Second-year right tackle Mike McGlinchey is seen as the eventual replacement for left tackle Joe Staley when the 13-year veteran eventually ends his NFL career. So there was some thought that maybe the San Francisco 49ers would at least flirt with the idea of moving McGlinchey to the left side with Staley sidelined for six to eight weeks with a broken fibula.
That's not going to happen, and it doesn't sound like it was ever even considered.
Instead, rookie Justin Skule will fill in at left tackle for the injured Staley. The thought of throwing a rookie in there at what is perceived to be such an important position along the offensive line is enough to give fans pause. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, after all, is coming off of a serious knee injury. He looked good this past weekend in San Francisco's rout of the Cincinnati Bengals. While Garoppolo may feel healthy, many say it takes well over a year to get back to 100 percent — physically and mentally.
Now, the 49ers' franchise quarterback will have a rookie anchoring one side of the offensive line in front of him. So why not even consider moving the more experienced McGlinchey to fill in for the injured six-time Pro Bowl selection?
"I don't see a difference," head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday. "Von Miller always rushes on our right side, so I think there's movies named after the left side and stuff like that, but once you get past that then I don't see much of a difference."
McGlinchey, who joined 95.7 The Game on Wednesday, agrees with his coach's assessment.
"There is no difference other than body mechanics and the label that's put on the left tackle," McGlinchey told Damon Bruce, Ray Ratto, and Matt Kolsky. "I think Kyle hit it on the head when he talked about it earlier this week. [...] I saw four to five of the best (pass) rushers in the NFL all last year, and I play right tackle. If I didn't do my job, we would have had long days against those guys."
McGlinchey was asked if he was ever approached about temporarily moving to the left side.
"No, I was not," he responded.
Well, there you go. McGlinchey will stay on the right.
Shanahan isn't expecting perfection from Skule in his first start or any of the games that follow. That's not to say the coach doesn't have confidence in the rookie. After all, Skule made the 53-man roster because he was, in the 49ers' eyes, the best player available. If Skule hadn't been, he would have been looking for a job once the roster cut-down deadline arrived.
Some feel the 49ers should make a trade for a replacement left tackle, but Staley will be back this season. At least, that is the plan. Paying a high price for a fill-in player doesn't fit the 49ers' M.O.
"We wouldn't have kept Skule on our roster if we didn't think he was an NFL player," Shanahan said on Wednesday. "You always want to give those guys more time, because the more time they have, the better they get. But, that time ran out. He's going to go this week, and I know he's going to have some ups and downs, but I believe he's made of the right stuff."
Trial by fire, it is.
The positive is that Skule has support around him. After the injury, Staley got to work on mentoring and helping prepare the rookie for his first NFL start.
"I'm going to do everything I can," Staley told NBC Sports Bay Area. "One of the things I have here, I definitely have years. I have a lot of knowledge. I always thought of my post-career, when I'm done playing football, it would be good to be a coach. So here's a time to get a little taste of that."
McGlinchey is also a source of knowledge at Skule's disposal. He is used to receiving guidance from Staley and has seen a lot of that veteran knowledge being passed down to the rookie since Sunday.
"Joe's obviously a great teammate. He's been in this facility every day since (the injury)," McGlinchey said. "He's helping Justin and I still get ready, like he always does, and he's in great spirits."
While McGlinchey is anxious to get his teammate and friend, Staley, back in the lineup, he sees the injury as an excellent opportunity for Skule.
"Justin has played both positions for us since he showed up here," McGlinchey added. "I'm pretty sure he started his last two or three years at Vanderbilt on the left side, so we're going to be okay with Justin at left tackle."
You can listen to the entire conversation with McGlinchey below.
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