Originally posted by JTB1974:
Am I the only one who finds it rediculous that Kyle is getting critisized for not giving Mason way more carries than he does? He's the backup RB. In what universe does the backup get just as much playing time as the starter if the game has not been decided yet? Grant ofcourse is the worse for this as he actually thinks Mason should get more carries than CMC. If the game is still on the line the starters are going to get the majority of the work. It's just the way it is. Especially when that starter is an all-pro. And I like Mason, I think he is a good RB but he is still the backup. I also think Kyle finds it very predictable if Mason is in the backfield, The defense knows he is getting the ball. At the end of the game it doesn't matter because the defense knows you are running the ball anyways, Whether you have Mason or CMC back there.
If CMC is not on the field, Defenses likely know you are not passing the footballl. As he is your best receiving threat.
All in all, it's silly. Depending on the score, what quarter it is, how much time is on the clock, down, and distance... Shanahan will send out certain personnel with CMC, and the defense will send out their own personnel.
More than likely, Shanahan probably calls a run play because he saw that maybe the other team sent out a defensive back instead of a linebacker, or he liked a matchup. Likewise, if they sent out a linebacker, he calls a pass play and motions CMC to the slot. He can even set-up motions where he moves CMC around and it opens things up for other people. There are so many different ways that he can attack because he has CMC.
Meanwhile, you trot out Jordan Mason, he can probably just call standard run plays and that's about it. It's obvious we're going to call a running play, and it's unclear where we even trust Mason in pass protection, or if he has any ability in the NFL passing game. In the one drive where he did spell CMC before the final drive, Jordan Mason rushed for 1 yard, Purdy was sacked on the next play, and then we got stuck with 3rd and long. The offensive series with Mason just didn't have the same rhythm as when CMC is in the game.
But I do feel that we need to get Jordan Mason more up to speed, because he's proven to be very effective in the small package of plays he can run. He's definitely a talented runner and someone that should get more touches.