Gäste Forum » Despite not having Carson Palmer under cente

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- For Chip Kelly and Blaine Gabbert, this season is about a second chance at NFL success.After being run off from his first NFL coaching job in Philadelphia, Kelly took over in San Francisco and has picked another reclamation project in Gabbert as his starting quarterback for the 49ers.Gabbert, who took over as the starter in San Francisco midway through last season, begins a season in that role for the first time since 2013, which was his third and final season in Jacksonville after being the 10th overall pick in 2011.Gabbert beat out Colin Kaepernick for the job, staying mostly in the background as Kaepernick made big headlines with his protest over the national anthem.Thats one thing you like about Blaines makeup, there are not too-high highs or too-low lows, Kelly said. Hes very steady in his approach. You get the same Blaine Gabbert every day and I think thats a good thing, especially at the quarterback position.The problem for the Niners is that the Gabbert from the last five years has been far from special. He has just an 8-27 record as a starter in the NFL, completing only 55.8 percent of his passes with 33 touchdowns and 31 interceptions.That kind of play led Jacksonville to trade him to San Francisco three years after drafting him. Gabbert looked a little better last season with the 49ers when he completed 63.1 percent of his passes and posted a career-high 86.2 passer rating in eight starts.The Niners hope for even better results this season in Kellys quarterback-friendly system that helped players such as Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez have perhaps their most success as pros. That wasnt enough for Kelly to keep his job with the Eagles, but Gabbert is excited about the opportunity to run that fast-paced offense.Coach Kelly puts a lot of trust in us to go out there and make the plays, Gabbert said. Thats what you want as a competitive player. You want to have the ball in your hands. You want to be kind of leaned on to make the plays, score the points for this team. And thats what this offense does. It puts guys in position to have explosive plays.Here are some other things to watch this season for the 49ers:CATCH THE BALL: No matter who is at quarterback this season, finding proven players to throw the ball to will be a problem. Torrey Smith was the only wideout on the roster with even 40 career catches before a couple of late trades added Jeremy Kerley and Rod Streater. Kerley had just 16 catches last season for the Jets and Rod Streater has only 10 receptions the past two years. Smith has been a good deep threat for much of his career, but the Niners lack a true No. 1 receiver.DAVIS RETURN: The 49ers dealt with a string of retirements last offseason with Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Chris Borland and Anthony Davis all deciding to call it quits. Davis proved to be temporary as he decided to come back at the start of training camp, giving a boost to San Franciscos offensive line. After being a stellar right tackle his first five years, Davis has moved to right guard this season for the first time since college with Trent Brown entrenched at tackle.DUCKS ON THE LINE: Kelly will have a couple familiar faces on the defensive line as GM Trent Baalke used his top draft picks each of the past two years on former Oregon linemen who had played for Kelly in college. Arik Armstead had just two sacks as a rookie last year, but is expected to make a much bigger impact in 2016. No. 7 overall pick DeForest Buckner has the potential to be dominant against the run and a strong pass rusher, giving the Niners a foundation for their defense.RUN TO DAYLIGHT: The Niners have one potential game-breaker on offense in third-year running back Carlos Hyde -- if he can stay healthy. Hyde showed his potential when he rushed for 168 yards in the opener last season. But he added only 302 more in six games before being shut down with a foot injury. Hydes downhill running style fits well in Kellys system.BOWMAN THE BEAST: Inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman is one of the few links left from the dominant defense that helped lead San Francisco to three straight NFC championship games from 2011-13. After sitting out 2014 with a knee injury, Bowman returned last season and made the All-Pro team despite looking like he had lost a step. But he has looked more explosive this summer and is poised for another big year.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Jesse Hahn Jersey . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Danny Duffy Jersey . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. https://www.cheaproyals.com/847a-adalberto-mondesi-jersey-royals.html . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. Scott Barlow Jersey . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Danny Tartabull Jersey . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Despite not having Carson Palmer under center, the Arizona Cardinals took care of business Thursday evening with a 33-21 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The stars of the night were 33-year-old veteran Larry Fitzgerald and second-year running back David Johnson.Yeah, Fitzgerald is supposed to be old and fading, but the future Hall of Famer reminded us that elite wide receivers dont lose their skills overnight -- especially a durable guy like Fitz, who has missed just six games in his dozen-plus seasons. It didnt even matter that he had career backup Drew Stanton throwing passes his way.Meanwhile, Johnson has proved every fantasy owner who ranked him No. 1 overall for drafts to be correct. Coach Bruce Arians is feeding him the ball a ton, and his skills are legit in a potent offense.As for the 49ers, after the game, coach Chip Kelly opened the door for a potential switch from Blaine Gabbert to Colin Kaepernick in Week 6. The odds of Kaepernick turning into a viable fantasy optiion in this offense are slim, but hes at least worth a speculative add in two-QB leagues, if only to see what happens.ddddddddddddEnough looking back, though. Its time to look ahead to the weekend. As you set your fantasy lineups, be sure to take advantage of our Roster Advisor tool to get an edge on your opponents. And for those taking part in the Eliminator Challenge, you can get an edge here, too, with the Survivor Guide.Our weekly ESPN Insider cheat sheet provides a rundown of the greatest hits from all of our Insider fantasy football content. In this file, youll find answers to the top questions of the week, along with injury updates, matchup advantages and wild-card plays from Eric Karabell, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Matt Bowen, Scott Kacsmar, Mike Clay, Al Zeidenfeld and ESPN NFL Nation reporters. Its all the best tips, distilled into one handy file.? ' ' '