- 1 week ago
Willard and Dibs react to the 49ers' dominant 27-7 win over the Rams to kick off the 2026 season. What stood out to you?
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00:00Could I just get this off my chest real quick?
00:02Special hello to Colin Cowherd of FS1,
00:06to Bill Plaschke of the LA Times,
00:09and to Jason LaConfora, one of our Odyssey insiders,
00:12who came on this station earlier this week
00:15and made national news by suggesting
00:17that the Niners' ownership problems
00:19could make Kyle Shanahan want to leave.
00:21All the while, Shanahan had already been extended.
00:24Who knew?
00:25So the three of you, I respect all of you.
00:27You guys put out great content.
00:29Take a lap.
00:30Lock and forward with the idea that Shanahan would leave.
00:34Bill Plaschke wrote a big article about five days ago
00:37in the LA Times and wrote,
00:38this is not a hot take.
00:40The Rams are about to go 17-0 and win the Super Bowl.
00:43We'll see.
00:44Let us know when they get to double-digit points, Bill.
00:47And then Colin Cowherd, who all week long,
00:50in the snootiest way possible,
00:53Sean McVay knows what he's doing with this travel schedule.
00:55The Rams are treating this just like another game.
00:58The Niners are treating it like a wedding,
01:00and I think they've overthought themselves.
01:03And here we arrive.
01:05And by the way, today, Colin is out in the streets
01:08talking about how this doesn't mean much
01:10because the Niners always start fast but finish slow.
01:13And I was like, just tell me you've never watched
01:15a Niner season before without telling me
01:18you've never watched a Niner season before.
01:19So we'll get those three things out of the way
01:21and then celebrate what happened last night.
01:24There was a lot of wrong out there for this particular game.
01:28Now we can spend the rest of the time
01:30talking about what was right.
01:31And I guess it's too soon to talk about all the people
01:34who were saying, oh, it's the Rams.
01:36Like, the Rams will win the Super Bowl.
01:37I know they're only 0-1.
01:38They can still go 16-1 and run the table
01:41and win the Super Bowl.
01:42And that's all still out there.
01:44But when you watch yesterday,
01:46and I was thinking about this this morning
01:47when I watched it a second time,
01:49that was about as complete of a game
01:53I can remember where the offense was crisp.
01:56Yeah, they threw a pick.
01:57And they had a couple of drops.
01:58The defense was great.
01:59Yeah, they gave up a couple of big plays.
02:02The special teams was awesome.
02:03I know the kicker missed a kick.
02:05But, like, offense, defense, special teams,
02:08that thing was near perfect.
02:09I can't remember that many plays
02:12that were just awful plays.
02:14I just can't even remember.
02:15I mean, Puka had the big play down the field.
02:18Sure, there was an interception.
02:19I don't really hold it around.
02:21Penny Arrow hits the upright on a 50-something yarder.
02:24No big deal.
02:25That's going to happen.
02:27That's a long kick.
02:28He's been just fantastic.
02:31Like, I could use one hand
02:32and count up the plays
02:34that the Rams would consider great plays,
02:37which I think speaks to your point.
02:39This was so all-around.
02:41Three things that stood out to me.
02:43Three things that really,
02:45when I went to bed last night,
02:46I'm like, I'm going to sleep good.
02:48This was a wonderful, wonderful debut
02:52for Raheem Morris.
02:54The defensive backfield said,
02:57we love what Raheem is bringing.
03:00I'm not going to compare him to Salah
03:02because we watched Salah do a whole year
03:04largely without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner
03:06and Dre Greenlaw, for that matter,
03:08and Osa Odigizua,
03:09so that's not fair.
03:11Raheem Morris starts this year with real players.
03:13But I thought the aggression level
03:16that they brought,
03:17the packages that they brought,
03:19they worked.
03:20They made Matt Stafford uncomfortable.
03:22The Niners had one pick
03:23and almost had a bunch more.
03:24The Rams were not really able
03:26to execute any sort of a downfield offense.
03:29Wonderful debut for Raheem Morris.
03:32Number two,
03:33the players we were worried about
03:35in terms of,
03:36are they fully themselves?
03:38What's the health going to look like?
03:40Nick Bosa looked like Nick Bosa.
03:42George Kittle looked like George Kittle.
03:45Mike Evans looked like Mike Evans.
03:47I thought that was number two.
03:49And then number three to me
03:50was just the backfield.
03:51Oh my goodness,
03:52I'm salivating at the idea
03:54of Christian McCaffrey
03:56not having everything on his back.
03:58Kalon Black finally
03:59being a third round running back draft pick
04:02that's not a bust.
04:03A one-two punch
04:04that gives Shanahan the run game
04:06that he is so used to.
04:08And I think also helps Christian McCaffrey
04:11get through a season healthy.
04:13If that's how that looks all year long,
04:15I think this is going to be really hard
04:18for defenses to deal with.
04:21Those are the,
04:21of all the things,
04:22those are the three
04:23that really jumped to the forefront for me.
04:25Yeah, and for me,
04:26like your second one
04:27is the one that kind of,
04:28you know,
04:28caught me the most,
04:30which is,
04:30you know,
04:31Bosa came back off the ACL
04:32and you mentioned it before.
04:34Play number one,
04:35he gets in there with Keon White
04:37and, you know,
04:37Fred Warner almost gets a pick
04:39because Nick Bosa
04:40snapped one healthy,
04:42gets out there and gets after it.
04:43And George Kittle was not full Kittle.
04:46I think he ended up playing
04:46about 35 or 40% of the snaps,
04:49which is kind of what I expected from him.
04:52But you saw moments
04:53where he was able to catch it and run.
04:55You saw moments
04:56where he was able to get out there and block.
04:58And so the Bosa-Kittle part of it
05:00was remarkable.
05:01And yeah,
05:02George Kittle is about,
05:03I don't even know,
05:04eight months off an Achilles surgery.
05:06Is it even that?
05:07It might be eight.
05:08It's roughly eight.
05:09I think he had it in January.
05:10And so the fact that he's even able to play at all
05:14and, you know,
05:15part of it too,
05:15for me,
05:16my takeaway is like the love of these guys,
05:20like, you know,
05:20Brock Purdy,
05:21he's just,
05:22he's so out of pocket and arrogant
05:25and like dancing on the field.
05:26And then afterward,
05:27it's like,
05:28you know,
05:28I'm just humble
05:29and this is me
05:30and,
05:30you know,
05:31Fred Warner and Nick Bosa
05:33and even like George Kittle,
05:35who is just so hilarious
05:36and all the rest of it,
05:37talking about doing a shoeie
05:38and like,
05:39can somebody get me a beer
05:40like I'm putting a shoe?
05:42Like the likability of this team
05:43is off the charts.
05:44You,
05:44your point to,
05:45I think the thing,
05:46and it felt like the band
05:47was back together.
05:48And I know sometimes people don't like that
05:51because it feels old.
05:53It's like you're sticking with things too long.
05:55And you know what?
05:56That may prove still to be the case.
05:57This is only one football game.
05:59So there's no like,
06:01woohoo,
06:01the Niners are going to the Super Bowl for me.
06:04I just thought last night
06:05was a wonderful,
06:07wonderful night.
06:07And I think what you're talking about
06:09is important in this particular matchup.
06:12The 49ers group
06:14is a well-oiled machine.
06:17They know each other so well.
06:19It's a unified front.
06:21There are additions.
06:22Mike Evans is new.
06:23We didn't know that they'd have
06:24that much chemistry.
06:25They did.
06:26Osa is new.
06:27There are other new pieces
06:28to this puzzle for sure.
06:30But largely,
06:31this is a group
06:32that really understands each other
06:34and they know
06:35what their assignment is
06:36every single night
06:37when they go out there
06:38when they're healthy.
06:39That's something
06:40to always keep in mind
06:41when you're talking about,
06:43ooh,
06:43the Rams got this guy
06:45and they got this guy
06:46and they got McDuffie
06:47and they got Garrett
06:48and they got eh
06:49and they,
06:49and then they bring
06:50all of this stuff together
06:52and they go,
06:52ooh,
06:54my NFL 2K Madden game
06:57is going to be lit.
06:59And it's like,
07:00you need a minute.
07:02Sometimes,
07:02you need a minute
07:04for this to all come together.
07:05Don't get me wrong,
07:06Rams are going to be a factor
07:08this year in the NFL.
07:09It's a good football team
07:10that don't have Aaron Donald yet.
07:11Miles Garrett did not look
07:12like he was himself.
07:14Who knows about the jet lag
07:16of it all?
07:16I have no idea.
07:18So,
07:20that could still
07:21all come together
07:21and the Rams could absolutely
07:23still win
07:23the whole thing.
07:25But,
07:25when you
07:26piece stuff together
07:28and win the offseason,
07:30to me,
07:31it often takes a minute.
07:33And,
07:33we forget that,
07:34I think,
07:35sometimes.
07:35We forget that
07:36when there's new people,
07:37they need to gel.
07:38And the Niners last night
07:39looked like a unit
07:40that had been gelled
07:41for five years already.
07:42And it isn't hard to gel
07:44when you have a guy
07:44like Mike Evans
07:45who is,
07:46you know,
07:46going to the Hall of Fame
07:47and I just was looking
07:49at my notes
07:49and as you know,
07:50I watch it twice
07:51and I do my copious notes
07:53and according to my notes,
07:55all six of his catches
07:57were either first down
07:59or touchdown.
08:00Yep.
08:00And I think about the touchdown
08:01where Brock gets the ball
08:03and Evans has one-on-one coverage
08:05and it's just,
08:06I'm just going to throw it
08:07over there wherever.
08:08I don't even really care.
08:10Like,
08:10I'm just going to throw it
08:11and Mike is able to
08:12hand fight,
08:14win the one-on-one battle
08:15and go up and catch it.
08:16And that's something that,
08:17you know,
08:17Jawan Jennings is so good
08:19at that,
08:19but having that
08:20in the red zone
08:21and having that everywhere,
08:23it may be have
08:24kind of like
08:24Shaquille O'Neal vibes
08:26where,
08:27you know,
08:27you give the ball
08:27to Shaq
08:28and if they don't
08:29hack a Shaq,
08:30he's going to do
08:31two dribbles
08:31and he's going to
08:32dunk on someone.
08:33That's kind of what
08:34Mike Evans was yesterday.
08:35We want to hear
08:36from all of you.
08:36888-957-9570.
08:39What if we do,
08:40okay,
08:41here's the question
08:41to play with.
08:43What about now?
08:46I just like,
08:47what about now?
08:48Super Bowl or bust?
08:49Well,
08:49no,
08:49I like,
08:50you can take that.
08:52I'm not going to do that.
08:53That's it.
08:54I just did.
08:55And that's fine.
08:55That's good.
08:56Yeah.
08:57Where does,
08:57where does your mind go now?
09:00Now,
09:01now that we watched
09:01one game,
09:03one performance,
09:04but up against
09:05a very high class opponent.
09:07Yes,
09:08there's some nuance to this.
09:09They flew across the world.
09:11I have no idea
09:12how that affected these teams.
09:14I know it's popular today
09:15to just be like,
09:16well,
09:16McVay screwed that up.
09:17I don't know.
09:19Maybe the Niners
09:19are better than the Rams.
09:21Maybe they're way better
09:22than the Rams.
09:22Maybe this was more
09:24of a game plan thing.
09:26You know,
09:27when I look at this
09:28through the years,
09:29I know which coach
09:30I would want.
09:31That's just me.
09:33They're both very good.
09:35I like,
09:36we need more data
09:37to know exactly
09:38what led to last night,
09:39but where does your head go
09:41now that you've watched one?
09:43What about now?
09:44Everyone's opinion
09:45has to be different
09:46on some level
09:47than what it was
09:48before the game started,
09:48I would think.
09:49Probably.
09:50Let's go to Jonathan
09:51in the city.
09:52Hi, Jonathan.
09:52Thanks for calling.
09:53What's up?
09:55Hey,
09:56good afternoon, boys.
09:57How about that win?
09:58That was a good day, Mike.
10:00I can't believe what I saw,
10:02but I kind of predicted it
10:03because,
10:03yeah,
10:05hey,
10:06calling coward,
10:08you slash jet lag
10:09is real.
10:11I mean,
10:11you can't get around
10:12a jet lag.
10:13I've been traveling
10:13since there are,
10:15you know,
10:15people are allowed
10:16to smoke behind
10:16in the airplane.
10:18But yeah,
10:19jet lag is a real thing.
10:20You can't get around that.
10:21You need a few days
10:22to sleep
10:22and not part of the world
10:24to get acclimated.
10:25Well,
10:26anyway,
10:27I just want to
10:28give a bunch of applause
10:29to all players
10:31and coaches.
10:32What a terrific game plan.
10:34I love the variation
10:36and the usage
10:37of the entire roster
10:39on both sides of the ball.
10:41What a homecoming
10:42from Debo.
10:43You know,
10:43I've been very critical
10:45of Debo
10:45because he wasn't good,
10:47you know,
10:47his last time here,
10:48his last year with us.
10:50But wow,
10:51he's back to his old self.
10:52He looks like he's happy
10:54and in his best shape ever.
10:57Comeback players
10:59like Boda.
11:00What a way
11:01to set the edge
11:02on defense.
11:03Fred Warner.
11:04Wow.
11:05It's like he's never
11:06gotten injured.
11:07Also,
11:08you know,
11:09Greenlaw,
11:11his first game back
11:12wasn't really
11:13that flashy,
11:14but he helped,
11:15you know,
11:16held that guy
11:17so that Fred
11:18could punch out
11:19that ball.
11:20I love,
11:21you know,
11:22the five-man front
11:24on defense.
11:25You know,
11:26that blitz
11:27on the third
11:28and 13
11:28for the Rams.
11:30Optum Stout
11:30came in free,
11:31hit Matt Stafford
11:33and resulted
11:34in INT.
11:36Halton,
11:37wow,
11:37just what we did,
11:39man.
11:40A D-tackle,
11:41an impenetrable force,
11:43an immovable object
11:45in the middle,
11:46stuffing that,
11:47you know,
11:49that fourth and goal
11:51for the Rams.
11:52I know it's just one game,
11:53a lot of callers
11:55were calling,
11:55you know,
11:56slow your roll.
11:58Yeah,
11:58dude,
11:58we all know
11:59this is one game,
12:00it's the first game
12:01of the year.
12:01Yeah,
12:02no,
12:02you're not gonna,
12:03you're not gonna take
12:04the excitement down at all.
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