Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Why Kyle Shanahan hopes 49ers “Game Changer” chain is gone for good
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Last year, during a primetime matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, wide receiver
Deebo Samuel showed off some flashy jewelry. Following his second touchdown of the night, Samuel donned the San Francisco 49ers "Game Changer" chain.
You might remember that game as the one that saw Samuel thrust into the "wide back" role. He only saw six carries before that Week 10 matchup but had 53 after that, not counting the playoffs.
Cornerback Jason Verrett was the one who purchased the chain, which was designed by Rafaello & Co. earlier in the season. The goal was to use it to highlight a player who made a spectacular or game-changing play.
The chain has since vanished, and head coach Kyle Shanahan hopes it doesn't make a return.
"I was not a big fan of the chain," Shanahan told reporters after Saturday's practice. "I think anything gimmicky and college-like is kind of lame to me. Jason Verrett got it for us, and he's as cool of a guy as I know, and the players thought it was cool, so I didn't tell them no or anything. But I was really hoping we didn't use it in the wrong way because I think we're more professional than that."
The coach admits that he didn't really mind seeing Samuel use the chain during that specific game.
"But the time that [Deebo] did choose [to wear it], I can't lie, it didn't come off that bad," Shanahan said. "I've liked their decision-making on it. I don't know if it's gone. I hope it is, but I trust those guys to handle it right, and they haven't let me down so far."
The 49ers will once again face the Rams in primetime. The two teams are set to square off on Monday night at Levi's Stadium.
Related News
LISTEN
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Why 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is so comfortable with Brock Purdy
Kyle Shanahan has a lot of trust in Brock Purdy's ability to run the San Francisco 49ers offense. That's significant, considering Purdy is a second-year quarterback, was last year's final pick in the draft, and entered last season as QB3.
Now, Purdy is the guy. The 49ers made that clear by letting go of quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance. Garoppolo signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as a free agent, and the Niners traded Lance, a former No. 3 overall pick, to the Dallas Cowboys.
Shanahan joined KNBR on Thursday for his weekly radio interview and was asked if he would say his comfort level with Purdy exceeds that of any other quarterback he's worked with as the 49ers head coach.
"Yeah, I would," Shanahan responded on the "Tolbert and Copes"
What if the 49ers haven't had a good game yet?
Through three weeks, the San Francisco 49ers have scored 30 points per game and held their opponents to just 14 per game. They rank at or near the top of effectiveness metrics in all three phases of the game. Simply put, they're crushing the NFL underfoot, and not making it look particularly difficult.
It's still only been three weeks, and there's a long season ahead of the 49ers. For a team performing at such a level that they're lapping their opponents, it's not difficult to make an argument that this smooth sailing isn't going to last forever. No one expects even the best teams to make it through the regular season undefeated, and the Niners will undoubtedly face their share of adversity this year.
But even understanding that, it's also pretty easy to
49ers injury news: Deebo Samuel avoids serious injury, other updates from Kyle Shanahan
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan jumped on a conference call with reporters on Friday afternoon, the day after the team's 30-12 win over the New York Giants. Shanahan provided several injury updates.
Linebackers Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Dre Greenlaw emerged from Thursday night's game with low-ankle sprains. Both are day-to-day. The good news is that players have some extra time off before returning to work on Monday, when the 49ers begin preparing for the Arizona Cardinals.
The only other player who was banged up in the Week 3 contest is wide receiver Deebo Samuel. The 49ers initially feared a rib injury, but
Kyle Shanahan even more impressed with Brock Purdy after 49ers-Giants film review
After the San Francisco 49ers' 30-12 victory over the New York Giants on Thursday night, head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed how happy he was with his second-year quarterback, Brock Purdy, despite some miscues.
"It definitely wasn't his best game, but I think Brock played well," Shanahan said. "I mean, he definitely wasn't perfect. Missed a couple of throws, but he also made a couple of plays that I didn't think were there. So I was definitely happy with him."
The next day, after reviewing what his team did against their Week 3 opponent, the coach was even more impressed with his quarterback.
"After watching the film, I was even more impressed than I saw last night after the game," Shanahan said Friday afternoon via a conference call. "We missed a
