Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco 49ers defense will see a familiar foe on Sunday in Detroit. The team will open its season against quarterback Jared Goff and the Lions. The Niners, of course, played against Goff regularly when he was with the Los Angeles Rams. An offseason trade shipped him out of the NFC West and to Motor City.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan isn't making any assumptions, though. This is a new Lions team with a lot of new players and new coaching staff. So there isn't really a way to predict what they might do. As for Goff himself, Shanahan respects the former division foe and knows not to underestimate him.
"Goff's played at a very high level in this league," Shanahan said this afternoon on KNBR's
Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks show. "We all know, if he has the time to throw, and I know they've done that with the Rams the best when they mix up the run and the play-action very well, and when they've got their run game going and had some good play-action off that, and he had a good pocket and stuff, I know that he was as accurate and as good as any quarterback."
Shanahan believes Lions head coach Dan Campbell and offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn will do what they can to put Goff in the best situation possible. The 49ers coach expects to see the Lions run game prominently featured, potentially setting up Goff for success.
That could mean the 49ers defense facing a familiar offense in Week 1.
"I know with Anthony Lynn being there and how important the running game is to him, and his history, I think it will be some similar stuff to what we're used to," Shanahan said.
However, there is also the chance that the Lions throw something unexpected at the 49ers. Shanahan and his players have to be prepared for that too. The truth is, Week 1 matchups can be tough to plan for. Yes, you have a lot more time to think about your game plan, but you are also less confident in what you might see.
"But again, you think about all that stuff, and you've got six days to talk about that all in between and everything, but you really never know until that first quarter comes and you kind of see what they're doing," Shanahan explained.
"Yeah, it might be similar to how Goff's played in the past with the schemes he's been in. If it is, then we've got a pretty good idea. If it's not, then you still play football, you go through your keys, and regardless of what's going on, you hope your front four can get to him."
The 49ers and Lions kick off their regular seasons on Sunday from Ford Field.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
You've heard stories about San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan installing a play and breaking down exactly how he expects the defense to react. Then, when the players execute the play, everything occurs as the coach explained, as if he had a crystal ball to predict the outcome.
Shanahan is a confident play-caller, emphasizing execution by his players to ensure everything goes as planned. The 49ers acquired a big-time playmaker last season, trading for star running back Christian McCaffrey, who had already established himself as one of the most versatile players in the league.
Even McCaffrey marvels at the things his play-caller comes up
Arik Armstead is looking forward to the upcoming season. There is a lot to look forward to. His San Francisco 49ers have been to the NFC Championship Game three times over the past four seasons. They once again have a competitive roster and look to make another run at a Super Bowl championship.
Armstead joined Adam Schefter on the ESPN insider's podcast, discussing several 49ers-related topics.
New defensive coordinator Steve Wilks
Steve Wilks replaces DeMeco Ryans as defensive coordinator. Armstead had nothing but praise for his former coordinator, who left to be the Houston Texans' head coach, but looks forward to working with Wilks.
Wilks isn't expected to make any drastic changes in his first season helming the 49ers defense.
San Francisco 49ers offensive line/run game coordinator Chris Foerster and special teams coordinator Brian Schneider spoke with reporters after Wednesday's practice, the sixth of organized team activities (OTAs). Here is everything they had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Chris Foerster
Obviously, you had a big change at right tackle with Denver Broncos T Mike McGlinchey leaving this off season, what is your confidence level in OL Colton McKivitz and where does that kind of stem from?
"Colton, he's done a great job for us through the years he's been here. He's always had to fill in short spells and has done a good job for
Rohan Chakravarthi and Marco Martinez discuss the San Francisco 49ers recent OTAs practices, standouts, offensive line issues, depth around the team, and more.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our
