Good Morning Faithful,
Here are the top 49ers headlines for Wednesday, February 10.
New and Notable
Early NFL Power Rankings for 2021
The final whistle of the 2020 season blew on February 7 in Tampa Bay and now all 32 teams are focusing on how they can improve heading into the upcoming season. Despite a year which saw San Francisco out of the playoff picture only a season after their Super Bowl run, the 49ers still managed to rank in the Top 10 of teams on ESPN's first power rankings for the 2021 season. Coming in at the ninth spot on the list, San Francisco ranked ahead of the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints - all teams who made 2020 playoff appearances.
"The 49ers took a big step back in 2020 after a run to the Super Bowl the previous year," wrote NFL national reporter Nick Wagoner. "But most of that drop-off can be attributed to an unprecedented rash of injuries. Now, the Niners will spend the offseason working on getting healthy and answering a variety of difficult roster questions. The pieces are still in place to surge right back into contention if the 49ers can have better injury luck and keep the roster deep enough to fill holes when the inevitable health issues strike again."
Here's the Top 10 According to ESPN:
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Buffalo Bills
- Green Bay Packers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Los Angeles Rams
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cleveland Browns
- Seattle Seahawks
- San Francisco 49ers
- Tennessee Titans
Every NFL Team's Most Improved Player in 2020
Fred Warner racked up a list of accolades during the 2020 season, including his first All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods. In his third season in San Francisco, the linebacker started in all 16 games and registered 125 total tackles, two interceptions, six passes defended, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and a sack. Pro Football Focus looked at players on all 32 teams, comparing their production to previous seasons, and named Warner as the 49ers most improved player of 2020.
"Warner was clearly a good linebacker entering the 2020 season, but he might have come out of the 2020 season as the best linebacker in the NFL. Based purely on his position-high 88.6 PFF grade — a significant jump over 64.1 and 63.5 marks in his first two seasons — Warner was the best linebacker in the league this past season.
"His instincts and feel in zone coverage paired with his athleticism play extremely well in coverage, where his 91.1 coverage grade led all linebackers. With linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans earning a promotion to defensive coordinator to replace Robert Saleh, Warner's momentum should carry over into 2021."
San Francisco 49ers and County of Santa Clara Health System Partner to Create Largest Vaccination Site in California
The San Francisco 49ers and the County of Santa Clara have announced the creation of California's largest vaccination site at Levi's® Stadium to facilitate the rapid rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to the residents of Santa Clara County. The site will open early next week with the initial capacity to vaccinate 5,000 people per day, with plans to increase capacity up to 15,000 people per day as vaccine supplies increase.
For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, eligibility and distribution, please visit sccfreevax.org.
Levi's® Stadium Vaccination Center Frequently Asked Questions
Levi's® Stadium Sitio de Vacunación Preguntas Frecuentes
Watch the full press conference with 49ers president Al Guido, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, County Executive Dr. Jeff Smith and Associate Chief Medical Officer for Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center Dr. Jennifer Tong below. 👇
