Originally posted by jonnydel:
Originally posted by Wubbie:
Question for you, Jonny!
Since Deebo has been lining up a lot at RB in the back half of the season, has he actually been running a lot of RB routes in the passing game?
I don't recall seeing him pick up a lot of receptions that way, but the Texas concept we ran at the end of the Packers game was a key reception.
I could totally see us trying to attack the Rams linebackers in that way.
He hasn't. I think a lot of it is time on task. That role was meant for McKinnon/Hurd/Mostert. That's who's gotten all the practice reps at that for the past 3 years. Deebo going there was born out of necessity and so he didn't get any training camp or mini camp reps at it. He's learning some of these routes he's never run before on the fly.
Ahhh.. I figured that's what it was. It's pretty insane that he even gets so many runningback carries, despite never formally playing runningback. But it's been a natural learning progression. First, he was just running outside plays... and then when defenses started to defend for that, they started running more inside plays.
It was kind of cool to see Bobby Turner talking to him in the Dallas game, just praising him for how he read the play on his big TD run. I just get the sense that Coach Turner has been giving him very valuable coaching on running those plays.
Do you think the 49ers should explore having him branch out more as a RB in the offseason?