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San Francisco 49ers: Kyle Shanahan, Running Backs and the Passing Game

By Peter Panacy

Nov 13, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) drops a pass in the end zone during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) drops a pass in the end zone during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 13, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer (7) looks for an open receiver during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer (7) looks for an open receiver during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Making the Other 49ers Pieces Fit

The Niners may not exactly be up to par when it comes to assuming their running backs will be a major factor in the passing game.

First, pass protection wasn’t the best for San Francisco a year ago. Football Outsiders ranked the 49ers’ offensive line 30th in pass blocking in 2016. And it’s a unit that will largely stay the same this season.

Veteran wide receiver Pierre Garcon is easily the team’s best route-runner, and fellow free-agent pickup Marquise Goodwin has the speed to put defenses on their heels. These factors help, but this receiving tandem is a far cry from Jones and Sanu.

To gauge quarterback Brian Hoyer’s fit, we can hope he can generate the same pass-catching rapport with his tailbacks, as was the case with the Cleveland Browns — when Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator — in 2014.

Take a look at the receiving numbers and catch percentages:

Browns 2014 Running Back Receiving Table
Game Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece Rece
No. Player Age Pos G Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD Lng R/G Y/G Ctch%
▼
28 Terrance West 23 rb 14 13 11 64 5.8 1 11 0.8 4.6 84.6%
44 Ben Tate 26 rb 8 12 9 60 6.7 0 23 1.1 7.5 75.0%
34 Isaiah Crowell 21 rb 16 14 9 87 9.7 0 19 0.6 5.4 64.3%
48 Ray Agnew 23 FB 12 9 3 15 5.0 0 12 0.3 1.3 33.3%
Team Total 25.9 16 499 274 3678 13.4 12 81 17.1 229.9
Opp Total 16 335 3592 10.7 22 20.9 224.5

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/29/2017.

Most of these numbers were from Hoyer, who started 13 games on the season and finished the year with a 55.3 completion percentage.

Based off these stats, it’s safe to say running backs provided a much-needed security blanket in an otherwise talent-lacking Cleveland offense.