San Francisco 49ers: What we learned from the first preseason game

The San Francisco 49ers, despite it being just the first preseason game, showed something that that makes this season all the more exciting.

What did we learn from the San Francisco 49ers first preseason game?

Well, not much other than the team had a plethora of injuries that occurred during the game. Which is unfortunate, but there usually isn’t too much to take away from the first preseason game.

At least, there isn’t much to learn when it comes to the starters, since they only get a series or two, anyway.

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However, there was something compelling we learned from that game — it’s that the entire team has no quit in them.

The San Francisco 49ers came back to beat the Dallas Cowboys in the last seconds of the game 24-21. And while winning or losing is irrelevant in the preseason, it’s the way they won it, and who they won it with.

The fact that the 49ers backups were fighting hard until the very finish, proves that they have bought into the team. That they’re buying into what head coach Kyle Shannahan is selling.

That speaks volumes about Shanahan, considering he’s usually pegged as strictly an X’s and O’s type of coach. If you were watching the game until the finish you could see how the entire team fought to the end, and then reacted to that game winning touchdown.

Everyone was pulling for one another. Giving their support from the top of the roster, all the way to the bottom. The unity and camaraderie is necessary to keep this team clicking on all cylinders.

What’s great about it is that this team cares, which is a huge upgrade from years prior.

Bottom line is that the personality is so evident this year. This is a maturing team, and it shows that the guys like each other — both in preseason garbage time on the field and in the locker room.
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 10, 2018

Some of the players who were a part of that fourth quarter won’t make the final 53-man roster, but that too reveals a lot about Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.

Those players were playing for their livelihood. Each and every single one of them. That may seem like a no-brainer, since they’ll be out of a job if they don’t perform.

But how many preseason games can you recall where a team fought and clawed their way down the field, and had a game winning drive like that?

Whoever makes the final cut from that fourth quarter will have no questions directed at them about their effort. It’s hard trying to find starters for your team, but it’s equally as difficult to find the depth.

That fourth quarter shows us that Shanahan and Lynch know how to find the depth for their starters. It sounds like a college or a high school thing talking about effort, but that’s most prevalent on special teams in the NFL.

Which is where those players will see the bulk of their playing time.

Preseason doesn’t matter…. in terms of wins and losses.

It does matter for the players who are fighting for a roster spot. The next two preseason games will reveal more to us about the starters.

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Hopefully, the players will stay away from any black cats, or from walking under ladders, so that they can avoid the injuries.