| FanPulse: 49ers have third biggest drop in confidence after Jimmy Garoppolo injury Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse — a survey of fans across the NFL Dwight Clark Jersey , powered by SurveyMonkey. Each week, we send 32 polls to 100+ plugged in fans from each team. 49ers fans, sign up HERE to join FanPulse.We are through three weeks of the 2018 NFL season, and our weekly FanPulse survey on fan confidence in the organization has taken a turn in an expected direction. The team placed Jimmy Garoppolo on injured reserve this week, and with the move, fan confidence has gone off a cliff. Following the 49ers win over the Detroit Lions, the confidence level was at 93 percent. Following the injury, it has dropped to 44 percent.49ers fan confidence after Jimmy Garoppolo injuryThis is not the biggest drop in confidence. The Denver Broncos dropped 51 percent following their Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, while the Minnesota Vikings dropped 57 percent after their stunning loss to the Buffalo Bills. I suspect last night’s loss to the Rams might result in a slight increase in fan confidence given how close the game was.Looking at the rest of the NFC West, things were mostly settled this week. Prior to Thursday Night Football, the Los Angeles Rams dropped three points to 97 percent, the Seattle Seahawks increased six points to 51 percent, and the Arizona Cardinals increased two points to five percent.I imagine the Rams get back to 100 percent after that wild win over the Vikings. It was a potential playoff preview, and the Rams held up even with several injuries to their defense. They are the clear favorite in the NFC West, and I would argue in the NFC as a whole. The playoffs can trip up anybody, but that offense is ridiculous, and if they get healthy enough on defense, they should be fine.Chargers fan confidence before 49ers gameThe 49ers now travel to face the Los Angeles Chargers. I don’t think we’ll see fan confidence drop too much further this season given the knowledge of the Jimmy G injury, but fans are going to tune out if the team is unable to put together some competitive games. Last season, C.J. Beathard did get the 49ers their first win of the season, but in his other four starts, they were beaten handily in three of them. We’ll see if the talent overhaul and Beathard’s extra time in the system offer any differences. The need was there, but is this a proper value play?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 49ers Salary CapLevi’s Stadium Events49ers Transactions49ers Injury News49ers Press Conferences & Conference Calls49ers Rookies2019 NFL Draft: 49ers picks, mock drafts, news, rumors, analysis49ers draft a punter in the 4th, raising questions about decision-makingNew,416commentsThe need was there Colin Kaepernick Jersey , but is this a proper value play?PDTShareTweetShareShare49ers draft a punter in the 4th, raising questions about decision-makingRuss Isabella-USA TODAY SportsThe San Francisco 49ers spent a fourth round pick on punter Mitch Wishnowsky, and you know that excites me. Well, drafting a punter makes me happy. Spending a fourth round pick on the position? It raises some question marks.Any time a special teams player is draft before the sixth round, eyebrows are raised. When it happens in the fourth round, there are usually strong responses. The 49ers needed a punter, so you can’t fault filling said need. But could they have landed Wishnowsky later?In the phone call to Wishnowsky, head coach Kyle Shanahan told him they were worried they would not be able to land him. He did not offer any more specifics, but it would suggest they thought someone else was interested in Wishnowsky in the fourth. The 49ers spent the 110th overall pick on Wishnowsky, and the next punter off the board was Stanford’s Jake Bailey to the New England Patriots at No. 163.The Patriots sent a seventh to the Philadelphia Eagles to move up four spots to land Bailey. After the draft, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan both acknowledged the Patriots and others were likely interested.Lynch: “We had a number of teams that we felt were interested in adding a punter and felt like he had distanced himself, and the fact he kicks off and is a very good holder, as well. So, all those things fit into the puzzle.”Shanahan: “That’s a hard thing to figure out. Everyone knows he’s the best punter in the draft, and when is he going to go, and you always want to take that as late as possible, so you feel the same way going in the fourth. You’d love to do it in the seventh, but I promise you we wouldn’t have gotten him if we tried to do it in the fifth. That’s why the Patriots traded up to take next guy in the fifth.”Lynch said the team loved what Wishnowsky brought to the table, and easily led the field as the prospect they wanted.This raises another question. Is the punter position sufficiently valuable enough that you need to invest a fourth round pick in the best player if you think he is that much better. He has gotten some comps Seattle Seahawks All Pro punter Michael Dickson. If Wishnowsky proved to be as good as Dickson, is he worth the pick? Or is the drop-off to Bailey or another worth spending that fourth on another need?A great punter is valuable in flipping field position, but fourth round value? The 49ers were 18th in total points, and if the offense improves, they very well could slide further down the list. Fewer points ideally further decreases that value.You know I love a great punter as much as anybody, but I won’t pretend spending high picks on a punter is not a bit of a head scratcher. And when you add in the context of the 49ers history the past two years, it raises questions. Oscar Aparicio offered a solid take on overpaying.The 49ers decision to draft a punter in the fourth round is not exactly an outlier in their decision-making. They’ve spent big on positions that traditionally are not invested as such. You can make individual arguments for each decision, but until the team actually starts winning some football games, the totality of the decisions will keep us scratching our heads in the short term.This could pan out where the 49ers have one of the best punters in the league for the next decade — and I’d love to see that. But it is reasonable to raise questions about the decision-making process. |
