SF 49ers: 5 players who should be on Santa’s naughty list
By Peter Panacy
With some Christmas spirit, let’s have some fun and look at five SF 49ers players who haven’t exactly been Santa’s favorites this season.
Perhaps the SF 49ers as a whole haven’t exactly been doing good deeds and serving as good boys and girls this holiday season, ultimately earning the gifts of coal from jolly ole’ St. Nick.
If Santa’s naughty list could encompass an entire team, one could make the argument the Niners would be it. After all, how could one explain a league-high use of injured-reserve slots and lineup changes over the course of what’s been a painfully frustrating year mere months removed from a Super Bowl appearance?
Perhaps head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. were so busy with last season’s playoff preparations they forgot to leave Santa Claus his favorite treats of milk and cookies.
But Santa isn’t going to hand out injuries to individual players. That’s not his style. He could, however, look at players who aren’t exactly being good on the field, thereby landing on that naughty list anyway.
So, in the spirit of keeping things light this holiday season, let’s have some modest fun and see who on the SF 49ers earned a spot on Santa’s naughty list in 2020.
No. 5: SF 49ers Right Tackle Mike McGlinchey
Fair or not, right tackle Mike McGlinchey has become the poster player for all the issues the Niners offensive line has dealt with this season.
Some analytics sites, such as Pro Football Focus, still tout McGlinchey as one of the league’s better run blockers this season. But even PFF notes his pass-protection skills have waned from last year. And it does seem McGlinchey winds up being bull-rushed into the ground by bigger, stronger pass-rushers seemingly on a weekly basis.
But if you truly want to see why McGlinchey ended up on Santa’s naughty list, do yourself a favor and simply do a search for the tackle’s name on Twitter.
Yeah, that showed enough.
San Francisco might have too many offseason needs to worry about switching out McGlinchey this offseason. Yet him being the subject of so much criticism isn’t exactly what the SF 49ers wanted to receive as a gift from their top investment in the 2018 NFL Draft.