MELBOURNE, Australia — Getting jet-lagged from all the travel stories?
The San Francisco 49ers’ and Los Angeles Rams’ opposite flight/body clock strategies will be discussed long after kickoff Friday morning (Thursday night in the U.S.), and hey, maybe everyone will start flying luxury airliners and turning right around like the Rams. But let’s focus on the game, which would give the 49ers a serious leg up on the Rams. And that brings us to a big mystery.
How will the teams adapt to the stadium, the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground, which can fit 100,000 people? Particularly, how will the quarterbacks adapt?
The stadium has an oval shape, suitable for cricket and Australian Rules Football but an odd fit for the American version. The 110-meter-long NFL field and goalposts were centered, so fans will be further from the action than in a typical NFL game — and quarterbacks might have a hard time with depth perception and sensing where the sidelines are.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is known for layering his passes — teammate George Kittle calls him “Beefy five-layer burrito” — and he is curious what the stadium will feel like as well.
“Obviously it is a big circle, and the field will be in the middle of that circle,” Purdy said. “Having fans sort of further away compared to right up on the sideline — I don’t know if that’ll be a big impact for me or not, but yeah, that’ll be different.”
Locals say the acoustics will be different than a usual NFL game, with delayed amplification from one side of the stadium to the other due to the shape.
Purdy nodded and said he needs to “understand the cadence that we have to be on, the noise and everything, handling that, the operation within the huddle, making sure guys can hear things. I’m sure it’s going to get pretty loud at times, which is cool. Those are fun environments to play in.”
NFL teams don’t have stadium walk-throughs the day before international games; adjustments will happen early Friday morning in Melbourne, where kickoff is at 10:35 local time.
This is the second American football match ever played at the MCG. Maybe the Rams and 49ers will lean on the run game, as the USS Minnesota and the USS Kentucky teams did in 1908.
Other things to watch for:
Matt Barrows’ guide to the animals of Australia
Matt Barrows
The Deebo effect
Former Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said he used to hate going against Deebo Samuel. And now the shoe is on the other foot, as Morris holds the same title with the 49ers and Samuel has returned to the team after a season with the Washington Commanders.
“He’s the ultimate piece that can move around,” Morris said.
The receiver will get carries in the run game against the Rams and is always dangerous on screen passes. The 49ers were lucky that a guy who knew the playbook and is loved by teammates — watch him go from position group to position group before practice — was available in the unemployment line when Ricky Pearsall needed knee surgery early in training camp.
And did we mention Samuel has a chip on his shoulder?
“He’s probably in the best shape since I’ve known him,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “He has always been a dangerous player, but this is the first time he thinks people doubted his ability.”
Two left guards better than one?
The 49ers got a break when Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald decided his comeback can wait until after the 15-hour flights to and from Australia. It does seem the coaching staff backed off a little on pushing fifth-round rookie Carver Willis (who played tackle in college) into the starting lineup, and that perhaps he’d rotate with second-year veteran Connor Colby. Or the 49ers might roll with Colby, who had a rough start to training camp but seemed to be getting most of the first-team work at the three practices here this week.
The 49ers are confident in the four veterans on the rest of the offensive line, but they were a year ago, too. The unit started slow, as the team was 6-4 before winning six of the last seven games.
Looking for rugby players
The 49ers were short-staffed at defensive line even before tackle Alfred Collins suffered a season-ending knee injury Tuesday. Defensive ends Nick Bosa and Romello Height just returned from injuries to practice this week, Mykel Williams is out the first four games and Sam Okuayinono broke his foot last week. Rookie defensive tackle James Thompson Jr. is trying to come back from a hamstring injury and play.
That means the 49ers will likely call up end Ogbo Okoronkwo and tackles Kevin Givens and Sebastian Valdez from the practice squad.
“Unless you guys can name some guys we can fly here real quick,” coach Kyle Shanahan quipped to reporters.
Or unless the 49ers take out a want ad.
“I keep wanting to say rugby, and I know it’s not rugby, but maybe there are some footy guys around here who might be able to do it,” Shanahan said.
On Wednesday, the 49ers worked out Australian rugby player Ben Te Kura, who aspires to become an NFL offensive tackle. He’s previously worked out for the Seahawks and Chicago Bears.