Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
49ers’ Deebo Samuel was terrified of Kyle Shanahan during his rookie season
Sep 22, 2021 at 7:45 PM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Kyle Shanahan is tough on his wide receivers. That's a little tidbit that San Francisco 49ers wideout
Deebo Samuel revealed on Wednesday night
during his interview on 95.7 The Game's
Damon, Ratto & Kolsky show. In fact, as a rookie in 2019, the receiver was downright frightened of his then-new head coach.
Samuel was asked if he's ever been on Shanahan's bad side.
"I wouldn't say bad side, but as a rookie, though, I was kind of terrified of Kyle," Samuel admitted. "As a rookie, trying to learn this offense, and he expects you to be top-tier, and you're not actually there, and it was kind of getting frustrating. But me and Kyle had our days in games where we kind of bumped heads a little bit, and it's just coaching, really, so I take coaching very well. We never had an altercation or anything along those lines. He just wants what's best for every player that he has."
The topic, of course, led to Samuel's teammate,
Brandon Aiyuk. Some have wondered if the second-year player might be in Shanahan's doghouse, which the head coach has repeatedly refuted.
Expectations were high for Aiyuk heading into the season after a productive rookie campaign last year. However, the 23-year-old receiver has just one catch for six yards through two games.
"Like Kyle stated in the media, he had an injury here and there, and I think they didn't want to kind of like throw him out there in the water due to [him] not practicing so much," Samuel explained. "But as you can see, he played a pretty good [number of snaps] last week, just getting back in the flow of games.
"One thing about Kyle, he's our head coach, and he's also the hardest on the wideouts. So we've got to go 10 times harder than most groups out here. And he's harping on the little things that we do, so we have to just be more detailed and just more locked in as a group."
Needless to say that Shanahan probably isn't being too hard on Samuel this season. The wideout is on pace for a big season and leads the NFL in receiving yards with 282 on 15 catches, including a touchdown.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Samuel below.
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Deebo Samuel and Brock Purdy are why the 49ers can afford to pay Brandon Aiyuk
It's evident that the San Francisco 49ers engaged in long-term financial planning. Much discussion has centered around the feasibility of the team committing significant financial resources to two wide receivers, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Some skeptics question the wisdom of such heavy investment in a single position, especially considering that the 49ers handed Samuel a substantial three-year extension merely two years ago.
Adding complexity to this debate is the impending contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy, positioning him to become the highest-paid player on the team. He will likely even become one of the NFL's highest-paid players. Where he ranks in average salary will depend upon whether he can replicate the stellar performance of his Pro Bowl 2023
Mike Silver on how Deebo Samuel's contract might be the starting point for a Brandon Aiyuk extension
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
Brock Purdy hopes Kyle Shanahan makes addition to 49ers playbook
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards last season, leading the team to the Super Bowl and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He held onto the football 39 times on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and scoring twice. This marked a significant improvement over his rookie 2022 campaign when he had 22 carries for 13 yards and a score.
Purdy further displayed his athleticism during the 49ers' playoff game against the Detroit Lions last season, helping engineer a comeback victory while rushing for 48 yards on five carries.
On Tuesday morning, Purdy joined the "Pat McAfee Show," acknowledging that he believes he can contribute more rushing yards if called upon. However, that decision rests with head coach Kyle Shanahan,
49ers sign WR Trent Taylor, reuniting with former draft pick
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
