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When running back Christian McCaffrey became a surprise scratch for Monday night’s game against the Jets, my first thought was that it probably wasn’t a surprise to the 49ers.
After the 32-19 win over the Jets, McCaffrey’s understudy confirmed it.
Jordan Mason, who went from undrafted in 2022 to 28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown, let the cat out of the bag during a post-game interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters.
She asked Mason when he knew he’d be starting.
“Maybe Friday, Friday night,” Mason said. “Something like that.”
But the 49ers didn’t apply the “questionable” label to McCaffrey until Saturday. If Mason knew he’d be starting on Friday, the 49ers knew it, too. And they worked the injury-reporting system to hide the truth for as long as they could.
That’s not a knock on Mason. He told the truth. In so doing, he exposed the inherent flaw to a set of rules that allows a team to label a player as “questionable,” even if there’s no real question internally about his status.
On one hand, it’s permitted by the broad-brush process for disclosing injuries and player status. On the other hand, it underscores the existence — and value — of inside information.
The 49ers (as evidenced by what Mason said) knew the truth. No one else did, presumably. In a world without legalized gambling and fantasy football, there’s an all’s-fair dynamic that applies. But with money now changing hands based on decisions made in reliance on the information the team has provided, it’s a problem.
Should McCaffrey had been listed as doubtful? At a minimum, absolutely. There’s also a case to be made that he should have been ruled out.
Indeed, if the 49ers were playing tonight’s game at New York, he possibly would have been downgraded to out, because he possibly wouldn’t have made the cross-country flight with his calf/Achilles tendon injury.
For all anyone knows, the 49ers knew for more than a few days that McCaffrey wouldn’t be able to go. The biggest clue came via the first injury report…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/huge-night-jordan-mason-lets-034534523.html
Author : ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports
Publish date : 2024-09-10 03:45:34
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