Chris Coduto-USA TODAY Sports
Deebo at RB? Jennings at FB? Why the position changes can even confuse 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan
Nov 24, 2021 at 4:17 PM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Deebo Samuel played 10 snaps in the backfield, rushing eight times for 79 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He wasn't the only receiver that lined up in the backfield.
Jauan Jennings had one snap as a fullback.
And let's not forget
Trent Williams,
who was an eligible receiver on one play. However, it's not like he lined up on the outside. And everyone knew Jimmy Garoppolo was likely going to look in the big offensive lineman's direction, leading to the defense being aggressive with him on coverage.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan joined KNBR on Wednesday afternoon and explained why playing some of his guys out of position, as was the case with Samuel and Jennings, can be a significant advantage and confuse opposing defenses.
"When everyone's assigned a certain player in man coverage," Shanahan explained on the
Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks show, "and they're looking for them by the numbers or in the slot every single play their whole life, and then you break the huddle very fast, and you snap it in one second, no one really can find that guy who's all of a sudden in a three-point stance behind the quarterback."
Of course, that can sometimes lead to Shanahan and the 49ers coaching staff being confused too.
"You try to just do that stuff, and unfortunately, it kind of confused us a little," Shanahan admitted, "because when we snapped the ball, it looked like they had 11 guys inside the box because no one knew where to go, and we ended up busting a couple of guys open.
"But you don't always know how it's going to play out. It's some of the different things with doing something that's unexpected. You feel like someone's going to get open, but you don't know exactly how they're going to react to it."
After two impressive back-to-back games that featured a heavy dose of the 49ers' rushing attack, it will be interesting to see how the team attacks the Vikings on Sunday. Both squads are 5-5, and a win would significantly boost the victor's playoff chances.
According to ESPN's Football Power Index, San Francisco enters Week 12 with a 54 percent chance of making the playoffs. A win would increase that to 70 percent. But, a loss drops the percentage to 30. The Vikings' chances would see a similar increase or decrease, depending on the outcome of the game.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Breaking down the 49ers drafts under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan
We are less than one week away from the NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers have their first day-one draft pick since 2021. That was the year they selected QB Trey Lance number three overall. The trade-up to get Lance cost the 49ers their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. And now that they are back in the first round, at pick 31, fans are anxious to see what the team does with the pick. And with former assistant GM, Adam Peters, now in Washington, it will be interesting to see how well the 49ers draft without Peters in the room.
We looked back at the seven drafts GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have led to see what information we could pull from those drafts. There were plenty of hits, plenty of misses, and a few surprises along the way. The draft picks are
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,
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
Why one analyst is worried for Brock Purdy if 49ers trade Brandon Aiyuk
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy achieved a remarkable feat in 2023, setting a single-season franchise record with 4,280 passing yards. This accomplishment is noteworthy, considering the illustrious quarterbacks who have graced the organization's history.
A significant portion of those yards came from wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who amassed a career-high and team-leading 1,342 receiving yards. Most of his 75 catches originated from passes thrown by Purdy.
Amidst significant offseason chatter surrounding the 49ers' star receiver, including several unsubstantiated trade rumors, Aiyuk's future remains uncertain. Former NFL player James Jones, now an analyst, expressed concern for Purdy should Aiyuk's tenure in the Bay Area come to an end.
"I
