San Francisco 49ers third-string quarterback turned starter joined the Rich Eisen Show on Friday to discuss his impressive NFL debut the night before.
Mullens became an instant media sensation after beating the Oakland Raiders in what was billed as the final Battle of the Bay and leading the 49ers to their second victory of the season. He completed 16-of-22 pass attempts for 262 yards with three touchdowns and a passer rating of 151.9 while becoming the first player to throw for two-or-more scores in his 49ers debut.
Mullens' cell phone had an equally busy night. The quarterback estimated that he looked through about 500 text messages after the game, he told Eisen. His number of followers on Twitter has grown by over 250 percent since he took the field on Thursday night. His account even got verified during the game.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan had a lot of confidence in Mullens because the quarterback has been with the 49ers since April 29, 2017. He's been with the team for two offseasons and knows the playbook just as well as C.J. Beathard.
Shanahan didn't have to scale back the offense as he had to do last season when Jimmy Garoppolo took his first snaps as a Niner. The head coach Shanahan said the day before the game that the only change needed was adapting to Mullens' strengths.
"Just from a mental standpoint of knowing what to do, we won't skip a beat in that way," Shanahan said.
Mullens confirmed with Eisen that Shanahan didn't limit him at all against the Raiders.
"He really didn't change the playbook, to be honest," Mullens said. "That was the cool thing. He let me go command the offense, gave me a lot of freedom, let me make good decisions, and put me in good positions to succeed. He definitely called a great game and let me have success."
Eisen asked Mullens to clarify what kind of freedom Shanahan gave him in his NFL debut. It's not like he was out there changing plays.
"He just didn't alter the playbook, and I was very appreciative of that," Mullens explained. "He had confidence that I knew the system and I was ready to operate it, and I was, so I definitely appreciate him believing in me."
H/t to Patrick Tulini for the find.
