San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is hoping to deliver a devastating one-two punch on opposing defenses with running backs Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida. The two aren't just dangerous carrying the football out of the backfield, they can create mismatches and cause headaches catching the football as well.
There is no bitterness on Breida's part about having to back up yet another running back as he enters his second NFL season. He's excited about being McKinnon's teammate. The two played together at Georgia Southern.
"We're like brothers," Breida said of McKinnon on the Tolbert & Lund Podcast this week. "We played together. He was there my freshman year when he was a senior, and I got to know him. He's a great player. I always looked up to him. I was like, 'I want to be like him. I want to make it to the NFL.'
"Now that we get to play on the same team, not only that, but at the same position, it's rare. That never really happens. So we've got to make the most of the opportunity."
Shanahan also joined the Tolbert & Lund Podcast this week and discussed his two running backs, starting with the hard-working Breida.
"Matt Breida, he's a different bird," Shanahan said. "It doesn't matter what you do. He's that guy who's going to work as hard as he can no matter what – if he's by himself, if he's in front of everyone, if he's the starting back or the last back.
"We got him as an undrafted free agent. You could tell the first day of rookie minicamp that not only was he talented but he's got a special mindset and stuff, and that's why he's gotten so much better here in a year."
Then Shanahan discussed McKinnon, who was one of the 49ers' top free agent targets this offseason. When evaluating running backs, you obviously start with how well they run the football, and the 49ers felt McKinnon was one of the better ones available when it came to that skill.
Being able to catch the football out of the backfield only increases a running back's value, especially within Shanahan's offense. In McKinnon, Shanahan and the 49ers saw a running back who is consistent at beating man-to-man coverage, whether it be against a linebacker or safety, and a player who, like Breida, is smart and hard working.
"I said this a ton, but we don't like to give money to people who don't work because when you do that, players see it and you don't want to reward those guys," Shanahan said. "When you bring in a free agent like that, especially one you haven't worked with, it's very important to us that he works. Since he's gotten here, he's been one of our hardest workers on the team. That's really how everyone rolls on our team."
You can listen to the entire interview with Shanahan below.