San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with media members Sunday night, and he offered up some thoughts on veteran running back Alfred Morris.
The San Francisco 49ers may have lost Week 3 of the 2018 preseason to the Indianapolis Colts 23-17, but veteran running back Alfred Morris was surely one of the Niners' bigger standouts.
Thanks to injuries suffered by fellow running backs Jerick McKinnon (calf) and Matt Breida (shoulder), the 49ers were forced to go out on the free-agent wire and grab Morris, who thrived under head coach Kyle Shanahan when he was the Washington Redskins' offensive coordinator back in 2012 and 2013.
Now 29 years old, one might wonder how much Morris has left in the tank after San Francisco grabbed him on a one-year deal earlier this preseason.
"I definitely have plenty left in the tank," Morris told KPIX 5's Dennis O'Donnell after his preseason debut Saturday.
But with McKinnon and Breida being more of the shifty, elusive tailbacks on San Francisco's roster, some might have thought Morris' plan would be as a short-yardage, third-down runner if he winds up making the 49ers' 53-man squad this season.
"I was really pleased with how Alfred ran the ball," Shanahan told reporters on a conference call Sunday night. "He was running the ball really good in practice, and our O-line was blocking well in practice. I was very excited how it carried over to the game."
San Francisco's starting offensive line had, perhaps, its best effort Saturday in Indianapolis. And that helped pave the way for Morris to register an impressive 17 carries for 84 yards for 4.9 yards per attempt.
So much for the idea of being a short-yardage back.
"Alf can do all of it," Shanahan explained when asked if Morris was going to be a short-yardage carrier. "Alf always gets a little bit more than you block him for. I like that in all our runners, but I do think he brings a bit different of a dimension to it. His size, his weight. He can carry people a little bit further when they are unblocked.
"He gets a lot of explosive runs. Those don't always score the touchdown or get the long one. But he's a very efficient runner, and that's why he's had a lot of success in this league."
Despite Morris' standout effort, the 49ers' plan for the running back depth chart in 2018 is anything but certain. McKinnon and Breida look to have locked up spots, leaving Morris, special teams ace Raheem Mostert and long shots Joe Williams (out with a rib and hip injury) and Jeremy McNichols as dark-horse candidates.
Still, Morris' impressive preseason debut should give Shanahan and Co. a tough decision, which is exactly what he'll want when formulating this position.
While most starters don't see action in the fourth and final preseason game, it wouldn't be overly shocking to see Morris get a few reps on Thursday, Aug. 30 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Unless Shanahan is convinced and needs no more evidence to keep Morris around into the regular season.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
