San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is widely considered to be one of the best offensive minds in football, and his squad's 8-0 start is proof of that. You're not going to get any argument from one of the newest Niners, Emmanuel Sanders.
The 49ers traded for the veteran wide receiver on October 22, and he has already made an impact on offense. Sanders hauled in seven passes for 112 yards and a touchdown a week ago against the Arizona Cardinals. He has a touchdown reception in each of his two games with San Francisco, matching his scoring total in seven games this season with the Denver Broncos.
Sanders joined 95.7 The Game on Wednesday and praised his new head coach, who also happens to be the 49ers' play-caller.
"He's super smart," Sanders said. "I've also had my fair share of offensive coordinators, and Kyle, he stays ahead of, in my opinion, he stays ahead of the defense. He can predict exactly what the defense is going to do, and he puts us in a lot of perfect play calls, and it's impressive.
"I don't really notice it because I'm in the full swing of the game. I'm just making plays, and I'm wondering why I'm running wide open. Then I go and watch the film and look at his play calls versus the defense that they gave us; it's just perfect play calls.
"He's very, very sharp. He's a wizard when it comes to offensive play-calling, and I'm just blessed to be able to have an offensive coordinator like this guy in terms of his play calling, but also a head coach because I love his energy, how he approaches the team, and treats guys like grown men. We have fun, but at the same time, we work hard and remain focused on the goal ahead."
That goal is a championship.
Sanders has been part of a championship team, having won Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium while with the Broncos. He said he sees the making of a championship contender in Santa Clara.
"I'm not saying that because it's the right thing to say," Sanders added. "Every single bit of [the team makes me believe that]. It's definitely got the right nucleus and the right energy around here to do something special this year, and so that's the goal."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Sanders below.