeff Halfley's in a rush or John L. Sullivan's in a rush to move chop. So who do you think is out there? Actually, let's just say defensive end defensive tackle. Is there, who's the best they can get?
00:09:50
Speaker 2: If the chargers don't trade Khalil Mack, That's organizational malpractice. They are winless and they are horrible. And he's on an expiring contract. He might retire after the year. Why would you not try to get value back for Khalil Mack, who.
00:10:05
Speaker 3: Is going to be a future Hall of Famer?
00:10:07
Speaker 2: I think it's a veteran type of defensive end that the Niners would target. I think Josh Wett's name can be thrown in there, too. He's been unhappy with Arizona. He went there to follow Jonathan Gannon. Gannon got fired after one year and Joshua had a career year under Gannon, both with the Cardinals last year when he had 12 sacks and then 11 sacks back a couple of years ago when Gannon was the defensive coordinator with the Eagles. So those are two players at defensive end who I think can make some sense. You mentioned Will McDonald. That's a younger player at 27 years old who in two years here is two and three at 10 plus sacks and eight sacks consecutively and has familiarity with Robert Sahl and the Niners are running some similar elements.
00:10:48
Speaker 3: Of that defense.
00:10:49
Speaker 2: At defensive tackle, maybe it's a Grover Stewart type who obviously has a lot of familiarity playing alongside DeForest Buckner. So those are some
players that come to mind for me.
00:10:59
Speaker 1: You cover the Eagles. Howie Roseman, the general manager there, has been very, very active. Today he traded Jordan Davis to the Jaguars. There's a lot of talk that he's willing to trade guys that are free agents. Eagles aren't going anywhere. Lynch and Howie have hooked up on deals in the past. Dieter Kurtenbach suggesting the Niners go all in, you know, at the trade deadline. Could you see a big 49er Eagle swap potentially in the next 24 hours? How do you see what Howie, is Howie done or has he got more moves to make?
00:11:35
Speaker 2: I'd look at the Eagles expiring contracts. Hollywood Brown is a speedster at wide receiver. Dallas Goddard, a really good pass catching tight end who's solid as a blocker. The Niners could use another tight end and a pass catcher there because behind George Kittle, Luke Farrell is more of a blocker and is non-existent in the pass game, although credit to him, he's done a better job here in year two as a Niner compared to last year. You know, I would look at Reek Wolin at corner. I'd look at Landon Dickerson at left guard. Maybe one of the edge rushers who they haven't extended. Jalek Hunt, who's contract extension eligible after this year, and then Nolan Smith, they exercise his fifth-year option. He's leading the team in sacks with five and a half, and If they don't want to sign him to a contract extension or they think about changing to a 4-3 and hiring Jim Schwartz, that buzz has been out there, then Nolan Smith could potentially become expendable. I know Raheem Morris has been running a lot of four-man and five-man fronts. I think Nolan Smith could play in that type of defense, but if the Eagles don't want to pay him, that's a player who I think could really impact this Niners defense in a positive manner. He's that smaller type of edge rusher who's also good against the run, who fits what Raheem Morris likes and looks at.
00:12:44
Speaker 3: At that defensive end spot.
00:12:45
Speaker 2: So those are some names there that I think could be available for the Eagles as they continue to sell. They've lost seven games in a row.
00:12:52
Speaker 1: Are they going to move Jalen Carter? I mean, that would be an all-in move if you could somehow get Jalen Carter. I don't know why the Niners would need Jalen Carter. They have Buckner. They have Oso, Digizua. They've got some other bodies there. But there's a lot of people that believe that the interior player is a lot more valuable in today's NFL than the edge rusher.
00:13:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't think they'll trade Jalen Carter. I think the trade of Jordan Davis signals that they're going to keep Jalen Carter and then pay more of a Jomo the money that they were paying Jordan Davis. I think they really like a Jomo who is one of the more underrated interior defensive linemen in the NFL.
00:13:31
Speaker 1: What was your thoughts on Connor Colby? A lot of people think that Colby is a turnstile, but he gave up three pressures yesterday, but he also earned an 82.7 overall score. grade from pff it was the highest among all offensive linemen in the game on either side he also had an 82.4 run blocking grade across 39 run blocking snaps is connor colby good enough in your opinion or do you think that the 49ers would look to upgrade colby.
00:13:59
Speaker 2: I think as a pass protector, he's been lacking all season. And outside of him, Trent Williams, Jake Brendel, Dominic Pooney, Colton McKivitts have done a really good job in pass pro. I will give credit to Connor Colby for this. Like last year, the Niners really struggled with interior runs. This year, they've run behind Connor Colby a lot. And he's fared very well in the ground game. He's big, he's athletic, has a big, strong frame.
00:14:24
Speaker 3: Long arms.
00:14:24
Speaker 2: So I do think as a run blocker, he's been really good. And then you just hope that he could continue to blossom and get a little bit better in pass protection. And from a cost control and asset standpoint, like as a seventh round pick, you hope that he can develop into a good player because if you get a starter as a seventh rounder is not making a lot of money. We saw how valuable that was with the Niners hitting on Brock Purdy. That's how you can stay a sustainable winner at the NFL level.
00:14:50
Speaker 1: Big headline today. The NFL reinstated Brandon Iuke from the reserve left squad list. The Niners get a three-week roster exemption, giving them until November 23rd to make a roster move. Do you view this? I mean, Shanahan, we asked Shanahan about this during his press conference today. And, you know, I mean, he's just so negative on Iuke. I mean, he wants no part of Iuke. He doesn't want there to be any confusion about it at all. He's like, you know, You know, basically, I'm not interested. I think the way he said it has zero effect on our football team. He's like, it's administrative stuff to me. What you read on IUK, who supposedly still owes the 49ers $ 13 million. How do you think this is going to shake out? Are they going to get their money back? Or do you think they're just going to cut them loose? There's no way they trade him in the next 24 hours, right? There's nobody who wants to trade for Brandon IUK, is there? Give me your take on the news of the day where he's reinstated by the league.
00:15:52
Speaker 2: Well, Kyle's so fed up with Brandon Ayuk, and he said the other day, I could care less. I couldn't care less because Kyle Shanahan doesn't give a damn any longer about Brandon Ayuk, and I would feel that same way. John Lynch went to go check on him, and Ayuk, who seems to be mentally unstable, and I wish him well in that regard, called John Lynch a creep, and then he talked down on Kyle Shanahan, who developed you into being an all-pro player.
00:16:17
Speaker 3: And was a big reason why you got $ 76 million in guaranteed money?
00:16:21
Speaker 2: Bro, you injured your knee. You stopped showing up for
rehab assignments. Would Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey ever do that?
00:16:30
Speaker 3: Of course not. And then IU ghosted the team.
00:16:32
Speaker 2: So you could tell by the players' responses that they're over it as well. And they don't want them in that building. And you can't bring that malcontent around in a season where you've got a lot of great vibes. Christian McCaffrey's speech to The team, after the Raiders win, I thought was pretty telling, too. He's like, dude, we have a lot of people in here who are passionate and who love football. That was not Brandon Aiyuk, clearly, who just decided to up and leave after he got $ 76 million in guaranteed money and then try to play the victim. Anywho, what I think this signals is he's going to play for a team this year. NFL has reinstated him. He passed his physical. Him and Jerozenhaus are doing the legwork to try to get that release in motion. by the Niners so that he can sign with another team and become a free agent. This also tells me either he is going to pay back the $ 13 million that he owes the Niners or.
00:17:25
Speaker 3: They've reached some type of settlement.
00:17:27
Speaker 2: This will lead to and trigger his eventual release and then he could sign with another team. Could that be the Chiefs? That would be fascinating. Andy Reid has always taken chances on guys with character concerns. He signed Mike Vick out of prison with the Philadelphia Eagles back in the day, Kareem Hunt, Tyree Kill, now Justin Tucker. It wouldn't surprise me if they added Brendan Ayuk. They've dealt with Rasheed Rice, and that's pennies compared to Ayuk. And then the Rams, you threw out there on the Krug Show when I was talking to you as another team that they're without Pukunukuwa. They're without Devontae Adams. Both players are on injured reserve. That would certainly spice up this rivalry a bit.
00:18:04
Speaker 1: Last one before we let you go. Appreciate your time. Chase Senior with us on the UMA guest line. It's always great to talk a little football with Chase Senior on KMBR. All right. Niners are the one seed in the NFC. They're 7-1. 3-0 in the division. 4-1 in the conference. They're the one seed. We're taping this before Vikings-Bills, but who do you think wins tonight? Vikings-Bills.
00:18:30
Speaker 3: I like Buffalo.
00:18:32
Speaker 2: Minnesota's offense all year has been horrible, and it's not just sustainable to play that way when in 2026 you're getting carried week in and week out by your defense. Now, I think Brian Flores is a psycho and a mastermind. I say that in the highest compliment possible.
00:18:48
Speaker 3: I think he should get another head coaching job. I really do.
00:18:51
Speaker 2: And he's done a tremendous, tremendous job this year. But Carson Wentz is starting at quarterback. I think Buffalo goes into a difficult place to play, and I think the Bills get the win.
00:19:00
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, I agree with you. Last one on
the NFC. So you got Niners as the one. Minnesota right now is the two. Giants as the leader of their division. They're the three. They're 5-2-1. Carolina's 3-5, but that's the best record in the South. So they're in as the four seed. And right now, if the season ended today, the three NFC wildcards are the Bears at 7-2, the Lions at 6-2, and the Packers all from the NFC North. So that means right at this moment, seattle out defending champions going home rams out cowboys out everybody else with them are out in the nfc um what's the niners you know so that means the niners get the first round by minnesota would take on green bay giants would take on the lions and the panthers would take on the Bears. I, you know, so it sounds like it could be Niners. You know, a lot of people think that the Packers are going to beat the Vikings or that the Lions are going to beat the Giants. So I kind of feel like the Niners first round opponent, if they were maintained, the one seed is likely to be the Packers or the Lions. And then most likely the winner of, you know, probably Bears. Probably Bears coming in for the NFC Championship game. Is there a team that you would want to avoid in the NFC playoffs based on what you've seen thus far?
00:20:26
Speaker 2: Well, if I'm the Niners, I'm trying to do everything in my power to get home field advantage. Because then you've got home field coming through Levi's Stadium. You get that first round by, which this team needs it given all their injuries and their age. I mean, can you imagine being a two seed playing in the wild card round against Chicago, Detroit, or Green Bay in the 2-7 matchup? That would be a really difficult matchup. You get that first round by, you let the chips fall where they may, you let one of those teams or two of those teams potentially lose, and then you're looking at a more favorable matchup in the divisional round. I do think the Giants and the Panthers would lose in the first round, but you just never know once the playoffs come around. But that's why the Niners getting off to the 7-1 start is so huge, because the second-place team in the NFC West might not make it. And the NFC West last year was historic. First time since the merger in 1960 that three teams in one division won 12-plus games. This is actually the best combined record going into Week 9, now Week 10, for any team in any division ever with how the NFC North has been playing because all four teams are in the playoffs as of right now.
00:21:39
Speaker 3: It's crazy.
00:21:40
Speaker 1: Wow. Wow. I mean, it is crazy. Tell people if they never watched you on Chatsports, tell them how they can find you, Chase. You do a lot of great content. Chase covers the Niners start to finish, top to bottom, all the all everything. I mean, you're going in game, you're going pregame, you're going postgame. You're there is nothing the Niners do that you're not commenting on. Tell people where they can find you and how they can find you. Yes.
00:22:04
Speaker 2: So all social media platforms at Chase underscore senior. I'm always tweeting out a bunch of content with my coverage of the Niners. And then on YouTube, it's the 49ers report. We're well over 200,000 subscribers. I do multiple talk shows per day, putting out multiple videos on the channel, whether it be long form shows or YouTube shorts. And then we do watch parties where we go live during Niner games. And for any Niner fans who are going to the Cowboys game on the road, I am going to be at the 49ers rush party at Texas live on Saturday afternoon. John Chapman always does a great job putting those events together. So, I'll be there if anybody is planning on going to that, and I hope to meet some of you.
00:22:46
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's very cool.
00:22:48
Speaker 3: I was hoping you were going to go, Larry.
00:22:50
Speaker 1: Come on now. I know, I know, I know. I was thinking maybe go to Texas A & M, Tennessee, and then it just didn't work out, and all the travel didn't work out. But I am going to go travel at some point, though I'm not sure exactly when, but we are going to be doing that. Chase, you grind, man, and I respect the grind. I really do. Keep it rolling. Thanks for jumping on KMBR. And given the, it can be our audience a little bit of your Niner expertise, man. We always appreciate you.
00:23:17
Speaker 3: Yeah. Always appreciate you having me on chase senior.
00:23:19
Speaker 1: We got more straight ahead on the sports leader.