As August becomes September, that familiar feeling has arrived.
Schools have gone back, sunsets are getting earlier and earlier, and your peers are clinging onto the last throes of summer.
For most people, this is not a great time of year.
But for NFL fans, it is the best time of year.
The offseason void
Immediately after the Super Bowl, Sunday evenings feel empty. You are suddenly able to make plans – that time period from 6pm to bed time is no longer block-booked. A void is created.
Free agency and the draft fill that void for a short while. Then training camp and preseason games act as mere milestones to tick off as the main event nears.
That main event is now here, and the best Sunday of the year is forthcoming. Regular season Week 1. All 32 teams have an equal record, and fans of most teams have an equal amount of misplaced optimism.
As of Sunday, speculation and hearsay will be replaced by meaningful action. I will be able to write about consequential 49ers matches, rather than trying to make sense of conflicting training camp reports from various sources. I cannot wait.
My own optimism levels
But what of the 49ers’ prospects in 2025? On the HuddleUK podcast back in March, I was unsure to say the least.
The offseason had not got off to a good start. A poor free agency was followed by a far better draft and in April, I wrote about growing optimism levels.
As usual, that optimism has reached a peak as the season rolls around. The 49ers’ schedule is massively in their favour. Robert Saleh’s return as Defensive Coordinator should significantly improve the defense.
In addition, this offseason feels like the first in almost a decade without a soap opera contract situation – Brandon Aiyuk being last year’s vintage. The vibes are pretty good.
Ones to watch
You do not need to be told that Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa et al are important to the 49ers.
Instead, I will highlight some under-the-radar players who could be huge for the Niners in 2025 – and might need to be if they are to have success.
- Ricky Pearsall: Brandon Aiyuk is injured and Jauan Jennings’ situation still a little uncertain. So, the 49ers’ first-round pick in 2024 needs to hit the ground running. I can see him having a great season.
- Upton Stout: Reports have been glowing regarding the third-round pick from Western Kentucky. He is set to start at nickel cornerback and will play a key role in Saleh’s defense.
- Dee Winters: Dre Greenlaw departed for the Broncos, so it looks like Winters will be Fred Warner’s new running mate at linebacker. If Winters improves as much as Warner thinks he can, the 49ers should be okay.
- Jake Moody: This one is a tad more obvious. Moody won the kicking competition in training camp, but it was hardly convincing. If Moody does not perform well out of the gate, expect him to be cut.
As much as anything, how great is it to have the NFL Sundays back?
No doubt the next 18 weeks will fly by and those non-Red Zone Sundays will soon be back.
