49ers mailbag: Why is Jordan Mason no longer involved? What happened to the SF defense? What’s wrong with Deebo Samuel?

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn images

This is a pivotal week for the San Francisco 49ers. After Thanksgiving, they travel to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football. While few (if any) expect the 49ers to win this game, you never know. The 49ers can rekindle the fire that has been missing all season. If they can be the team they were in the third quarter of the Dallas Cowboys game, maybe they can turn things around. But if not, fans will start looking at draft prospects.

We opened the 49ers Webzone Mailbag to hear from you. Thank you to all who submitted questions. And thank you too for reading.

Enough with the mushy stuff, let’s jump in the mailbag and see what’s on your mind.

Will Mason finally get more details in the coming weeks? In any case, varied rides in which CMC may be involved more in passing situations. -Tim P.

I think one of the most frustrating things about Kyle is that he uses his stars so much that they become injury-prone and fatigued when the playoffs roll around. Why isn’t Mason more involved? It seems like CMC might be too stubborn to go into hiding too. -Andy G.

One of the questions 49ers fans ask most is why Kyle Shanahan (and RB coach Bobby Turner) don’t use Jordan Mason anymore, especially since then Christian McCaffrey doesn’t look like his normal self. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don’t expect anything to change anytime soon. Shanahan and Turner will continue to use McCaffrey as much as possible. That’s what they’ve done the last two seasons, and this is what they’ve done so far this season. This is probably more a decision by Turner than anyone else, as Shanahan is the play-caller. And Turner really trusts McCaffrey more than he trusts Mason or… Isaac Guerendo.

If Elijah Mitchell was healthy, he might play more than Mason has over the past three weeks. Turner always seemed to have a lot of confidence in Mitchell.

I want to know what happened to the defense. -Annette B.

This is the defense in a nutshell:

That may be an oversimplification, but these are three major issues that have led to the problems we see in defense.

Maybe it’s time to bring in a bugler to play ‘Taps’ during the 49ers season? Or shall we wait for a portly lady to sing instead? -Ed H.

Whoever you call, they are warming up and ready to play. If the 49ers lose in Buffalo on Sunday night, and they probably will, mathematically they will still be in the running. But the road to get there will be extremely steep.

To me, it doesn’t look like this team has another run in it, at least not for this season. I don’t see the fire they’ve been playing with over the last few seasons. Remember a few years ago when every team that played the 49ers lost their next game? That team is no longer there.

Will there be a DC change during the season? I know San Francisco doesn’t, but the season is on the line. They cannot afford another loss. Maybe let Staley decide the rest of the season. It’s clear that Sorensen is in over his head. -Tristan C.

No, I would be shocked if Shanahan fired Nick Sorensen or Brian Schneider (special teams) during the season. Maybe Brandon Staley would do a better job, but so far Staley hasn’t been part of the solution. So unless Staley makes suggestions that Sorensen ignores, I don’t expect any change as the season progresses.

Up-to-date status on Purdy’s health? -Tim P.

We should learn more in the coming days, but the MRIs Brock Purdy has undergone, have not presented any problems that the 49ers are concerned about. It looks like it was thrown out without any problems this week. So unless something new emerges, Purdy should be able to play on Sunday.

The run defense was sliced ​​up like Wisconsin cheese yesterday! I know this has been a problem for a season, but what do you consider the most important factor: the wide 9? Which, by the way, is not effective without Bosa. The Niners are going cheap on interior linemen D? I also hated seeing Warner smell so many tackles! -Andy G.

The wide-nine is prone to running its course, so yes, that could be part of the problem. Injuries are another part of the problem. But perhaps the biggest problem is that the 49ers don’t have great defensive players. Kalia Davis And Jordan Elliott That should have been the case, but they didn’t look that way this season.

It doesn’t help that Greenlaw has been out, or that Arik Armstead left in the offseason. I believe turnovers, especially along the defensive line, have caught up with them. They need to improve the defensive line this offseason.

When is Greenlaw’s practice window expected to open? -Dennis S.

It opened on Monday, so Greenlaw should be back at training this week. The team has three weeks to decide what to do with him. They can activate him (like they did with McCaffrey) or end his season (like Feliciano).

The only question I have is when all the injured starters will return. Will they come back to run, because if not, there’s no need to risk injuries for the starters out there, especially Christian! -Laurent K.

Purdy should be able to play on Sunday. Bosa and Trent Williams are in the air, but they should not stay out for too long. Greenlaw had his practice window open on Monday, so he’s getting closer. Ward (uninjured) should be back soon. Jon Feliciano is out for the rest of the season. I haven’t heard any updates on Hufanga.

How can the defense be so bad without Bosa? They talk a lot, but when it comes to performing, so soft, missing tackles, etc. Do you have any quick fix other than maybe Dre comes back? -Stefan A.

I don’t believe there is a quick fix for the 49ers defense, even if Greenlaw returns. If he returns, along with Ward and Hufanga, that will help. But their problems run deeper than simply bringing back a few injured starters.

We need a better strength and conditioning department. I know Stanford…blah blah blah. Is it an option to switch during the low season? -Jason B.

Yes, it’s an option, but they changed that a few years ago. Would Shanahan and John Lynch make that move again? Maybe, if they think it’s the best move for the players. But the injuries on this team are likely not due to the strength and conditioning of the personnel, but rather the deep playoff runs and the style of football the 49ers have played.

And then there is happiness. Some seasons it goes your way. Some seasons don’t.

Why is Deebo being regulated to cheat the last few games? Do you think he has an injury or maybe just isn’t in the best shape? I really think he needs to be more involved if we want to win games. -Andy G.

Indeed, Deebo Samuel hasn’t touched the ball that much lately. And when he did, things didn’t go so well. He had the long kickoff return that was called back for holding (even though it didn’t look like a penalty). But Samuel also had some big drops in Green Bay. One of those turned into an interception.

Even before the game with the Packers, Samuel didn’t look that strong and fast. This season he hasn’t broken any tackles like in previous years. It will be interesting to see what happens with him in the offseason. Could the 49ers lose their wide back? If his body keeps him from being the Deebo Samuel of old, they could do that. Route running is not his strength. They relied on short passes to get him the ball and get him to break tackles. He hasn’t done that yet this season.

So I’m not sure if he was a decoy. I think he’s just not open enough. And Shanahan isn’t using him like he used to, especially since McCaffrey came back.

That’s all we’ve got for this week’s edition of the 49ers Webzone mailbag. Happy Thanksgiving and try not to eat too much. We’ll be back next week with a brand new mailbag.