Welcome to the Week 8 edition of 'Speaking with the Enemy,' a new weekly feature here at Toro Times where I'll be sleuthing for some intel on each week's Houston Texans opponent.
This week, ahead of a crucial Sunday afternoon showdown in Houston with the San Francisco 49ers, I checked in with Peter Panacy of Niner Noise to get the Bay Area perspective on what we should be expecting from this matchup.
Sonny Giuliano: Hey Peter, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions about this Sunday's matchup! It's looking like it's going to be Mac Jones getting his sixth start of the year in place of Brock Purdy, who is still dealing with a turf toe injury. By the numbers, these two quarterbacks have been pretty even so far this season, but can you explain to Texans fans who might not be watching San Francisco week in and week out where the biggest drop off is between these two?
Peter Panacy: Jones and Purdy have similar processing traits, but there's a glaring difference in the latter's mobility. Purdy has made a name for himself by extending plays after evading a collapsing pocket, while Jones is nowhere near as mobile. That can matter when looking at some of the more explosive plays Purdy has had over his career, where Jones is going to operate much more in the system because he has to.
SG: Staying on the injury front, just give the readers here at Toro Times a quick explanation as to why Fred Warner's injury may be the most costly of any 49ers player this year.
PP: Warner is the defensive captain, the vocal leader of his side of the ball. And he's been the defensive play-caller since his rookie year, meaning his absence doesn't just extend to his playmaking, coverage and run-stopping abilities. It's all the intangibles, too.
SG: Christian McCaffrey has made it through the first seven weeks of the season relatively unscathed, and unsurprisingly, he's been fantastic this year. But he's leading the league in carries and he's also 3rd in the NFL in receptions. Do you think there will be an effort at any point to lighten his workload?
PP: There should be. I'm a bit surprised the Niners haven't deployed more of Brian Robinson Jr. after trading for him just before the regular season. But, in light of San Francisco's swarm of offensive injuries up to this point, there have been moments when McCaffrey is the lone established playmaker Kyle Shanahan can rely upon. When it works, it works well. But McCaffrey's injury risk was already high enough, and it won't diminish anytime soon.
SG: It'll be a reunion of some sort this Sunday, with DeMeco Ryans facing off against Kyle Shanahan and Robert Saleh for the first time since leaving San Francisco after the 2022 season. What's the general feel been regarding Saleh's return as DC after a failed stint as the head coach of the New York Jets?
PP: Saleh coming back to the Bay Area was the equivalent to signing two All-Pros to the defense. He's made that much of a difference, both in terms of the stats and players' respect for him. And I think with what's going on with the Jets since his dismissal, it's pretty easy to conclude Saleh wasn't the problem there. In 2020, Saleh had a solid Niners defense (gave up a lot of points, but that was due to the 49ers turning the ball over with regularity) despite a similar injury problem. You're seeing that again in the wake of so many injuries.
SG: We're all familiar with the high-end talent on the 49ers, but give me a guy that is flying under the radar outside of the Bay Area who has caught your attention this year.
PP: I'm biased, but tight end Jake Tonges filled in admirably for George Kittle when the latter was on IR with a hamstring issue. Tonges attended Fisher Middle School and Los Gatos High School, my alma maters. But, when you look at the stats and impact (his Week 1 game-winning catch against the Seahawks is a great example), his presence stood out for all the right reasons.
SG: If San Francisco manages to go into Houston and come away with a win, what do you expect the reason why will be?
PP: Usually, the opposite of whatever I say to these questions happens. That said, I'm going to go with the Niners logging their first two defensive interceptions of the season (they still have zero) that turn out to be the key X-factors in a would-be 49ers win.