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Junior...

Jr seemed to struggle getting off the line of scrimmage. His one punt return he had no chance defender was in his face immediately.
He had a couple blocks downfield that were nice.

TM did not get in on offense very much which was too bad. He did great covering kicks.
 
For those that watched the game, tell me if you saw something different.

What is the average kick return go for in the NFL, 20 yards? I think it is shorter than that with the new rules honestly.
His first return went for 24 (from the 3 to the 27), his third for 25 (from the 4 to the 29).
The second one rolled down the sideline and by the time he got over to handle it, he scooped it up cleanly and had no blocking to his right, which was were the near sideline was. He still managed to pick up 14 from the 5 to the 19 on the return and had an average of 21.0 per return.
On the punt he handled, I honestly thought he should have called for a fair catch but thought maybe he was trying to show something. It was a high kick he took at the 24 and secured it easily, but just as he went to make a move he got hit with most of his weight on one leg and went down.

I'm not saying he did anything more than average, but I haven't seen anything more than average from those around him providing the support that would allow him to make a breakaway that we are used to seeing from him. Junior is good at following blocks and seeing the open space to get to, we all know that. He isn't getting that around him and he is making the most of what he has to work with IMO.

I wonder how much different this is for him too with the new kickoff in the NFL. He's used to having the kicking team lined up on the ball and now they are starting from 35 yards away on the kickoffs where the rules are very new to him and have really been designed to limit the big returns and take the speed out of it to limit injuries.
 
GriznMN said:
And the amount of influence agents have in the entertainment/media sphere is impressive/scary.
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Interesting how this thread has wandered off the original subject, but I think in a useful, interesting way.

You’re right on the money about agents … for better or for worse. I was never able to interest an agency in any of my books (totally understandable reasons). However, I met many “agented” authors, and agents, at various writers’ conferences. They had lots to say about the client-agent process. Authors in the Hollywood/media market were particularly vocal (yah and nay) about it. And it’s not hard to find juicy articles about it – good and bad. I’ve even talked to a few retired athletes about it.

Movies and other portrayals (“Show me the money!”) tend to emphasize the agent’s negotiating skills … which are indeed very important. But there is much more to it than that.

My informal research divided agents into two classes: good or bad. Of course there’s an in between, but I consider a mediocre agent as bad because they still collect fees, distract the client (and often give a false sense of security) and do nothing much for him/her. A good agent can negotiate, but also finds opportunities the client might not have thought of, provides encouragement and moral support, and perhaps helps with financial management (which many athletes, authors, performers, etc. often need). We’ve read all too much about bad agents, whose transgression range from simple incompetence to outright embezzlement.

So, even more than media-company executives and flunkies, agents are the main gate-keepers in the entertainment industry. Sadly, we still do not have a good handle on how that will play out in collegiate sports. We will surely need some sort of “certification” mechanism to vet those who set themselves up as agents for “student athletes.”
 
Griz in Texas said:
For those that watched the game, tell me if you saw something different.

What is the average kick return go for in the NFL, 20 yards? I think it is shorter than that with the new rules honestly.
His first return went for 24 (from the 3 to the 27), his third for 25 (from the 4 to the 29).
The second one rolled down the sideline and by the time he got over to handle it, he scooped it up cleanly and had no blocking to his right, which was were the near sideline was. He still managed to pick up 14 from the 5 to the 19 on the return and had an average of 21.0 per return.
On the punt he handled, I honestly thought he should have called for a fair catch but thought maybe he was trying to show something. It was a high kick he took at the 24 and secured it easily, but just as he went to make a move he got hit with most of his weight on one leg and went down.

I'm not saying he did anything more than average, but I haven't seen anything more than average from those around him providing the support that would allow him to make a breakaway that we are used to seeing from him. Junior is good at following blocks and seeing the open space to get to, we all know that. He isn't getting that around him and he is making the most of what he has to work with IMO.

I wonder how much different this is for him too with the new kickoff in the NFL. He's used to having the kicking team lined up on the ball and now they are starting from 35 yards away on the kickoffs where the rules are very new to him and have really been designed to limit the big returns and take the speed out of it to limit injuries.
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From the NFL stats:
In 2024 there were 920 returns for 25386 yards (27.59 yards per return) and 7 TDs, and the average drive started on the 30.1 yard line.
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21 yards per return is well below average in the new format. Taking out his shorter one, he still averaged lower than the average kickoff returner from last season at 24.5.

The Niners last year averaged 28.5 yards per kickoff return, which was 10th in the NFL.

This is what I mean when I say I think he needs to show more on returns.

If he can continue to average well above the Niners 9.2 yards per punt return last year (which was 20th in the NFL), it will help him out a lot.
 
HelenaHandBasket said:
He wasn't drafted because of his play as a WR. Chism was, is, a much better WR and he wasn't drafted.
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What you are saying is that Bergen has to prove himself as a return specialist and not as a WR in order to make the 49ers. If so, I agree with your assessment. If he can develop to become a 5th WR, all the better for Bergen's chances of sticking in the NFL.
 
Junior has great hands and good, not great, speed. If given the opportunity and combine that with his work ethic, he will become a good to great WR in the NFL in addition to being a good to great returner !!!

For any NFL team's returner to become successful, that returner will need some good blocking in front of him--he can't be successful without some help from his other 10 special team's peers. !!!.
 
billingsgriz said:
Junior has great hands and good, not great, speed. If given the opportunity and combine that with his work ethic, he will become a good to great WR in the NFL in addition to being a good to great returner !!!

For any NFL team's returner to become successful, that returner will need some good blocking in front of him--he can't be successful without some help from his other 10 special team's peers. !!!.
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I think Junior has great acceleration, which is a huge positive for the wide receiver position, especially when paired with great route running. The key will be for Junior to demonstrate the ability to catch in traffic and with contact on slants and crossers in the middle of the field.
 
GriznMN said:
I think Junior has great acceleration, which is a huge positive for the wide receiver position, especially when paired with great route running. The key will be for Junior to demonstrate the ability to catch in traffic and with contact on slants and crossers in the middle of the field.
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And I am confident he can do both. A a Junior showed in '21 playing starting RB for us, Junior isn't afraid of contact and he caught a few balls as a RB.
 
PTGrizzly said:
He wasn’t drafted because of his WR ability. The main reason is because he was an elite college returner.
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He was drafted and his position on roster is receiver. If he isn’t a receiver, why is he playing receiver in games? I’ve talked to Colt. Have you?


From the roster.

WR​

#86​



Experience: R

Height: 5-9

Weight: 184 lbs

College: Montana
 
GriznMN said:
It depends on the media person. Some are complete homers and some act like they are the opposition and many are somewhere in the middle.

NFL is a business and sensation and drama creates eyeballs and clicks.
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What about Chip Scoggins, Patrick Reusse, Andrew Krammer and Ben Goessling at the lovely Star Tribune or Dane Mizutani with the Pioneer Press? These guys are all more critical than the Griz homer media.
 
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