Deuce: Playing the 'What If?' Game
By Deuce Mason
Before you read ahead, press play on the Coldplay song. I think it'll set the mood:
What if Kaepernick struggles in 2015?
49ers head coach Jim Tomsula said that he's a believer in backup QB Blaine Gabbert, and he called him a "beautiful piece." It does make you wonder if Kaepernick could lose his job if the 49ers get off to a slow start.
Yes, I'm probably a little nuts but I think there's a ton of pressure on Kaepernick to have a big year. The offensive line isn't good which is definitely a concern but the 49ers are counting on Kaepernick's offseason work with Kurt Warner to payoff in a big way.
Gabbert had a very solid preseason BUT it's preseason.
SacBee's 49ers insider Matt Barrows told us on Wednesday that if the team is struggling because of Kaepernick, they could throw Gabbert in there.
Listen to our conversation about the 49ers and our entire show here.
What if the Giants were healthy?
This has been a really frustrating year for the Giants. If they were healthy, this team would've won the NL West.
I was never convinced that they had the rotation to make a deep run but they just needed to get in.
Think about how brutal that August schedule was and how they had to play it shorthanded. Joe Panik played ONE game in August. Hunter Pence played in 16 games in August. Brandon Crawford missed six games in that month.
That was a devastating blow to one of the best lineups in the National League. It does make me believe in the whole odd-year curse. San Francisco will have a ton of money to spend over the offseason and upgrading the rotation should be priority number one.
There's definitely reasons to be optimistic about next season. The emergence of Matt Duffy was huge for the Giants, Crawford's bat was a blessing and Bumgarner continued to show why he's one of the best in the game.