around the NFC West (thread starts 8/24)

[zn]

from The Athletic, What we learned from NFL preseason games: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7531068/2026/08/24/nfl-preseason-takeaways-geno-smith-dashaun-watson/?source=athletic_targeted_email&source=athletic_targeted_email&campaign=18078211&userId=603890

NFC West

Cardinals: While most starters rested, backup QB Gardner Minshew mostly fared well, completing 19 of 23 passes for 177 yards. But the Cardinals committed eight penalties, two of which took touchdowns off the board. It was, first-year coach Mike LaFleur told reporters, the culmination of “a sloppy week of practice.”

Rams: Stetson Bennett played loose and confident in a blowout win over the Saints, finishing 19-of-31 for 181 yards with no turnovers and a quarterback rating of 77.5. The passing numbers were more safe than prolific, but this was the statement Bennett needed to make in a backup QB race that had felt like it was shifting before this game. Ty Simpson, the No. 13 pick in April’s draft, had the big performance in last week’s preseason game. Then the Rams began splitting the No. 2 reps in practice, with Bennett losing the efficiency and touch on the deep ball he had previously shown. Both areas looked improved against the Saints.

49ers: Jacob Cowing might be the team’s fastest player, and he showed it on an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown that triggered an eruption of joy from the 49ers’ sideline in a win over the Chargers. QB Brock Purdy, receiver Deebo Samuel and a chunk of the offensive starters played one series, and five rookies were featured in starting roles: receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, running back Kaelon Black, guard Carver Willis, defensive end Romello Height and linebacker Jaden Dugger. Stribling finished with four catches for 46 yards on the first two series before being removed. The 49ers got more good news on Sunday when they activated tight end George Kittle from the physically unable to perform list, increasing his chances of playing in Week 1. Running back Christian McCaffrey, who had missed time with “tightness,” was also in uniform on Sunday.

Seahawks: Seattle’s backup offensive unit raced to a two-touchdown lead over the Titans, with Drew Lock finding second-year tight end Elijah Arroyo for a 36-yard touchdown pass and second-year back Jacardia Wright breaking a 69-yard touchdown run. Lock played well, completing 12 of 14 passes for 103 yards. But just days after they lost receiver Jake Bobo to a season-ending knee injury, the Seahawks saw rookie safety Bud Clark get carted off with a broken ankle that will sideline him for multiple months.

[wv]

I see Shanahan plays his starters in the preseason:

Regarding preseason game 2: “Not all of them, but I expect a number of starters to play, unlike last week,” Kyle Shanahan said. “I haven’t told them yet, but they’ll find out soon, but yeah, you guys will see a number out there.”

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[wv]

49ers Owner was arrested and plead no-contest to something or other involving ‘criminal tools’ and prostitution. You can google it.

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[zn]

wv wrote:

49ers Owner was arrested and plead no-contest to something or other involving ‘criminal tools’ and prostitution

What did Jed York do? Police allege 49ers owner tried to pay $140 for sex

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/49ers/2026/08/24/jed-york-san-francisco-49ers-owner-arrest-prostitution-sex/91446242007/

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York allegedly “arranged to have sexual activity” with a woman “in exchange for $140” after responding to an ad placed by an officer on a known prostitution website, according to Ohio court records.

York was arrested Sunday morning in East Palestine, Ohio, and later reached a plea deal, reducing the charge of “engaging in prostitution” to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct. He also pleaded no contest to an additional misdemeanor charge of possessing criminal tools.

Columbiana County (Ohio) court records state that York responded to the posting of an agent of the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, which worked in conjunction with East Palestine police on the operation.

Upon meeting at the agreed-upon location Sunday morning, York was arrested and the cell phone allegedly used to coordinate the meeting was seized.

Jed York discipline

York was sentenced to one day in jail on each charge, with both to run concurrently and one day counting as time served. He agreed to pay two fines totaling $1,150 as part of the agreement. The $160 seized on the scene was to be relinquished to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, while York’s cell phone was to be returned to him.

The NFL confirmed that York could be subject to potential discipline, writing in a statement later Monday, “We are aware of the matter which will be reviewed under the personal conduct policy.”

Said the 49ers in a statement: “As this is a legal matter, which has been resolved, we will not be providing any further comment at this time.”

According to Santa Clara County (Calif.) Superior Court documents, York in May filed to divorce his wife, Danielle York, to whom he had been married since 2011.

Request to seal records denied

York requested that the records surrounding the case be sealed. The court filing said “the Defendant’s interest in having the official records pertaining to the cases sealed outweighs any legitimate need of the government to maintain those records.”

[wv]

Will Kittle miss week one in Australia ?

[Zooey]

wv wrote:

49ers Owner was arrested and plead no-contest to something or other involving ‘criminal tools’ and prostitution. You can google it.

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The “criminal tools” is the only point of interest in this story for me, and this is all I have found so far (The Athletic):

Cleveland-based attorney Marisa Darden described “criminal tools” as a “fairly nebulous, broad statute” that criminalizes possession of any instrument, substance, device or article designed or adapted for criminal use. She said she has rarely seen it used in situations relating to prostitution and suggested that, in this case, it could have related to the use of an electronic device or a response to an online advertisement. “But that would be a little bit of an aggressive charging posture,” she added.

[zn]

Zooey wrote:

Cleveland-based attorney Marisa Darden described “criminal tools” as a “fairly nebulous, broad statute” that criminalizes possession of any instrument, substance, device or article designed or adapted for criminal use. She said she has rarely seen it used in situations relating to prostitution and suggested that, in this case, it could have related to the use of an electronic device or a response to an online advertisement. “But that would be a little bit of an aggressive charging posture,” she added.

Some reports I read said it was his cell phone. He used that to phone the entrapment police person pretending to be a prostitute. Nothing was said legally about the overuse of an alliterative “p” sound.

[wv]

Zooey wrote:

<
The “criminal tools” is the only point of interest in this story for me, and this is all I have found so far (The Athletic):

I have never even heard of a ‘criminal tool’ statute. If the A.I. thingy below is correct then i suppose a plastic baggie could be a criminal tool. Or a condom. Or a bazooka.

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———————-
A.I.
Legal Elements of the Charge
To be convicted of possessing criminal tools under laws like Ohio’s criminal code, prosecutors generally must prove three things:

You had a substance, device, instrument, or article in your possession or control.

The item was either designed for criminal use or commonly used for criminal purposes under suspicious circumstances.

You held the item with the specific intent (purpose) to use it to commit a crime

[zn]

49ers’ offseason from hell somehow keeps getting worse

Michael Duarte

https://nypost.com/2026/08/25/sports/49ers-nightmare-offseason-jed-york-arrest-shanahan-crash-injury/

There are bad offseasons. There are even dysfunctional ones. Then there’s whatever the hell is happening to the San Francisco 49ers.

Ever since George Kittle tore his Achilles tendon in the NFL Wild Card playoffs things have been heading downhill for the 49ers. Their season ended a week later with the indignity of a 41-6 loss to the division-rival Seattle Seahawks.

And yet somehow, that miserable ending now looks like a warning of the things that followed.

On Monday, the news broke that San Francisco’s principal owner Jed York had been arrested in an Ohio-based prostitution sting.

It was the cherry on top of a string of offseason crises and controversies surrounding San Francisco, prompting the question: is this the most tumultuous and turbulent offseason in NFL history?

The NFL has produced plenty of infamous offseasons. What makes this one remarkable is the sheer variety.

The 49ers aren’t just dealing with one controversy, they’re collecting them the way Thanos collected Infinity Stones.

So, let’s examine this very long list of controversies:

Jed York’s arrest turns embarrassment into crisis

Nothing else belongs at the top of this list.

Principal owner and CEO Jed York was arrested Sunday morning in Ohio after authorities said he arranged to pay $160 for sex while communicating with an online advertisement placed as part of a prostitution sting.

York initially faced charges of engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools before pleading no contest Monday to a reduced disorderly conduct charge. He received one day in jail, credited for time served, and $1,150 in fines.

The 49ers said the legal matter had been resolved and declined further comment. The NFL said it is aware of the situation and will review it under its personal conduct policy.

For most franchises, an owner’s arrest would consume an offseason.

For the 49ers, it merely became Monday’s addition to the pile.

Kyle Shanahan’s frightening car crash

Before York’s arrest, Kyle Shanahan had already supplied the offseason’s most frightening story.

The 49ers coach was involved in a head-on collision in Palo Alto on July 14 that left him with broken ribs, a broken nose, broken hand, concussion and a facial wound requiring 40 stitches that nearly cost him his right eye.

After a state database error incorrectly blamed the other driver, a 21-year-old woman, Shanahan later accepted responsibility, saying he dropped his phone inside his Tesla, looked down for roughly two seconds and collided with a Mercedes.

The violent crash could have been far worse, and after missing the start of training camp, Shanahan eventually returned to his normal coaching duties.

But the offseason never returned to normal.

The electrical substation conspiracy gets another chapter

A viral conspiracy theory has blamed an electrical substation near the 49ers’ Santa Clara training facility for the organization’s extraordinary injury history, alleging electromagnetic fields could be weakening players’ tendons and ligaments.

Scientists have strongly disputed the theory.

That should have killed it.

Instead, the 49ers have suffered so many significant injuries that general manager John Lynch acknowledged the organization would investigate essentially everything affecting player health, including the substation claims.

When your offseason includes your GM addressing whether the local electrical grid is destroying Achilles tendons, things have taken a strange turn.

Brandon Aiyuk burns the bridge behind him

Former San Francisco wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk decided to take a blowtorch to his deteriorating relationship with the 49ers.

Aiyuk’s four-year, $120 million extension in 2024 was supposed to end the drama. Instead, it became just the beginning.

After injuries, missed rehabilitation sessions, voided guarantees, disappearing communication and his placement on the reserve/left team list, Aiyuk spent this offseason publicly ripping the organization on a daily basis and pushing for an exit.

Eventually, Lynch acknowledged the obvious: Aiyuk had played his final snap as a 49er.

San Francisco responded by signing longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Evans.

The receivers start dropping, so Deebo Sameul comes home

Christian Kirk has battled a calf injury since July 26. Ricky Pearsall’s right knee injury landed him on injured reserve and ended his season before it began. De’Zhaun Stribling has dealt with shoulder and hamstring issues.

So the 49ers turned backward to move forward, bringing Deebo Samuel back on a one-year deal.

After all the roster construction and attempts to remake the receiving corps, San Francisco found itself calling one of Shanahan’s old security blankets because the depth chart was being devoured again.

Samuel knows the offense and gives Shanahan another versatile weapon.

More importantly, he was healthy enough to answer the phone.

McCaffrey and Bosa keep the anxiety alive

Christian McCaffrey missed nearly two weeks of practice with muscle tightness, creating speculation about both his health and contract.

McCaffrey dismissed the chatter after returning, describing his absence as planned load management designed to have him ready for the regular season.

Bosa has also dealt with tendinitis and soreness in his surgically repaired right knee while returning from the torn ACL that wrecked his 2025 season. San Francisco remains optimistic he’ll be ready for the Sept. 10 opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne.

For the 49ers, optimism might be the only healthy thing left.

The aforementioned list is just a handful of the offseason storylines surrounding San Francisco. Despite them all, the team still looks really good on paper and Shanahan remains one of the NFL’s brightest offensive minds.

The question isn’t whether the 49ers possess enough talent to reach the playoffs, it’s whether all of the chaos and controversies off the field derail everything come Sundays.

York’s arrest doesn’t change a blocking assignment. Shanahan’s car crash doesn’t change Purdy’s progressions. Internet theories don’t change red zone scoring percentages.

But distractions, injuries, and uncertainty all accumulate.

At some point, a football organization can spend so much time putting out fires that it becomes difficult to navigate the season through the smoke.

Maybe by January all this is forgotten. The stars get healthy and Shanahan guides them to another deep playoff run.

Or maybe the entire offseason has been a foreshadowing of what’s to come

[Zooey]

zn wrote:

The aforementioned list is just a handful of the offseason storylines surrounding San Francisco.

No, it isn’t. It’s the entire goddam list. And while it’s an impressive string of headlines, the only thing in there that really matters is that Pearsall is out for the season. This writer is… uh… overly dramatic.

[Zooey]

Zooey wrote:

No, it isn’t. It’s the entire goddam list. And while it’s an impressive string of headlines, the only thing in there that really matters is that Pearsall is out for the season. This writer is… uh… overly dramatic.

And btw, Ricky Pearsall, in 20 career games, has a total of 928 yards and 3 TDs. Those are his career numbers. They’ve been competitive without him.

The sky is not falling in SF.

[zn]

Zooey wrote:

The sky is not falling in SF.

Well, based on the little bits that we know now, how do you rate the 3 big NFC West teams in comparison to each other? The Rams, the Searocks, and the SF Substationers? I’m honestly asking.

…

[Zooey]

zn wrote:

Well, based on the little bits that we know now, how do you rate the 3 big NFC West teams in comparison to each other? The Rams, the Searocks, and the SF Substationers? I’m honestly asking.

…

Rams: +100
Seahawks: +205
49ers: +305
Cardinals: +10000

This seems right to me. I don’t hold any unconventional views, I’m afraid.

I think that the Rams and Seahawks were even last year. During the offseason, the Seahawks maintained their core, and stay about the same. Maybe a slight tick back with the loss of Walker. The Rams, meanwhile, got appreciably better in their weak spots: CB and ST.

The 9ers have Warner and Bosa returning, and added Evans.

All 3 teams have concerns: The Rams have questions about OL and WR depth. I think they’re okay there, but compared to every other position (except QB), they haven’t proven themselves. They also have the most brutal schedule I’ve ever seen, considering strength of schedule, kickoff times, and travel mileage. And if Stafford and/or Nacua miss time, they’re going to take on water. I’ve been thinking, though, that the Rams’ Defense could end up being the story of the season anyway. This defense looks like they could etch their legacy next to the all-time great defenses, so a dip in offensive production just might not matter. The Rams are better (on paper) than they were last year, and may be the best Rams team we’ve ever seen, and potentially one of the all-time great teams if health allows them to play it through.

The Seahawks have the post-SB letdown to deal with, and I think that’s a real thing. Maybe McDonald can coach them through that, and maybe the fact that the Rams are getting 90% of the media attention will keep them mentally razor sharp. I think Sam Darnold is “real,” but I think they’ll miss Walker. I think they took slight downgrades at RB, OLB, and S, and did not upgrade anywhere. I think they’re basically the same team. They took some steps back, but not the kind of dropoff that can’t be recovered through development of younger players assuming more responsibility.

The 49ers main concern is the substation, obviously. Bosa, McCaffrey, and Kittle have had compound injuries, and they’re getting up there in age. Trent Williams enters the season at 38. Evans is past his prime. This is a talented, but older team. Shanahan may be the best coach in the league, though. He’s a guy that makes Kendrick Bourne look like an All-Pro. He’s 11-7 against McVay, btw. And he won some of those games when the 9ers were reeling with injuries. Their secondary is below average, and their DL isn’t good enough to negate that weakness (though it’s good). With that problem, and the likelihood that McCaffrey and/or Kittle blows out a tire…I think they fall short. I expect them to make the playoffs, though, and I don’t like playing them Week One in Australia.

What do you think?

[zn]

Zooey wrote:

What do you think?

I don’t think I have a real good handle on writing team v. team comparisons.

So I am just going to crow about the Rams team-building over the last few years. This was posted somewhere else a few days ago but it didn’t go anywhere so now I put it here.

The other day I was posting some media buzz about Josiah Stewart, who has impressed people in camp and then didn’t play in the PS games cause I guess he’s already elevated on the Rams roster. Then I posted a bit about Kobie Turner being a great pass rusher.

You know the feeling. I mean…this is ridiculous.

Think of the sad, empty days from 2000 through to probably 2017 when Rams drafting was sometimes downright awful though mostly was just mediocre. Name another team that completely wasted 2 #2 picks in the 1st round in the space of 5 years on complete busts at left tackle–-Jason Smith and Greg Robinson. (And even saying that much leaves out the bottomless abyss of despair that were the Rams drafts from 1989 to 1997.)

Actually the McVay/Snead regime was pretty much okay but not stellar from 2017-2023. Then, somehow, in 2023, they found their wings.

Plus this is the only team I can think of that had 2 blockbuster trades in one off-season–McDuffie and Garrett. It’s as if the 99 Rams traded for Faulk and then soon after that traded for Deion Sanders. And this regime can afford those big trades because their lower round drafting (plus UDFAs) are so good right now.

It’s like Rams fans overpaid for a house that needed some fixing up, and when they moved in, more and more went wrong (“now it’s the roof!”)…then one day while digging in the weed-choked yard to start a garden, find buried treasure.

Now of course I am just talking about personnel acquisitions. They haven’t won anything yet. And I always remember the 2007 Patz, who went 18-0 through the playoffs and then lost the super bowl. Results are finicky. Luck is part of that.

But…the Rams do have themselves some players.

…

[wv]

“…Think of the sad, empty days from 2000 through to probably 2017 when Rams drafting was sometimes downright awful though mostly was just mediocre. Name another team that completely wasted 2 #2 picks in the 1st round in the space of 5 years on complete busts…”

Has McSnead ever had a Below-Average personnel-year ? By personnel-year i mean Draft + Trades + Free-Agency.

Have they ever had a lousy off-season ?

I keep waiting for them to have a truly miserable draft, but it aint happened. So often in the past i remember this or that GM being anointed a ‘genius’ and then they invariably had a terrible personnel-year. Maybe this is that year for Snead — maybe Myles Garrett is a bum. Maybe he’s one of them 9-year-wonders.

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[zn]

wv wrote:

Has McSnead ever had a Below-Average personnel-year ? By personnel-year i mean Draft + Trades + Free-Agency.

Yes. Not freaking awful, ie. not Lawrence Phillips awful, but below average. But mostly it was the drafting. Up to 2023 there were below average years.

Like 2020

2 Cam Akers
2 Van Jefferson
3 Terrell Lewis
3 Terrell Burges
4 Brycen Hopkins
6 Jordan Fuller
7 Clay Johnston
7 Sam Sloman
7 Tremayne Anchru

But that was mostly the draft. Free agency was good in 2020.

In 2022, in FA they signed Allen Robinson and re-signed Joe Noteboom (though they also signed Bobby Wagner). But then in the draft that year they got K.Wms and Lake.

…

[Zooey]

zn wrote:

Now of course I am just talking about personnel acquisitions. They haven’t won anything yet. And I always remember the 2007 Patz, who went 18-0 through the playoffs and then lost the super bowl. Results are finicky. Luck is part of that.

But…the Rams do have themselves some players.

Yeah, given the Rams’ superiority on paper – and it’s analyst-wide, media-wide – there is still only about a 15% chance of them winning the Super Bowl, historically.

But this team is Loaded.

Some people point at the LBs as being underwhelming, but the Rams use LBs differently from the way they were used most of our lives. I don’t know what that is, exactly, but they have LBs who do their assignments, and Landman had a really, really good year last year. And their OLB/Edge guys are ferocious. Their secondary is packed with All-Pros and borderline All-Pros. Stafford is among the very best players ever. They are leaking TEs like an overfilled bucket of sand jogging down the street, and their OL starters are ranked, like, 3rd in the league. Williams and Corum are strong enough to make both the running game and passing game deadly, and while neither is elite, they are both good enough to be a feature back in the NFL. Devante Adams is HOF-worthy, and is still productive, leading the league with 14 TDs last year, while 4 guys were tied for 2nd with 11. And Puka is possibly the most ridiculously good WR I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of great WRs. Then they’ve got McVay. And the culture he’s built. And continuity at DC.

I have entered the season optimistic about the Rams many times, but this is a higher level. It’s hard to believe the two, long periods of futility the Rams went through. We are observing the pinnacle of Rams history right now. So they had better fucking win it all this year.

[zn]

99 was different. In hindsight you could see where it came from, but at the moment, when the season started, people were thinking they would be lucky to have a winning record.

And then it became a season that at the end had 2, not 1 but 2, “The Catches” (Proehl and Bruce).

This is different from that. If they don’t make it, it will be like “yeah, figures”—because it won’t be the team being a paper tiger, it will be some kind of bad luck or unexpected obstacle. If they do make it, it will actually be a huge feeling of relief.

But then we haven’t seen them play. Maybe they really are a juggernaut.

[wv]

In 99 they had the historically-easy schedule. It was even easier than the Pats schedule last year.

If they were to win it this year, they would be overcoming a historically-hard schedule. At least on paper, as of right now, its an ungodly schedule.

Hopefully, there will be some plane crashes, tsunamis, and maybe spontaneous combustions that work down the opposition.

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[Zooey]

It’s even different from 2000 and 2001 when we were thinking they might do a mini-dynasty, but we knew they had some holes. Then, turned out, they drafted badly, and had injuries, and that was that.

This team has looked like the team to beat since the McDuffie trade. The Watson signing and the Garrett trade just put a cherry on top.

And Aaron Donald is coming back, too, so there’s that.

[wv]

Zooey wrote:

This team has looked like the team to beat since the McDuffie trade. The Watson signing and the Garrett trade just put a cherry on top.

And Aaron Donald is coming back, too, so there’s that.

I still think its 50/50 whether he actually comes back. I also think its 50/50 whether he is still a game-wrecker even if he does come back. I also think its 50/50 whether he can ‘hold up’ over the course of a season, even if he is still a game-wrecker.

Having said that. IF he is still A.D. And if Myles is still Myles. And if Young and Turner enter their prime. And if Poona is still a run-stuffing-machine. And if Fiske is in the rotation. …well…Am i just a crazy-ram-homer, or could that be the best DLine in NFL history? Thats gotta be crazy, right?

We aint allowed to have that.

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[zn]

Receiver has come up before.

We’re used to the McV Rams have a bunch of “not really quite a full-fledged #3” type receivers who can contribute, almost in the background. Right now I would say the bunch they have is about as good as any bunch they’ve had before that fit that description.

Notice that Mumpfield and Whittington are being held out of PS games. So in the list I put them in red. That means that 4 are competing for at best 2 spots, and maybe the practice squad.

Daniels
Edwards
Mumpfield
Presley
Smith
Whittington

***

[Zooey]

wv wrote:

Having said that. IF he is still A.D. And if Myles is still Myles. And if Young and Turner enter their prime. And if Poona is still a run-stuffing-machine. And if Fiske is in the rotation. …well…Am i just a crazy-ram-homer, or could that be the best DLine in NFL history? Thats gotta be crazy, right?

Interesting that you left out Stewart and Bailey. Seems like you’re trying to minimize the quality of the DLine.

[Zooey]

zn wrote:

Daniels
Edwards
Mumpfield
Presley
Smith
Whittington

I have seen nothing that suggests Smith’s job as returner is an open competition.

They have to keep Edwards. A guy who wins contested catches has a job. It doesn’t matter if he can’t always separate if he catches the ball anyway. Sometimes you need 6 yards.

[zn]

Zooey wrote:

They have to keep Edwards. A guy who wins contested catches has a job. It doesn’t matter if he can’t always separate if he catches the ball anyway. Sometimes you need 6 yards.

We know they already have 4. Nakua, Adams, Mumpfield, Whittington. They won’t keep more than 6 I think (we’ll see).

My bet is that Daniels won’t make the practice squad. Edwards could make the practice squad.

They do seem to be going out of their way to giving Smith a 2nd chance after he cost them a super bowl. Plus he may be the only one out of all of them who has some speed.

[Zooey]

zn wrote:

Zooey wrote:

They have to keep Edwards. A guy who wins contested catches has a job. It doesn’t matter if he can’t always separate if he catches the ball anyway. Sometimes you need 6 yards.

We know they already have 4. Nakua, Adams, Mumpfield, Whittington. They won’t keep more than 6 I think (we’ll see).

My bet is that Daniels won’t make the practice squad. Edwards could make the practice squad.

They do seem to be going out of their way to giving Smith a 2nd chance after he cost them a super bowl. Plus he may be the only one out of all of them who has some speed.

I meant Daniels. Not Edwards. No idea how I mixed those two guys up. Daniels is the guy to keep. Edwards is expendable.

[Author]

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