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sjmerc_local_feed“Just give me my money back. Give me the responsibility back of taking care of my business.”
— Rick Matteson, 79, a Los Gatos retired engineer, on the Santa Clara County Public Guardian putting him in a temporary conservatorship out of concern he was being defrauded when he transferred a $2.5 million Morgan Hill property to a nonprofit he cofounded with two other people, which Matteson insists isn’t the case.
sjmerc_local_feedLooking to escape? Here’s a recent trip local readers took to Wales. Check it out, then find more reader travel inspiration at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/.
WALES: Willow Glen residents Allan and Maly Hughes say they had the loveliest time taking an unusual vacation. They traveled the canals of Wales in a 55-foot-long “narrowboat” that is less than 7 feet wide. Resembling a minnow near the surface of the water, these rental boats come with easy instructions for beginners who are unfamiliar with how to operate the canal’s lock system along the way.
“We bought food at a local market before picking up the boat, mostly breakfast stuff and a few pre-packaged dinners, since there’s both a microwave and an oven on the boat,” Allan Hughes explained. “Although the boat is long and narrow, it’s surprisingly roomy for two people.” Their boat had a full-size bedroom, bathroom and fireplace,
Traveling at speeds of just 2-3 mph, the couple was able to enjoy the leisurely pace of their nautical adventures. At dinnertime, they could tie up the boat and walk to the nearest pub, then hop back on.
They spent four nights on the Llangollen Canal, crossing the aqueduct outside the town of Llangollen in North Wales. They also used the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which “crosses the Dee Valley on 19 cast-iron spans at a height of 126 feet, and it’s recognized internationally as a masterpiece of canal architecture,” Allan said.
After four nights in North Wales, they took a train to South Wales and spent seven more nights on a narrowboat, this time traveling on the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal.
TRAVEL TIPS: “We flew to Gatwick from LAX nonstop,” Hughes said, “and had purchased a BritRail pass and took a train into Wales to the town nearest the boat rental, then a taxi to the boat rental. Canals are all over England and Wales, so we chose which part of the country to visit, then did an online search for narrow boat rentals in that area and always had several to choose from.
“Almost all rentals require you to return the boat to where you started and provide plenty of fuel for the duration of the trip; you have to fill the water tank every couple of days from canal-side water taps. Travel light! Not too much storage on the boat, so small suitcases are the order of the day.
“As it rains often in the U.K., dress accordingly. We brought rain gear and only used it one day. You can always pull over and tie up on the canal but then you don’t see as much so there’s an urge to keep going even if it’s raining. And the rain didn’t last long.
“An excellent website, which pretty much answers all questions about narrowboats, is beaconparkboats.com in Wales, where we rented the ‘Heron.’ The cost was about $260/night for a seven night rental, which includes everything except food.
“For airfare, we tried Norse Atlantic, which is a great low-cost airline, flies only out of LAX, nonstop to Gatwick, Rome and other European destinations. They fly only the Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner,’ which is a very nice plane. We chose the ‘premium’ class, their equivalent to business class, and one way from LAX to Gatwick was $550, including meals, checked luggage, etc. Not a bad deal! So we took Southwest to LAX, then walked to the Norse Atlantic gate. Great flight.”
Join the fun! Send a photo of yourself on your latest adventures — local, domestic or international — to jmastrodonato@bayareanewsgroup.com. Tell us where you are, who everyone is and where they’re from, and share a travel tip or two to help fellow readers go there, too.
sjmerc_local_feed
New Yahoo/YouGov poll shows California governor leading 2028 Democratic presidential nomination race, with 21%, followed by Kamala Harris at 19%; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 12% and Pete Buttigieg 10%.
Former Tonight Show host takes a political loss after Democrats in Sacramento kill “Leno’s Law,” a bill he pushed to exempt classic collector cars and other old vehicles from smog check tests.
Joel EngardioSan Francisco supervisor, facing a recall election Sept. 16 for supporting turning the Great Highway into a park, wins the backing of Nancy Pelosi but is found in violation of city rules for not disclosing meetings.
sjmerc_local_feedAs the Trump administration continues to bar citizens of over a dozen foreign nations, local immigrant communities have been left feeling frustrated and fearful.
The travel ban, which expands on Trump’s efforts to ban nationals from several predominantly Muslim countries in his first term, now includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Fallout from the ban has reverberated through Fremont’s Centerville neighborhood, known as Little Kabul, which is home to many Afghan residents and businesses. The city drew waves of refugees after the armed conflict between the U.S. and Afghanistan in the early 2000s, and has become known as a cultural hub for Afghan-Americans.
G. Omar, who owns the Afghan Bazaar women’s clothing shop in Little Kabul, told Bay Area News Group the effects of the travel ban have been widely felt throughout the neighborhood and beyond.
“Of course everyone’s disappointed. At the end of the day, it hurts everybody. It hurts not only us, but it hurts America as a whole, as a nation,” said Omar, who runs the Afghan Bazaar women’s clothing shop in Little Kabul. “People come here for opportunity, safety, they want some sort of refuge. Immigrants, they’ve always made America stronger. It’s a loss for everyone.”
Omar, 46, asked only to be identified with the initial “G.” out of safety concerns.
Born in Afghanistan, Omar has lived in the U.S. since the 1980s, she said, and identifies with some of the “earlier families” who emigrated because of the Soviet occupation during the Soviet-Afghan War. She said she was not surprised Trump enacted a new ban, having previously said he would. But the ban’s effects are still widespread, she said.
“I imagine there’s thousands of other Afghans who have family that want to come here and they can’t,” Omar said.
She said her cousin had been trying for months to leave Afghanistan and make a new home for his family with his wife, young son and daughter in Fremont. But once Trump announced the new ban, their hopes of a fresh start in the Bay Area were squashed. Now her cousin is left reeling, trying to patch a new path to safety in Europe or elsewhere in the world, she said.
“It’s sad, it’s frustrating, and I don’t think it’s really a fair policy,” Omar said. “It’s unfortunate that other folks aren’t getting the same opportunities that my family got. I think it just really does undermine the whole idea and concept of what America is,” Omar said. “When people come here, they help the economy, they contribute, they enrich the communities.”
The Trump administration also announced it would end temporary protected status for Afghan nationals in the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said “there are notable improvements in the security and economic situation such that requiring the return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan does not pose a threat to their personal safety due to armed conflict or extraordinary and temporary conditions,” according to a DHS notice from May.
The end of temporary protected status, first enacted in May 2022 and extended from September 2023 to May 20 of this year, took effect on July 14.
In Union City, Harris Mojadedi, an Afghan-American born in Fremont, said the feds are “creating chaos.”
“I would say our community definitely feels very much under attack and very much confused on who they can trust, what services they can navigate or what services are there for them because everything just seems to be all over the place,” Mojadedi said.
Mojadedi is an elected member of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District board. He said the travel ban “feels like these are targeted attacks against many communities, with the Afghan American community being one of them.”
He said that Afghans, especially those who fought alongside the U.S. against the Taliban through various armed conflicts over the years, should be protected in the states.
“We made a promise to these refugees that if they fought alongside our veterans and soldiers that we would take care of them,” Mojadedi said. “Now we’re remaking that promise.”
Lawmakers throughout the country, including several representing the Bay Area, have condemned the travel ban and co-signed a letter to the Trump Administration from Senator Alex Padilla’s office demanding the ban be rescinded immediately.
The letter, penned to Trump, Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pamela Bondi, included signatures from Congressmembers Ro Khanna, Eric Swalwell, Lateefah Simon and Mark DeSaulnier alongside other prominent Democrats such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. The U.S. has issued over 126,000 visas in the last year to nationals from a dozen of the banned countries, the letter states, and “Trump’s actions once again disgrace the founding principles of our nation and enshrine cruelty into our immigration system.”
Stretching back to his first term, Trump ‘s travel bans have “wreaked havoc on families” and will “harm our economy by depriving the United States of workers in key fields experiencing labor shortages,” such as medicine, agriculture and tourism, lawmakers wrote.
In a statement, Khanna told this news organization that he will “proudly represent one of the largest immigrants communities in the country.”
“Trump’s travel ban hurts families and those who want to come to America to contribute to our economy and start a better life,” Khanna said. “We need a secure border and immigration reform, but this ban won’t fix the problems with the system.”
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awesomeerssjmerc_local_feedOn the final day of her removal hearings last month, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus did something unexpected: She reversed her opposition to an independent inspector general that would look into misconduct within her office, which she acknowledged is filled with personnel who don’t respect her leadership.
Corpus, elected in 2022, faces not only removal through a civil grand jury accusation filed in June alleging misconduct and abuse of power but also the fallout from Measure A, a voter-approved initiative passed in March that gives the Board of Supervisors authority to remove a sheriff through 2028.
Retired Judge James Emerson, who presided over the county’s removal hearings, has 45 days to issue a written advisory opinion. The board then has 30 days to review, with a four-fifths majority vote needed to dismiss her. If removed, Corpus would be the first sheriff in the state to be ousted by a board of supervisors.
The recently concluded hearings were open to the public but not recorded. Testimonies focused on Corpus’ leadership, personnel decisions and internal sheriff’s office culture, drawing heavily on a 400-page report published last year by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell.
This month marks one year since sheriff’s union leaders publicly accused Corpus of fostering a culture of “unease and retaliation,” igniting a political battle that has divided the community, consumed countless hours and resources, and has likely cost the Silicon Valley county millions. Despite mounting pressure, Corpus — the county’s first Latina sheriff — shows no signs of backing down.
But the accusations against Corpus are just the latest chapter in a sheriff’s office long shadowed by scandals.
In 2007, Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos and Sheriff Greg Munks were caught in a Las Vegas brothel. After his election in 2016, Sheriff Bolanos allegedly intervened in 2022 in a private dispute over a luxury replica “Batmobile” in Indiana. Neither faced removal proceedings.
Unlike other large counties with both an inspector general and a civilian oversight commission, San Mateo relies on ad hoc investigators like Cordell, which “allows problems to fester,” said Nancy Goodban, a member of Fixin’ San Mateo County, a citizen-led reform group.
While the group does not oppose the removal process as a form of accountability for sitting sheriffs, it has been advocating since 2021 for a permanent, full-time inspector general to independently monitor the sheriff’s office, investigate complaints, review policies, and report publicly — responsibilities currently handled by the department’s Professional Standards Bureau.
A key moment in the Corpus hearings came when the sheriff announced her support for an independent inspector general, surprising longtime watchdogs who have been demanding one for years.
“I realize the police shouldn’t be policing the police,” Corpus said on the witness stand.
Her reversal on the idea came after two weeks of testimony in which witnesses accused the sheriff of misconduct, bullying and an inappropriate relationship with her former chief of staff, Victor Aenlle. On the stand, Corpus described most of them as “liars” or “dishonest.”
While most of the witnesses were included in the county-commissioned Cordell and subsequent Keker reports, it was the first time she heard from accusers in person.
“Sitting there, listening to people from my own team lie about me, made me think — if they can do that to me, what are they doing out in the community? That deeply concerns me,” Corpus said.
Fixin’ San Mateo County called her shift “welcome and overdue.”
Emily Farris, an associate political science professor at Texas Christian University and co-author of “The Power of the Badge: Sheriffs and Inequality in the United States,” said in a phone interview that sheriffs wield “extraordinary power” as independently elected officials, overseeing jails and countywide law enforcement. Though elections are supposed to hold sheriffs accountable to voters, Farris questioned their effectiveness in doing so.
“There’s no other, to my knowledge, chief law enforcement officer elected anywhere in the world,” she said. “The way elections work doesn’t actually provide the accountability mechanism they claim, because elections are low-information, the competition is controlled, and so on.”
Corpus’ public removal hearings exposed the seldom-examined political complexities within sheriff’s offices, echoing themes Farris explored in her book.
For example, county lawyers spotlighted text messages between Corpus and former colleague Valerie Barnes, a star witness who claimed firsthand knowledge of an alleged affair with Aenlle.
After Barnes’ testimony, Corpus’ attorneys countered that her former colleague — once a campaign supporter — had threatened to “take that b**** down” after being denied a promotion she was expecting for helping the campaign, casting doubt on her motivation. Corpus’ team argued the accusations against her should be viewed within the context of internal politics.
Several officers and union leaders testified they were retaliated against for criticizing the sheriff, but Corpus argued transfers shouldn’t automatically be seen as punitive.
While Corpus’ top brass have accused her of fostering a toxic and hostile environment, she used her first time on the stand to argue that problems at the sheriff’s office began long before she stepped into the role, describing a culture under her predecessors that rewarded donations to incumbents with promotions or favors.
Corpus’ legal team used the hearings to cast doubt on key county witnesses and defend the legitimacy of her personnel decisions and fraud investigations.
Beyond political costs, the prolonged removal processes carry a growing financial toll. The March special election alone cost $4.4 million, according to appropriations requests, while the Cordell report added at least $200,000.
Multiple news organizations, including this one, have requested records on the costs of Corpus’ removal, including county-commissioned investigations, legal fees and hearings, but the county has denied the requests, citing attorney-client privilege. This news organization has continued to seek the release of expenses.
County spokesperson Effie Milionis Verducci told this news organization that the Cordell report itself is not the legal basis for removal, but rather intended to ensure accountability.
Jim Lawrence, chair of Fixin’ San Mateo County and a former Foster City mayor, said only civilian oversight, independent of the office’s internal politics, can ensure lasting reform.
“We envision a San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office that delivers law enforcement to the highest standards, second to none — one where every resident is treated equally, and where transparency, accountability and trust are not just expected, but earned,” he said.
sjmerc_local_feedThis is it for the 49ers’ duo of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
No, the duo isn’t on the hot seat, but consider the 2025 season the beginning of either a glorious future or the end for the pair, which came in Santa Clara in 2017 and retired the winning standard of the red and gold.
But even the most successful of franchise leaders only have so much leash, and Shanahan and Lynch have already used up every inch of theirs, going through two “franchise” quarterbacks before finding Brock Purdy, the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Now Purdy is the third franchise quarterback, signed to the largest contract in 49ers history.
It was a no-brainer deal for the Niners and a win-win for the franchise and player — both parties earned serious concessions from the other in reaching the final agreement.
The deal also irrevocably intertwined the Bay Area fates of the three most important people in an organization — Purdy, Shanahan, and Lynch.
Perhaps the trio will lead the Niners to another golden era. No matter what, we’re down to brass tacks in the South Bay.
It speaks volumes about Purdy that Shanahan and Lynch have tied their San Francisco fates to a 6-foot quarterback coming off a six-win season. While the alternatives were not necessarily plentiful or obviously superior, there was still the realistic possibility of adding Purdy’s 2024 backup Sam Darnold, longtime Shanahan target Kirk Cousins (usurped in Atlanta), longtime bugaboo Russell Wilson, or Northern California native Aaron Rodgers. Such alternatives were relentlessly offered from outside parties, but those inside the Niners’ facility were steadfast in their zeal to sign Purdy.
Perhaps that’s because the powers that be know they’re only still in power in Santa Clara because they lucked into Purdy with that final pick.
The severity of the situation at hand is obvious.
The 49ers did a hard reset this past offseason, trading Deebo Samuel, cutting contracts the team deemed to be underwater, re-signing the team’s core three — Purdy, George Kittle, Fred Warner, loading up on 11 draft picks, and putting a full-court press to successfully bring back defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
In turn, the team could be pushing the message that 2025 is a gap year, saying that they’ll see what happens in 2025 but will be back to Super Bowl or bust in 2026. There are subtle ways of hinting at such expectations without expressly stating such beliefs.
Yet Shanahan and Lynch have said nothing of the sort so far. No, thanks to one of the most favorable schedules in NFL history (though making such proclamations before the season always proves foolhardy) and those big-money contracts to their middle linebacker, tight end, and especially their quarterback, it’s full-steam ahead this season.
Success of this experiment will be obvious. It will come in the form of a double-digit-win season, a playoff berth, and perhaps even a home playoff game. division titles. It could even look like 2023, when Purdy not only led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance, but also received MVP votes in the process.
Failure will not be obvious, but rather evidenced by dissonance. The team wins but Purdy struggles; Purdy is exceptional but the team around him cannot win games. It’s this kind of gray area that has unfairly cursed the young quarterback so far in his career — the 49ers’ wins apparently (if you listen to certain sects of media) have nothing to do with Purdy, but the losses are hung on the quarterback’s neck like an albatross.
It simply will not matter that his supporting cast is diminished or that his receiver core is questionable, at best. No, now that he’s the $265 million man (even though he might only see a third of that number) whatever deference the 26-year-old once received (minimal, it seems) will be gone.
And if he’s gone, then so too are the two who drafted him.
mtbcnarahtbeansidesjmerc_local_feedSANTA CLARA – The 49ers were mostly inert during free agency this offseason, choosing instead to focus on contract extensions with franchise cornerstones Brock Purdy, Fred Warner and George Kittle, while at the same time shedding salary to get younger following a 6-11 season.
It wasn’t looked upon favorably by a fan base hoping for some star power. There was one exception, and it was a big one in a physical sense. Luke Farrell is not big in terms of name recognition, but he plays big.
Almost lost in the whirlwind opening days of free agency was the team quickly reaching an agreement with tight end Luke Farrell. While throwing others overboard – allowing their own free agents to leave, as well as releasing some under contract – the 49ers extended a hand to Farrell, a 27-year-old four-year veteran with Jacksonville who received a three-year contract with $11 million guaranteed and a maximum value of $20.25 million.
It was a pretty good chunk of change for a team looking to reduce payroll, especially with the presence of a Hall of Fame candidate in Kittle already on the roster and still in his prime.
“I’ve heard from guys that have been there,” Farrell said of former Jaguars teammates who once played for the 49ers. “I like how they operate and the opportunity to play in this offense with these coaches and players.”
Since he arrived in 2017, the year Kittle was drafted, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has cycled through eight more tight ends – Garrett Celek, Logan Paulsen, Ross Dwelley (he left and came back last year), Levine Toilolo, Jordan Reed, Tyler Kroft, Eric Saubert and Brayden Williams.
None received the kind of financial compensation afforded to Farrell.
“I think having a No. 2 tight end in the NFL is huge,” Shanahan said. “Usually, there’s one guy who excels in the pass game and one guy who excels in the run game.”
Farrell, at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, has just 36 career receptions and has yet to score his first NFL touchdown. But he’s a people mover who operates almost as an extra tackle. Rather than rely solely on angles and leverage, Farrell can actually move the mountains that face him as edge setters or beasts coming on stunts from the interior.
“Luke, his (game) tape was very, very impressive,” offensive line coach and run game coordinator Chris Foerster said. “He literally has an impact on defensive ends. When he blocks or hits one, there’s movement. You see things with him that you don’t see in a lot of tight ends.”
The presence of Farrell, a fifth-round pick out of Ohio State in 2021, will put Kittle in the passing game more often as a receiver, either flexed or put in motion, while he takes care of a big percentage of the dirty work along the line of scrimmage.
“I take a lot of pride in it,” Farrell said. “Since I was in college, I’ve just really bought into the team mindset and whatever I can do to help propel the offense forward and the team forward and that’s what my role has been. Also, all I can do on special teams. It’s allowed me to have the career I’ve had so far, and I have a lot of gratitude for it.”
The attention paid to Kittle could result in Farrell’s first NFL touchdown as well as increased opportunities for Brock Purdy for a reliable set of hands as a receiver.
“He’s got unexplored talent in the passing game,” tight ends coach Brian Fleury said.
Which is fine by Farrell.
“I’m always in the mindset of wherever they need me, I’m going to be there,” Farrell said. “I’m going to be where I’m supposed to be, when I’m supposed to be there, and that’s as a receiver, too.
Kittle, like Farrell, was a fifth-round draft pick. He was also from a Big Ten school, Iowa, and has morphed from unassuming rookie with close-cropped hair to big-time, big-haired personality on a national scale.
Farrell carries with him the same mentality he had at Ohio State, where he was a player simply trying to make a roster at the outset. He didn’t see himself as an NFL player. An excellent student, Farrell’s long-term goal for athletics was staying involved as a physical therapist.
“I was a developmental guy at Ohio State, redshirted, and really didn’t get any significant time until my third year,” Farrell said. “Then it was like, `OK, this is a real possibility.’ Once it became possible, I just wanted to keep doing what I was doing and perform the role they wanted me in. When you have success on a team like that, you’re going to get the exposure.”
Farrell cuts an impressive figure among the position group, and Kittle is excited to see what he brings in terms of physicality.
“I like that he’s a big dude. I’m a huge fan of that,” Kittle said. “He’s got great tape. He’s excited to be here, and I’m excited to get to work with him, too. He’s an experienced guy and has played a lot of reps, so it’s not like you’re teaching a rookie.”
During the offseason, Farrell attended Tight End University in Nashville, the yearly summit for the position hosted by Kittle and fellow Pro Bowl tight ends Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen. Before that, Farrell’s connection to Kittle came in a Zoom meeting during the COVID pandemic.
“He was on because his dad had a connection with Kevin Wilson, who was our tight ends coach at the time. They both coached at Oklahoma,” Farrell said. “George had some down time, and we were just studying a lot of ball and were trying to pick up any skills we could just from film study.
“He hopped on with us, told us what he was about, gave us some of his experience and wisdom, having a handful of years in. (When I signed with the 49ers), he reached out right away and welcomed me.”
Farrell joins the 49ers, a Super Bowl contender, from a Jaguars team that went 4-13 last season after twice going 9-8. In Farrell’s rookie year, they were 3-14, so he knows what a losing locker room can feel like.
The 49ers, Farrell believes, don’t have the vibe of a team that went 6-11 a year ago.
“If you didn’t know what happened last year, you’d have no idea of their record,” Farrell said. “That’s a testament to the people in the building, and their resiliency and how professional they are. You don’t dwell on the past when you’re looking forward to the season.”
sjmerc_local_feedThe reigning Super Bowl champions have a system quarterback and a game manager.
That would be Jalen Hurts, who has played brilliantly in two Super Bowls, with the Eagles blowing out the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in New Orleans in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9.
Hurts completed 17 of 22 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 72 yards and 11 carries with another score in being named Most Valuable Player.
Which brings us to the supposedly disparaging faint praise which comes to quarterbacks that avoid turnovers, execute a system designed to fit their strengths and stay on top of things such as down, distance and the game clock.
All quarterbacks are in effect “system quarterbacks.” The Eagles’ system happens to use Hurts as a runner because he’s such a good runner – not exactly a novel concept – and uses his running skills as well as those of Saquon Barkley to set up the passing game.
The 49ers did the same thing with Brock Purdy in very different ways when he took over as the last pick of the draft in 2022 and then excelled in 2023.
Purdy was downgraded in some circles because of the talent of his teammates, and people were happy to point out a dip in performance when some of those players such as Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams had washout years because of injuries.
It stands to reason that the supporting cast matters to the central figure in the sport, who is responsible for 10 other players. Operating a system is huge. Managing a game is huge. These are not small things.
How would Patrick Mahomes be without Andy Reid installing a system? Joe Burrow without Zac Taylor? Look how Lamar Jackson has developed with offensive coordinator Todd Monken at the controls.
It’s time to celebrate system quarterbacks and game managers rather than demean them. Hurts doesn’t win without either, or without physically dominating players on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
The Josh Allen-Lamar Jackson conundrum
With the same media panel of voters, it didn’t seem to make much sense that Jackson would be voted the first-team All-Pro quarterback with Josh Allen winning the Most Valuable Player.
And yet it makes perfect sense if you take a few seconds and think about it.
Baltimore had eight players selected to the Pro Bowl aside from Jackson. Buffalo had Allen and no one else.
Jackson had better numbers – 4,172 yards passing, 41 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 915 yards rushing and four touchdowns and was deservingly first-team All-Pro. He led his team to a 12-5 record.
Allen passed for 3,731 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions. He rushed for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns. He led his team to a 13-4 record.
Allen did more with less in terms of a supporting cast.
In this case, splitting the All-Pro/MVP vote made perfect sense.
Super Bowl winner
Buffalo Bills: This time Allen and Co. not only get past the Kansas City Chiefs for a change, but deliver a first-ever Super Bowl win over . . . . believe it or not, the 49ers.
MVP
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati: The league is full of new era passing /running threats such as Jackson, Allen, Mahomes and last year’s rookie sensation Jayden Daniels of Washington. Operating from the pocket is getting to be a lost art. No one does it better than Burrow.
Offensive Player of the Year
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati: At the other end of many of Burrow’s targets will be Chase, who had 127 receptions for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns. He’s the gold standard at his position.
Defensive Player of the Year
Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas: This was my prediction a year ago as well. I’m making it again, believing a now-healthy Crosby paired with a Pete Carroll defense will be a perfect match.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas: Had 275 carries for 2,062 yards and 27 touchdowns at Boise State. Pencil the No. 6 overall pick out of Boise State in for at 1,500-plus yards and double-figure touchdowns as the central figure in the Raiders’ offense.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Abdul Carter, N.Y. Giants: Last time the Giants had a defensive end and the No. 3 overall pick with this much talent was Michael Strahan.
Coach of the Year
Kyle Shanahan, 49ers: Shanahan’s teams are expected to be good, so he’s usually not a realistic candidate. Last year’s 6-11 nosedive sets him up for a worst-to-first in the NFC West.
Comeback player of the year
Christian McCaffrey, 49ers: My heart tells me Dre Greenlaw will have a big year with Denver. My head tells me he’s more likely to break down than McCaffrey. Would love to be wrong on this one. Greenlaw’s one half of play – before going out again – was the highlight of the 49ers’ season.
Fearless 49ers forecast
Here’s a secret – the 49ers lost a lot of players they fully intended to lose and put their money back into stars such as Purdy, George Kittle and Fred Warner. If those three remain healthy and with a youthful infusion, 6-11 becomes 11-6 or better.
First coach fired
Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland: The whole quarterback thing – signing Joe Flacco and then drafting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders – is just plain strange. And not conducive to coaching stability.
Game of the Year
Week 4, Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs: Lamar Jackson thinks he should have won the MVP last season and Patrick Mahomes will be motivated to win another after stumbling in the Super Bowl.
Offensive moves that will mean the most in 2025
The Rams signed Davante Adams to pair with Puka Nacua. Matthew Stafford is the best pure passer Adams has had since Aaron Rodgers was winning MVPs with Green Bay. The Chicago Bears made a commitment to quarterback Caleb Williams by signing guard Joe Thuney, drafting 6-foot-8 tackle Ozzy Trapilo and signing center Drew Dalman in free agency.
Defensive moves that will mean the most in 2025
The New England Patriots paid top dollar (four years, $104 million, $63 million guaranteed) for defensive end Milton Williams. He’s more of a set-the-edge type than a pass rusher but will be difficult to move in a Mike Vrabel defense. Minnesota hopes to milk the last bit of football out of veteran defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, who were released by Washington and the 49ers, respectively.
Players under full-time injury watch
Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy lost his rookie season to a torn ACL and will replace Sam Darnold for a division-winning team. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott was limited to eight games when he tore a hamstring off the bone. Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga couldn’t stay on the field for the 49ers and now play for the Broncos.
Ranking the impact of new NFL head coaches
1. Ben Johnson, Chicago; 2. Pete Carroll, Las Vegas; 3. Mike Vrabel, New England; 4, Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas; 5. Liam Coen, Jacksonville; 6. Aaron Glenn, N.Y. Jets; 7, Kellen Moore, New Orleans
Two-way Travis
The Jacksonville Jaguars took Travis Hunter with the second pick in the draft and appear intent on allowing him to play on offense and defense. Are they being sincere? Or will Hunter get the kind of token effort the Raiders gave Charles Woodson to be a two-way player?
Rodgers and Pittsburgh
Aaron Rodgers, even at 41, is the most talented passer the Steelers have had since Ben Roethlisberger. The question is if Rodgers can leave the circus behind and put up one last big year under Mike Tomlin.
cosmolinguistYesterday was a delight. I got tipsy around some friends of friends, one of those being the person who always remembers to introduce herself and where she saw me last. She tells me when things are happening to the side of me where I can't see.
It turns out she works in a special education needs school, specifically in a class for kids with multiple sensory impairments, so she's like "oh this is nothing."
Access intimacy plus alcohol might be a hell of a drug, but then I don't feel I overstepped when she's the one who told me I must have a really good binder because she did not believe I have the cup size I told her I do, heh. The kind of conversation that'd be wildly unlikely and inappropriate in most contexts can be so fun when it finds the right one.
genartisjmerc_local_feedTwo Powerball players picked all the right numbers in Missouri and Texas on Saturday night, but that doesn’t mean that California was left empty-handed.
Saturday’s Powerball jackpot is the second-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. The pot ballooned from $1.7 billion to $1.8 billion between Thursday and Friday night. The largest Powerball jackpot in history was won in California on Nov. 7, 2022 for $2.04 billion.
The winning Powerball numbers were 11, 23, 44, 61, 62 and the Powerball was 17.
Powerball jackpot winners were found in Missouri and Texas. Match 5 and Power Play winners in Kansas and Texas will also be receiving $2 million. There were also several Match 5 winners throughout several U.S. states, including two from California.
If a player wins the Powerball jackpot, they can choose between receiving 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year that would total $1.80 billion or a lump sum payment of $826.4 million.
There was no jackpot winner in California, but there were still around 1.5 million winning tickets. Two Californians earned more than $1.5 million each for guessing the five white ball numbers. The winning tickets were sold at Love’s Travel Shop in Tehachapi and Circle K in Dublin.
On Wednesday, there were winners who got $2 million for getting the Match 5 and Power Play in Michigan, Oregon, Texas and Wyoming. There were also two people in California who won $1 million each for the Match 5 game, buying tickets in Bakersfield and Riverside. Wednesday’s jackpot totaled $1.4 billion or a cash value of $654.3 million.
The next drawing will be on Monday. The jackpot resets to $20 million, or a cash prize of $9.2 million.
The odds of winning one of the prizes are 1 in 24.9, but those chances slim down to 1 in 292.2 million for the jackpot.
sjmerc_local_feedSAN JOSE — Bay FC’s second-half slide continues.
Bay FC has not won a match since returning from the NWSL’s summer break, a streak that now stretches across six games after a 1-0 loss to the league-leading Kansas City Current on Saturday at PayPal Park.
Michelle Cooper scored the game’s first goal for Kansas City (16-2-1), tucking a shot inside the right post and past Bay FC goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz in the 45th minute. Temwa Chawinga sealed the win with a goal after a sterling streak into the box in the second minute of second-half stoppage time
Bay FC (4-10-5) had a number of chances to equalize in the second half but could not find the finishing touch in the final third. Forward Rachel Hill had multiple chances to connect with crosses near goal but was unable to make sufficient contact with the ball.
“We just put a good performance out there,” Bay FC coach Albertin Montoya said. “Now we get ready to go to Orlando, and we’ve got seven games left. Those are games against teams that we’ve played well or have had some success against, so we’ve got to keep moving forward. That’s all we can do.”
In its first home match since the historic showcase game against Washington at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Bay FC drew 11,520 fans in San Jose.
Bay FC remained in 12th place in the NWSL standings with the loss and trails eighth-place Gotham FC by seven points for the final playoff spot. Now in its second year, Bay FC finished seventh in the NWSL last season and made the playoffs in its inaugural campaign.
“You never want to lose,” Silkowitz said. “Honing in on the loss, yeah, it’s important to learn from those moments, but it’s important to not get down. Because we do have seven games left, and anything’s possible. We’re not out of the picture in any way, shape or form. And that’s not the attitude amongst this team. We’re like, ‘We’re going.’ And the next game is the most important.”
sjmerc_local_feedAfter crashing into the front of a jewelry store, multiple suspects stole an unidentified amount of jewelry from a San Jose jewelry store on Friday, authorities said.
The robbery targeted a store on the 1900 block of Aborn Road around 2:09 p.m. The suspects drove a car through the storefront. Multiple suspects then entered the store and broke the display cases and took jewelry. Police said at least one suspect was armed with a firearm. The suspects fled the scene in multiple vehicles.
Chris Moore, a politician who ran for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors last year, said that his friend’s 88-year-old uncle owned the shop, according to a post on the social media site X. According to his post, the storeowner was injured by broken glass and then had a stroke.
San Jose police have not identified or arrested any of the suspects. The SJPD Robbery Unit is investigating the incident. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the SJPD Robbery Unit at SJPDRobbery@sanjoseca.gov.
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