Eric Ting
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Articles by Eric Ting
The 49ers went cheap this year. It handed the Seahawks a Super Bowl.
Posted by Eric Ting on February 9, 2026 Tags: Categories: Bay Area Sports SFGATE columnist Eric Ting points the blame for this 49ers humiliation at one man. Top Sports Stories RSS Feed
The 49ers went cheap this year. It handed the Seahawks a Super Bowl. Original
The Legion of Boom Seahawks overtaking the Jim Harbaugh-era 49ers, while painful, at least had a feeling of inevitability to it. Frank Gore, Patrick Willis, Justin Smith and others were clearly aging, and Colin Kaepernick’s regression made it obvious that the 49ers of that era had an expiration date. Also, the early-2010s Seahawks were absolutely loaded on both sides of the ball — so much so that even Seahawks fans lament they won only one Super Bowl (thank you, Malcolm Butler).
The 49ers can absolutely win the Super Bowl in a garbage NFL
Posted by Eric Ting on December 26, 2025 Tags: Categories: Bay Area Sports Against all odds, SFGATE columnist Eric Ting believes the 49ers’ time is now. Top Sports Stories RSS Feed
The 49ers can absolutely win the Super Bowl in a garbage NFL
Under normal circumstances, a defense like the one I described above would disqualify that team from any sentence containing “Super Bowl” in it. But this season is hardly normal. The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, considered by most NFL pundits to be the best two NFC teams, both lost to the 49ers earlier this season.
The 49ers can absolutely win the Super Bowl in a garbage NFL
San Francisco 49ers tight end Jake Tonges celebrates on the field during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (Zach Bolinger/AP) Yes, I am aware the San Francisco 49ers' defense allowed a 44-year-old Philip Rivers to drive the field for long stretches of Monday night's three-touchdown victory. Yes, I'm aware that defense has its only two Pro Bowl talents sitting on injured reserve.
The 49ers can absolutely win the Super Bowl in a garbage NFL
NFL facing possible nightmare playoff scenario in Week 17 that could kill the drama in final week of season The 2025 NFL season has been full of drama, but that drama might not carry over into the final week of the season. Heading into Week 17, there are …
It's time for 49ers QB Brock Purdy to suck it up and play
Posted by Eric Ting on November 6, 2025 Tags: Categories: Bay Area Sports The 49ers need their franchise quarterback, writes SFGATE columnist Eric Ting. Top Sports Stories RSS Feed
It's time for 49ers QB Brock Purdy to suck it up and play
“Anytime you’re dealing with this turf toe, it’s something that probably won’t fully go away all year,” Shanahan said. “Regardless of when he comes back, he’s gonna always have to deal with it a little bit.
The hard lessons the 49ers must learn from the Jake Moody saga
Posted by Eric Ting on September 10, 2025 Tags: Categories: Bay Area Sports SFGATE columnist Eric Ting isn’t sure cutting Moody will solve the bigger problem. Top Sports Stories RSS Feed
The hard lessons the 49ers must learn from the Jake Moody saga
But the sunk-cost fallacy trap came back with a vengeance with how they handled Moody. It was an enormous investment to take a kicker in the third round, and the only thing worse than missing on the pick was doubling down on that bad investment, which in Moody’s case meant more misses. When the Buccaneers took Roberto Aguayo in the second-round of the 2016 NFL Draft and he struggled, he was gone after just one season.
Will the 49ers fall into the same NFL Draft trap a third time?
But Kocurek is not Jesus, and hasn’t been able to save everybody. I write this because there’s a common thread that connects the two most high-profile instances where he failed — Javon Kinlaw and Drake Jackson — as well as some of the options in the 2025 NFL draft. In short, those players were freakish athletes in serious need of technical refinement and were selected with the belief that Kocurek could coach them up.
It's time for the 49ers to tank
Even in a year the NFC West is a cesspool of mediocrity, the San Francisco 49ers are going nowhere. All they needed to do was tread water until the return of Christian McCaffrey and their usual November and December surge. But, thanks to even more injuries, as well as some issues that are not getting fixed in 2024 (more on that later), this team is a loss to the Buffalo Bills away from being all but eliminated from the playoffs.
The reassuring truth about this 49ers season
If you told any San Francisco 49ers fan going into the 2024 season that the team would start 3-3, they would probably panic. Hell, there are likely many 49ers fans who, even after Thursday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks, still want to freak out faster than DK Metcalf freaks out over the slightest inconvenience. I am here to tell anyone with itchy panic button fingers to abstain, because context is everything.
Why even the Chiefs game doesn't matter for the 49ers right now
If you told any San Francisco 49ers fan going into the 2024 season that the team would start 3-3, they would probably panic. Hell, there are likely many 49ers fans who, even after Thursday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks, still want to freak out faster than DK Metcalf freaks out over the slightest inconvenience. I am here to tell anyone with itchy panic button fingers to abstain, because context is everything.
The GOP says San Francisco is a mess. Kamala Harris should agree.
Kamala Harris is going to turn America into San Francisco. As in: a dystopian land of homelessness, open-air drug markets and business exodus. That’s according to the Republicans who are now scrambling to campaign against Harris, the vice president who has reenergized the Democratic Party after President Joe Biden bowed out of the 2024 presidential race. The San Francisco attacks will be potent.
The 49ers drafting Ricky Pearsall is indefensible
There is no plausible defense for the San Francisco 49ers’ selection of Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall at pick No. 31 in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Harsh? Yes. An overreaction? Most certainly not. Pearsall is a “reach” by any objective measure; you need to scour the internet to find any mock drafts that had Pearsall going in the first round, and the lead draft experts for ESPN and NFL Network had Pearsall as Day 2 picks on their big boards.
The one thing the 49ers must do in the first round of the NFL Draft
The San Francisco 49ers realistically have just one more chance to win a Super Bowl with this core. It sounds dramatic, but it’s the truth. After the 2024 season, Brock Purdy will need to get paid, and the ensuing roster reshuffle will lead to a bleeding of top-tier talent as San Francisco seeks to become salary cap compliant in 2025 and beyond. Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle aren’t getting any younger, either. All of the chips must be in for 2024.
Calif. Republican primary voters are walking into an embarrassing trap
California Republican voters absolutely despise Adam Schiff. They may be about to hand him a Senate seat. Late last week, a new poll from the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies showed Schiff and former Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey as the favorites to advance out of Tuesday’s primary to November’s general election.
The Comeuppance | Almeida Theatre
★★★★ “Clever, funny and compelling” Financial Times ★★★★ “A magical, original piece of theatre” WhatsOnStage I guess this is just that age. The Age of Shit Showing Up. The Age of Bad Choices Seeking Their Consequences. Autumn 2022. A group of friends gather hours before their high school reunion. 20 years have passed since graduation: some have had children; some have moved to the other side of the world; some have been to war. But there’s another presence in their midst.
Kyle Shanahan is a better 49ers coach than Jim Harbaugh ever was
It has come in many forms over the past two weeks. The declaration, in some way or another, that “Kyle Shanahan’s legacy is at stake in Super Bowl LVIII.” I’m here to tell you that it really isn’t. The 49ers’ coach has already cemented his legacy among his NFL contemporaries and in 49ers team lore. Unless he goes full Greg Roman (how is that man back leading an NFL offense?) with his play-calling Sunday, Shanahan is already the second-best coach in 49ers history.
This man may be why the discourse around 49ers' Brock Purdy is worse than ever
To show you how easy the Brock Purdy discourse should be, I am going to list a series of statements that can all be true at once. Brock Purdy is a good quarterback. Physically, he is not on the level of Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson (and he himself would tell you that). He certainly benefits from having the four horsemen of the yards-after-catch apocalypse in Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle also on the 49ers.
The bizarrely predictable way the 49ers could lose to the Packers
Don’t let the large point spread fool you. Or the San Francisco 49ers’ royal No. 1 seed status and the Green Bay Packers’ lowly No. 7 seed status. Or the talent gap between a 49ers team with nine Pro Bowlers and a young Green Bay team that’s more plucky Cinderella story than threatening contender. It is, somehow, oddly easy to envision a world in which the Packers spring an upset on Saturday, largely because of a handful of recurrent 49ers issues the Packers are uniquely positioned to exploit.
It's embarrassing Ron DeSantis agreed to debate Gavin Newsom
For months now, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been trying to land a televised debate with Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. Until this week, DeSantis has responded to those overtures in the only sensible way, by refusing to take them seriously. “What I would tell him is, you know what? Stop pussyfooting around,” DeSantis said of Newsom in July. “Are you going to throw your hat in the ring and challenge Joe [Biden]? Are you going to get in and do it?
The Pac-12 might finally be on the brink of collapse
The Pac-12 Conference has been slowly marching to the edge of a cliff for quite some time. It's now only a handful of steps away from falling off it entirely.
Oppenheimer's grandson on the 1 thing he would have added to the movie
Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is a smash hit at the box office and highly regarded among critics. It also has the approval of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s grandson Charles, a Bay Area resident who told SFGATE that while he was initially unsure the film would do his grandfather’s story justice, he left his screening of the movie satisfied. Charles Oppenheimer is the son of Peter Oppenheimer, who is depicted as a young child in the film. J.
Pamela Price charging key figure in Brooke Jenkins' office with crime
On Monday evening, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced that she was charging one of her former employees — now a key figure in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office under Brooke Jenkins — with a misdemeanor for his conduct earlier this year, when he was still employed by Alameda County.
'This state is under tyranny': Scenes from California's latest secession movement
Sharon Durst, leader of the secessionist El Dorado state movement, knows people don't take attempts like hers seriously. Past efforts to split rural California counties off from the rest of the state have accomplished little beyond inspiring ridicule — which the former rancher, now in her 80s, experienced directly as an early supporter of the infamous state of Jefferson.
'This state is under tyranny': Scenes from secession movement in El Dorado County
GET LOCAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Privacy Notice 'This state is under tyranny': Scenes from secession movement in El Dorado County Updated: 4:29 PM PDT Jul 17, 2023 Sharon Durst, leader of the secessionist El Dorado state movement, knows people don't take attempts like hers seriously.
Scenes from California's latest secession movement
It’s true that California has a unique problem of representation in state government. No state in the country has fewer state legislators per capita; the problem is especially stark in rural areas like El Dorado County, population 192,000.
San Francisco's Anchor Brewing Company says it's ceasing operations
July 12, 2023 Anchor Brewing Company, a historic San Francisco craft brewery, announced Wednesday morning it is ceasing operations and liquidating the business. In a press release, Anchor Brewing spokesperson Sam Singer said that economic pressures made business no longer sustainable, and that employees were given their 60-day notice Wednesday. In June, Anchor Brewing limited distribution to California and axed one of its most popular beers.
1 year in, Brooke Jenkins defends her record, blames Chesa Boudin
July 6, 2023 After campaigning for the recall of Chesa Boudin and being named his replacement by Mayor London Breed, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is nearing the end of her first year in office. During the recall effort, Jenkins had a simple pitch to voters: The progressive Boudin had unleashed lawlessness in the city, and replacing him would help reduce crime. “Crime rate is directly linked to his failed policies,” she tweeted in January 2022.
John Roberts digs at Nancy Pelosi in Biden student loan debt opinion
“People think that the president of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness,” Pelosi said at the time. “He does not. He can postpone. He can delay. But he does not have that power.
How a miracle-obsessed megachurch conquered a California city
It's hard not to get drawn into the sermons of Bill Johnson. With his soft-spoken voice and frequent quips, Johnson, senior leader of the nondenominational megachurch Bethel Church in Redding, California, is so charismatic he can make stories about God sending "glory clouds" to rain gold dust on Bethel worshipers sound folksy, even reasonable.
Adam Schiff thinks he can save San Francisco
June 27, 2023 California Rep. Adam Schiff visited San Francisco over the weekend, participating in the city’s annual Pride Parade along with Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who has endorsed Schiff in the Senate race to succeed Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The most recent Senate polling shows a competitive race, with Schiff and Rep. Katie Porter at the top of the field, followed by Rep. Barbara Lee.
SF group releases new 'Fentalife' ads responding to backlash
Still, TogetherSF Action, aligned with San Francisco’s moderate faction of politicians, is leaning into the outrage on this new round of advertisements.
Shasta County debates whether N-word should be allowed at meetings
A week after a white resident used the N-word at a Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting, and a Black resident who expressed outrage over the use of the slur was removed, Board President Patrick Jones reaffirmed his belief that citizens have a right to use the N-word at board meetings. His remarks were not well received by residents in the room, and the board is slated to formally vote on the matter in a future meeting.
How ex-Dodger Steve Garvey could spice up California's Senate race
Let’s get one thing out of the way: Garvey — even if he runs as a moderate Republican in the mold of Arnold Schwarzenegger — has less-than-miniscule chances of winning a statewide election with an “R” label next to his name on the ballot. Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans 2-1 in California and given modern polarization dynamics, if Democrats nominated a paper bag, and Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln, the paper bag would probably win.
Latest Shasta County turmoil involves N-word, ejection from meeting
Tuesday’s incident came during public comment following a presentation on the installation of tiny homes in the county. The man who used the racial slur, identified by A News Cafe as Alex Bielecki, said he was worried about where the homes could possibly be installed. “When you devalue someone’s house, that’s wrong, and I’m telling you straight up, I’m not a fool, I’m not a [N-word],” said Bielecki, who is white.
Ron DeSantis has a problem in California
May 30, 2023 In February, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was leading former President Donald Trump in polling for California’s 2024 Republican presidential primary. Now, he’s not only losing, but might have a difficult time regaining his footing, a new poll shows. The Berkeley Institute of Government Studies poll, conducted among 1,472 Californians likely to vote in the March 2024 GOP primary, found Trump leading DeSantis 44% to 26%, and no other candidate receiving more than 4% support.
Calif. Dems are out of step with their voters on Feinstein, poll says
Amid the health concerns, a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll released Thursday found that 67% of California voters agree with the statement, “Feinstein’s latest illness underlines the fact that she is no longer fit to continue serving in the U.S. Senate.” A plurality of Californians (42%) believe Feinstein should resign, while 27% say she should stay, and 31% said they were not sure.
Oprah Winfrey could replace Dianne Feinstein in Senate, report says
That leaves the “caretaker” route, in which Newsom appoints someone who doesn't enter the Senate race, and the Associated Press story provided just one name that has been “floated in California circles” as a caretaker pick: celebrity talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
Recall campaign against Mike Lindell ally in Shasta County heats up
May 19, 2023 Shasta County District 1 Supervisor Kevin Crye, an ally of MyPillow CEO and 2020 presidential election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell, is facing a citizen-led recall effort because of his role in the county’s decision to get rid of Dominion voting machines in favor of an expensive plan to hand-count ballots. On Wednesday, Crye joined Lindell’s TV show to preview his anti-recall messaging.
2 new alarming Dianne Feinstein reports push this saga beyond disgrace
The fact that the majority of the California Democratic delegation has seemingly decided it's fine to use Feinstein as nothing more than a meat puppet to rubber-stamp judicial nominees is a disgrace, both to Feinstein and to her constituents, who ought to demand more out of their elected officials than that. But two new reports that circulated Thursday have brought this saga beyond disgrace.
Khanna repeats call for Feinstein to resign after reporter incident
Politico characterized those comments as Khanna “seem[ing] to slightly step away from his call” for Feinstein's resignation, though he did tell Politico he still thinks the senator should resign. Wednesday — a day after reporters from Slate and the Los Angeles Times spoke with Feinstein, who reportedly told them, “I haven’t been gone; I’ve been working” — Khanna was more emphatic.
Sustained outrage in San Francisco over Banko Brown Walgreens killing
Those who attended Tuesday’s meeting echoed others who attended the three board meetings in the weeks following Brown’s death, slamming Jenkins and urging the board to do more to hold Anthony accountable. “It looks like we have to come back here yet again because Brooke f—king Jenkins won’t prosecute the person who murdered Mr. Banko Brown,” resident Jordan Davis said. “Seriously, what the f—k is wrong with this DA? Banko was literally unarmed and posed no threat to that security guard’s life.
CNN's 'What happened to San Francisco?' special comes up short
Column: SFGATE politics editor Eric Ting argues that CNN's hourlong special on San Francisco was frustratingly incomplete May 16, 2023 Sunday, CNN aired an hourlong special titled “What Happened to San Francisco,” in which reporter Sara Sidner spoke to Mayor London Breed and a host of her ideological allies, all of whom offered some version of the following message: It's time for the city to take a “tough love” approach with its homeless residents.
Group behind 'cheerful' San Francisco fentanyl ads explains them
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Group behind 'cheerful' San Francisco fentanyl ads explains them
May 16, 2023 A new San Francisco political group is launching an ad campaign sure to get attention: a series of pastel-colored ads joking about the city’s response to the fentanyl crisis, tied together by the jaunty slogan, “That’s Fentalife!" This week, the ads will appear in the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods, the two places where overdose deaths have been the most prevalent.
Brooke Jenkins releases video of Walgreens shooting, won't charge Original
May 15, 2023 San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins released on Monday a video of a private security guard shooting and killing 24-year-old Banko Brown following an altercation in a Walgreens store. With the release of the video, Jenkins announced that she will not charge the guard. The video shows that the guard, Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, attempted to stop Brown from leaving the store with what he said were stolen goods.
Unusual Supreme Court majority upholds controversial Calif. bacon law
A slim majority of the court rejected this argument, and the lineup was scrambled ideologically. The five who took California's side were Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. The first three were appointed by Republican presidents, while the latter two were appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama.
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