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The success of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Deebo Samuel and his former offensive coordinator, now the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel, are linked together. One would not be where he is today without the other.
Samuel had a breakout season in 2021, accumulating 1,770 all-purpose yards and 14 total touchdowns on his way to NFL stardom. Before that, however, were some discussions with McDaniel. To motivate Samuel, the coach did his best to predict what could happen with some hard work.
According to Peter King of NBC Sports, McDaniel wanted Samuel to emerge as a leader on the team. Samuel was hesitant, feeling that he wasn't the vocal-leadership type. That's not what McDaniel meant, though. He wanted his receiver to lead by example, work hard by pushing himself in practice, and show that he could be a great student of the game.
Said McDaniel, via the
latest Football Morning in America feature: "I said, 'If you do that every day and stay healthy and take care of your body and all that extra leg work that the true great ones do, at the end of the season, you'll be first team all-pro and you'll make me a head coach.'"
Now, Samuel is an All-Pro, voted to the honorary roster after his impressive third-year campaign. In addition, McDaniel is a head coach, thanks in part to Samuel's efforts helping the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game for the second time in three seasons.
McDaniel knew he needed his young receivers to step up this past season. For Samuel, that meant taking on a dual-threat role in Week 10 and improving upon that effort with each passing week.
Brandon Aiyuk struggled out of the gate but found his footing as the season progressed.
"This past season, I had a talk with him in the offseason," McDaniel said via King. "I was meeting with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo at 6 a.m. every day during training camp because we needed them to step up. I asked Deebo, 'Are you the best player on the offense?' He was like, 'Yeah.' I said, 'The time is now. Do you really wanna be great? Greatness is hard. That's why it's great. It's not easy. It's a burden, really.'"
Those meetings weren't limited to the offseason. Every Tuesday, Samuel would come to McDaniel's office and wait for the coach to find time to discuss the upcoming game plan. Keep in mind that Tuesdays were when the coaches were in the midst of installing that game plan, so having a player wait around for you between speaking with other coaches and reviewing film of your opponent is irregular.
"No player in my career has ever bothered me on a Tuesday," McDaniel said.
McDaniel found the time, though, knowing that Samuel was eager to contribute and capable of being a big part of the offensive attack.
The offensive coordinator eased Samuel into the run-game plan, slowly introducing new plays into his repertoire.
"Each week, I'd add like one new type of run so he wouldn't have to learn too much, but the defense hadn't seen it," McDaniel said. "By the end of the season, he could do almost every type of run that running backs could do."
Samuel had amassed 502 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns by the end of the season, including the playoffs. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the receiver's role in 2022 won't change. Samuel will continue to be a threat both through the air and on the ground.
"Yeah,
I'm perfectly fine with it," Samuel told reporters after the season. "Like I stated all year long, I'm down for whatever to help this team win in every aspect."
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 isn't one to seek the spotlight. He exudes politeness, respect, and an even-keeled demeanor when speaking to reporters during interviews. Nothing we've seen from the San Francisco 49ers quarterback's time off the field would indicate that it's a facade.
However, on the field, Purdy can show some fire, particularly after a big play or in an effort to ensure his teammates are on the same page as him. While praising the third-year quarterback, one unnamed former NFL executive expressed a desire to see more of that fire from Purdy in the future, believing it is crucial to his development.
"Brock Purdy is one of the most talented arms that I've seen," the former executive recently
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
(Episode 330) — Legendary columnist Mike Silver joins the show to discuss the Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors and trade value, priorities in the secondary, Mike's book, and more! You can read Mike's work at the San Francisco Chronicle.
The audio for the show is embedded above. Remember to subscribe!
You can watch the interview below.
You can listen to the latest "No Huddle Podcast" episode above, from
