Analysis of upcoming Raiders-49ers game, Aiyuk drama

With some insight, let's climb inside the huddle, say hello, and good morning to our good friend, Rob Statz-Guerrera, owner and operator and host of the Gold Standard San Francisco 49ers Podcast Network. Good morning, Rob. Good morning, Frank. Well, let's start with Buckner. He's huge. He's 6'7", 295-pounder. He'll be in uniform today. Talk about the pickup and what it means to that Niner D as he comes back to the team. I think it's a huge lift for me. I think it's a huge lift for me. And also, Diggy Zua, that have 20 pressures. They're only the fifth team in the NFL that can say that. He's going to make everybody else's job easier along that defensive line, particularly today against the quarterback and Kirk Cousins. That is a statue in the pocket. Yeah, he's had a pretty good year, though. We'll get to him in just a moment. Let's talk about Mr. Buckner's sidekick. Number 99 is in the mix. So is number 97, Nick Bosa. Kind of double trouble for the Raiders today. He's been out five games. Cousin's going to be busy today, I have a feeling. Yeah, the return of Nick Bosa, again, another guy that just lifts all boats, right? Great against the pass, great against the run. And the bottom line is they need Nick Bosa to start producing the way that a highest paid defensive player needs to produce for this team to get where they want to go. The rest of the season is about securing the number one seed in the NFC. And in order to do that, you got to beat the teams you should beat like today. And you need Nick Bosa to get after the quarterback. Brandon Aiyuk, we haven't said that in a while, but it's a story that won't go away. Hired an agent, asking for reinstatement, showed up at Niner headquarters Friday. What do you make of that? And do you see any chance of him playing a down of football for the Niners this year? There's better chance that I play a down at football 49ers this year than Brandon Ayuk. It is not happening. Now the 49ers are saying that he owes the team $13 to $14 million in signing bonus money. And until that gets worked out, nothing is going to happen with the NFL. And here's the dicey part for Ayuk. If he is not reinstated before the trade deadline, which is Tuesday, the 49ers can block his reinstatement by rule. That would mean he would stay on the reserve retired list. They wouldn't pay him any money, and he would just be an afterthought. So if he's going to get reinstated to play for anybody this year, they have to get that worked out. They have to get the arrest warrants worked out for this incident. So it is a long road for Brandon Aiyuk to play. Yeah, with a two-day window, too. Probably not happening. Let's talk about the Raiders. First trip here to the Bay since they had left in 2019. They're 4-4, finally got a leader quarterback, as you mentioned, and that guy, Kirk Cousins, who's having a big year. Thoughts on Cousins and how to keep him down. Kirk Cousins is a really good quarterback. There is a reason he was Kyle Shanahan's first love. Get the ball out where it needs to go on time. If you're going to slow down this Raiders offense, which has been very good this year, they score 27 points a game. You have to get pressure on Kirk Cousins. You have to move him off of his spot and disrupt the timing. When he gets in a rhythm, that's when he's his most effective. Niners are only 4-3 against the spread. Vegas is a 10-point dog right now. Where are you leaning in this one? I think the 49ers are going to come out and put a whooping on the Raiders. The Raiders' defense allows six yards per play. That's almost the worst in the NFL. The 49ers' offense gains six yards per play. That's one of the best in the NFL. So you've got a strength of San Francisco and a weakness of Las Vegas, plus DeMarcus Robinson is back. That's somebody that Brock Purdy is comfortable throwing the football to. I think the 49ers are going to put a hurtin' on the Raiders. Sounds good. I was going to ask you for a step, but you already gave us one, so I'll just say thank you, Rob. And how do we find your podcast? Just search 49ers Gold Standard on YouTube or wherever you get your audio podcast that we pop right up. Or you can also hear us after the game on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco. Beautiful. Okay. Enjoy your football Sunday, Rob. Always a pleasure. And we'll see you next week. Thank you, Frank. All right. Here's your lineup on this football Sunday here on Fox. Kick it off.