Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wishes he would have called a different play than the one that resulted in an injury to
Trey Lance, but he's not about to second guess the play itself or why the call was made.
Shanahan spoke about the play after the 49ers' 27-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, which took place late in the first quarter while holding a 3-0 lead. He said the play was the same that netted the 49ers a big run from
Deebo Samuel earlier in the possession, but Lance was the one doing the running this time, and it resulted in an ankle injury that will keep him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
"There's a few options on the play," Shanahan said. "It could have been a handoff. The D-End went up on the play. It's the exact same play we ran three plays before that where Deebo got a 52-yarder. So there's a lot of stuff that goes into it."
The outcome of that play led to second-guessing among some fans and media, but Shanahan said it's a call he won't hesitate to make again.
"Anytime a guy gets hurt I wish I didn't call that," Shanahan said. "But no, that's something we were going to do and something we would continue to do. That's a football play we believe in and something that gives him a chance to be real successful in this league."
Shanahan pointed out to reporters after the game that other teams run the same play, including those who have more expensive and established quarterbacks than Lance.
"Do you guys watch other teams in this league? Buffalo does it all the time with their quarterback (Josh Allen)," Shanahan said. "It's a pretty normal play. It's part of football. It's unfortunate that he hurt his ankle on it but it's a very normal-ran play. Watch some other people."
Lance's injury means the quarterback position is now back in the hands of
Jimmy Garoppolo, who fortunately gives the 49ers a very experienced option that can keep their postseason aspirations intact.
"We feel very fortunate to have Jimmy here as our number two quarterback, especially when your starter gets hurt," Shanahan said. "It's good to know the experience and how good of a player he is. We've lost our starting quarterback I think the fourth time in sixth years, so we have been in this before. I do feel we're a little more prepared with our backup right now, so I'm happy for that."
Meanwhile, the 49ers will need to add more depth at the quarterback position, but whoever comes in likely won't jump ahead of rookie
Brock Purdy. The 49ers were ready to make Purdy their backup quarterback behind Lance if they weren't able to keep Garoppolo, so expect Purdy to be the next man up if something happens to Garoppolo.
"If Jimmy wasn't available we were going to go with Brock as our number two. So we've got a lot of confidence in him. Obviously we've got to get another guy in this building, whether it's a third or whether it's on practice squad but we need a third guy."
One of the biggest debates since the San Francisco 49ers' Week 2 win over the Seattle Seahawks has been head coach Kyle Shanahan's use of Trey Lance. Many feel that the excessive use of quarterback runs unnecessarily put the second-year player in harm's way. Lance ended up suffering a season-ending ankle injury in the first quarter.
During an interview on 95.7 The Game, fullback Kyle Juszczyk defended his head coach. He doesn't understand the criticism directed in Shanahan's direction, and the growing lack of trust from a very vocal segment of the fanbase.
"I think he deserves that trust, and he's built that reputation to have that trust," Juszczyk told Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto. "He's had so much success in the decisions that he has made here that I think he's
The San Francisco 49ers had already lost Trey Lance for the game. Later, they would learn that he was done for the season. Jimmy Garoppolo replaced Lance, and the team was just one injury away from fullback Kyle Juszczyk playing snaps at quarterback. Juszczyk was the emergency quarterback, while rookie Brock Purdy was inactive.
Shanahan gave Garoppolo some run plays, including a quarterback sneak to get the offense into the end zone later in the game.
Jimmy G QB sneak 🙌And that should do it.📺:
San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. replaced Elijah Mitchell on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. Wilson finished the game with only 22 rushing yards on nine carries. That averages out to just over 2.4 yards per attempt.
It sounds like Wilson will start on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks as the Niners look to rebound from their unexpected Week 1 loss. The backup role is up for grabs, though. The team has rookies Ty Davis-Price and Jordan Mason available. San Francisco also signed Marlon Mack to the practice squad.
On Wednesday, a reporter asked the coach if there would be a competition this week for the right to serve as the team's RB2.
"Yeah, for the most part," Shanahan responded. "That's what it was last week. We knew it was just
It's been a long, strange trip for Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers, and it got even stranger on Sunday when he found himself back under center after what appears to be a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Trey Lance.
Garoppolo has been with the 49ers since being traded from the New England Patriots in 2017. He led an unexpected late-season emergence after the trade that saw the 49ers finish with five consecutive wins -- a streak that sparked newfound optimism into a franchise that completely rebooted itself earlier in the year with the hiring of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch after firing head coach Chip Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke following a 2-14 season in 2016. But that optimism vanished quickly in 2018 when
