Emmanuel Sanders has now played two games with his new team, the San Francisco 49ers. He recorded his first 100-yard game with the organization on Halloween night during a 28-25 win over the Arizona Cardinals and has found his way into the end zone in each of his two games.
Sanders, who joined Adam Schefter's podcast this week, credits his early success to his new head coach, Kyle Shanahan, who also serves as the team's play-caller.
"Yeah, he's smart," Sanders told ESPN's Schefter. "I'm blessed to have an offensive coordinator like that. Even from the Panthers game to the Cardinals game, he definitely stays ahead of defenses and knows what's going, and knows how to get players open. That's everything that I can ask for. I feel like I can go out and get the job done with a guy like that calling the plays."
The trade for Sanders sent him from a struggling Denver Broncos team to the undefeated 49ers, who currently sit at 8-0. The receiver reached the mountaintop with his former team, winning Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium. The locker he used in the game now belongs to San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman.
New 49ers' WR Emmanuel Sanders talks about his trade from Denver to San Francisco and why the 49ers' locker room is a special place.
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— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 6, 2019
Sanders' locker sits beneath a regulation basketball hoop, where he'll sometimes have to dodge shots by his teammates. Besides that, he's having a great time with his new squad, which he noted has some similarities to the Super-Bowl-winning team of which he was a part. Sanders loves the energy in the locker room.
"The guys that they've brought in, there's no cliques on this team," Sanders said. "There's no offense, defense, special teams. There's no cliques. Everybody fits in. Everybody has a job to do. Everybody's energy is just right. It's very positive, which could be easy because [the 49ers are] 8-0.
"I feel like even with this team, no matter what, the circumstances (that) come about, it's just positive energy all around the board. That was the first thing that really caught my eye when I walked in, was the pieces that's put in. It's a special unit. You can tell because of the chemistry that goes on in the locker room."
Click here to listen to the entire interview with Sanders, which begins at about the 1:40 mark.