San Francisco 49ers coaches and players spent around two hours speaking with reporters on Thursday, and along the way they shared several intriguing quotes and tidbits.
49ers Webzone has a number of articles posted on today's media session, but there were also quite a few items that didn't make their way into those pieces. Here's a roundup of some of those items, which includes some quotes of note from defensive end Nick Bosa, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, and tight end George Kittle.
(See also: 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo's handling of Trey Lance situation has earned him a new level of respect among teammates | John Lynch, DeMeco Ryans 'encouraged' by 49ers rookie Ambry Thomas' play | Still-Improving Nick Bosa eyes 49ers single-season sack record | 49ers-Falcons game will feature two of the NFL's most unique weapons in Cordarrelle Patterson, Deebo Samuel | 49ers' George Kittle, DeMeco Ryans make pitches for Nick Bosa winning player of the year awards)
Bosa impressed with Aaron Banks
Fans haven't seen much of 49ers second-round draft pick Aaron Banks this season, but that doesn't mean he isn't making progress at practice.
49ers defensive end Nick Bosa has had the chance to match up against the rookie offensive lineman at practice this season and on Thursday he told reporters that Banks is better now than he was earlier in the year.
"He seems stronger, but yeah, just pass protection's better, more stout," Bosa said. "I don't go against him too often, but when I have, and I've seen him in one-on-ones and stuff, he's looking good."
That's encouraging news given how little Banks has played this season. He's appeared in the last five games for the 49ers, with most of his snaps coming on special teams.
Not this again
COVID-19 dominated the headlines in the NFL on Thursday due to an abnormally large amount of players testing positive across the league along with the announcement of new leaguewide protocols. The 49ers haven't had the types of problems with COVID-19 this season that other teams are experiencing (knock on wood), but there seems to be some frustration nonetheless given what's going on around the league at the moment.
"A little bit," Juszczyk said. "I'm cautious to say anything because I don't know exactly what all the rules are yet. We haven't been told everything. But I definitely think there's some frustration in the locker room, especially because we've been clean this whole year. We haven't even sniffed COVID here, and we've been following all the rules we've been given. So it's a little frustrating. We hate to see things going backwards. We felt like we were moving in the right direction. I'll stay positive and say hopefully these regulations get more guys playing on Sunday. Hopefully, we get what we want out of it."
Jauan Jennings - the next Kendrick Bourne?
While former 49ers receiver Kendrick Bourne has moved on to find success with the New England Patriots, the 49ers may have found the next version of him in Jauan Jennings—at least in one particular way.
Jennings has emerged in recent weeks as a valuable depth piece at wide receiver, giving the 49ers a boost at a position that needed some depth coming into the season after Bourne's departure in free agency. Jennings hasn't yet put up the same level of production as Bourne, but he's been making some important plays while bringing a similar presence to Bourne in the locker room.
"Definitely," McDaniel said. "There's a lot of similarities. We've said that a bunch—players and coaches alike. He does bring a unique energy, and he is the same guy every day, which is important in a marathon of a season."
Jennings spent much of last season developing on the practice squad after being selected in Round 7 of the 2020 NFL Draft. An injury cut that development short, but he bounced back in Year 2 to find a place on the roster and is now settling into a more prominent role. Jennings may have been a player many fans forgot about heading into the season, but the coaches never gave up hope that he would develop into someone they could depend on.
"It doesn't matter what round—anytime you draft a player, you're doing that with those hopes," McDaniel said. "As a coach, you're not going to give up on a guy, and you're going to assume he's capable of that. I wouldn't say surprised—that's not fair. We were confident, especially after his rookie year with where he left before he got injured that he would make a jump. But you never know until you know."
Who's The Mack
The 49ers had a question mark heading into the season at the center position, where former starter Weston Richburg was forced to retire due to injuries. But they addressed that need by signing veteran and former Pro Bowler Alex Mack, who has filled the role nicely.
At age 36, Mack wasn't expected to play at the level he did earlier in his career when he was named to six Pro Bowls over his years with the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons. But he's done the job for the 49ers and will be facing the Falcons on Sunday for the first time since signing with the 49ers over the offseason.
Juszczyk spoke with reporters about the difference Mack has made in his first season with the 49ers.
"A big one," Juszczyk said. "He really is directing traffic out there. I think one of the things that he's best at is being such a clear communicator. That's so key when it comes to making points in the run game, to communicating third-down protections and all that stuff. He's so clear and concise. He gets up there and it's quick. It's done efficiently. I think that's shown in our execution. Having him there has really helped."
Not like 2019, in a good way?
Speaking of the Falcons, Sunday's game at Levi's Stadium will mark the first time the 49ers have played them since hosting them during their Super Bowl season of 2019. The Falcons came to town on December 15 of that year and handed the 49ers one of their three regular season losses, which came as a surprise given that the Falcons had just four wins at the time.
That loss was one of two in a three-week span, which marked a brief but rare slump of sorts for that team. The circumstances are different this season, with the 49ers currently in possession of a Wild Card spot at 7-6 while the Falcons are competing for one of their own at 6-7.
The 49ers are favorites this week and are expected by many to win. But could they wind up having a similar slip-up to 2019?
If they do, it won't be because of a lack of preparation, according to Juszczyk.
"It's come up at some point that we had that let-up two years ago, but man, I feel like so much is so different," Juszczyk said. "We're in such a different situation. This team is so different. As much as we love to go back and talk about 2019—and I love to do it myself, it was a great year—but this team is just such a different team than what we were two years ago. And not necessarily that it's all new guys—it's just we have a new identity and things have come together differently. So I don't think there's too much correlation, and I don't think we need any extra motivation, to be honest. I think we're going to be ready to go for this team."
Deebo the Natural
Some of Juszczyk's best comments on Thursday were about Deebo Samuel, who has found a new role in the 49ers' backfield.
But just because Samuel is having success at running back doesn't mean he's putting in the same amount of studying at the position as the others.
As a matter of fact, Juszczyk says Samuel doesn't seem to need any studying at all... which makes his success more eye-opening.
"The impressive thing is he spends almost no time," Juszczyk said. "He's never in there with all of us. That's just a testament to him and just how natural of a runner he is. Bobby T [running backs coach Bobby Turner] takes him aside between periods, and it's just a few coaching points here and there. He's not in there writing a book and showing him a million clips on tape and all that kind of stuff. Deebo just seems to understand it, and he has a really good sense of things. He's natural back there. So we just give him a couple pointers, then everyone kind of gets out of the way and lets him do his thing."
Give Trent his respect
Trent Williams has been one of the best players in the NFL this season, at least going by Pro Football Focus ratings.
Williams has a 99.0 grade to this point from PFF, which would be their highest mark given to any player in their brief history if it holds.
"Williams has been a dominant force this season and should win Offensive Player of the Year if the voters for such awards acknowledged offensive linemen," wrote Sam Monson of PFF this week. "He is by far the best player on this line, and the unit doesn't really have a weak link."
But while Pro Football Focus is taking notice of what Williams is doing this season, not everyone else is. Williams isn't among the top vote getters at his position in the Pro Bowl voting, which is an obvious oversight by fans—one that has 49ers tight end George Kittle fired up.
"The fact that Trent Williams is eighth in Pro Bowl voting I think is absolutely insane when he's probably the most talented player in football," Kittle said.
It's a good bet that Williams will get the ultimate recognition five years after his career comes to an end—his own bronze bust among the immortals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. But Kittle would like to see Williams get more credit long before then.
"The lack of respect that Trent Williams gets I think is outrageous," Kittle said. "I know he gets highlights posted every once in a while, but you just watch every single game, every single clip, he just physically dominates every single person that goes across from him. The fact that he's not talked about more because I don't know, what are we, 7-6 or something like that? I think it's outrageous. He's a hell of a football player that needs way more recognition."