Pinnock caught a glimpse of the 49ers' offensive firepower during offseason workouts. In a conversation with NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco, he shared his early impressions of the Brock Purdy-led unit.
Now that he's had some time on the practice field, Pinnock was asked what stands out as the biggest challenge when going against Shanahan's scheme. His answer included one player who creates more problems than most.
"Just the shifts, the motions, the way they play with underneath players," Pinnock said. "Juice (fullback Kyle Juszczyk)—oh, man, he's a headache personnel-wise. We joked about that when I came out here for Thursday night [in 2023]."
Pinnock was referring to the 2023 Thursday Night Football matchup, when the 49ers dominated the New York Giants in a 30-12 win. With San Francisco drawing a last-place schedule for 2025, the two teams will meet again, this time in Week 9 at MetLife Stadium.
Pinnock is excited that he no longer has to face Shanahan's offense and instead gets to benefit from helping the 49ers' defense complement the unit.
"Kyle knows what he's doing," Pinnock added. "He's always messing with somebody."
San Francisco is coming off a disappointing 6-11 campaign, but Pinnock doesn't believe the team will be underestimated in 2025, especially not by opposing teams around the league.
"Coming from a different team, the 49ers aren't sneaking up on anybody, I don't think," Pinnock shared. "A well-respected organization outside of here."
Inside the building, Pinnock says the team hasn't lost its edge. He's been impressed by the culture and mentality. The team had a high turnout for voluntary offseason workouts, signaling a strong desire to bounce back and return to their winning ways.
"You don't feel like a loser," Pinnock explained. "Things happen, and this profession is cutthroat. It's no excuses, but you guys experienced injuries, you guys experienced a lot of difficulty, a hardship throughout the year, which failed at 6-11.
"But the mindset is completely different. And now, you just got that chip on your shoulder of the 6-11 season."
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