San Francisco 49ers: Kyle Shanahan’s top takeaways coming off Week 11 bye
The San Francisco 49ers will look to rebuild coming off the bye week, as they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday. During his Wednesday press conference, Kyle Shanahan discussed players’ attitudes, George Kittle and the future of Jimmie Ward among other things.
The San Francisco 49ers have experienced a fairly lackluster season to say the least. With hopes of a breakout season in tatters, the Niners rebuild continues.
Going into the bye week, head coach Kyle Shanahan left his players with a stern message, laying out what he expects from them for the remainder of the season. Shanahan was impressed with their attitude upon returning to work this week.
Here’s what he had to say during Wednesday’s media conference.
“Generally, over my career the first practice back from Bye week is usually the worst of the year,” Shanahan said. “Guys are just rusty and have been away for a while. That wasn’t the case this year. Guys came back, it wasn’t the perfect practice, but they came back and seemed a little rejuvenated from the break. Always a little rusty when you take four or five days off, but they practiced hard, were upbeat and they came in today locked in, too. I was excited about the aura they had.”
Shanahan continued to reflect on his outlook towards the remainder of the season and the need for the 49ers to continue to push. He emphasized that the Niners have everything to play for. Not only for wins, but for their careers also. This is especially relevant for players coming towards the end of their contracts, including defensive back Jimmie Ward whom Shanahan discussed later.
Here’s the full presser from Shanahan, along with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh:
Kyle Shanahan, Robert Saleh and Nick Mullens preview Sunday’s game in Tampa Bay
Posted by San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday, November 21, 2018
"We’ve got six games here. It’s just all about football. It’s nothing else. There’s a lot on the line. … Everyone knows that, but to state it to guys and just make people aware because you never assume that everyone knows what you’re talking about. There’s always guys you’ve got to let them know what the deal is in this league.You come back and people might think you don’t have much to play for. You have everything to play for. You have your career, you have your livelihood, you have the guys next to you and you have showing people that you want to be in this building."
Quarterback Nick Mullens is expected to start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, in what will be his first road start. With the Bucs very much hot and cold this season, Mullens will have the opportunity to pile on some points. The Buccaneers defense is currently ranked 32nd in the league for points allowed, 28th for both total yards and passing yards and 19th in rushing yards.
According to Elias Sports (h/t ESPN’s Nick Wagoner), could set a new record with a strong performance against Tampa Bay:
According to @EliasSports, #49ers QB Nick Mullens could become the first player in NFL history with at least 250 passing yards and a passing TD in each of his first 3 career games if he accomplishes both Sunday against Tampa Bay.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 21, 2018
Shanahan reported that he spent no time with Mullens over the break, allowing him to have some freedom and get away from it all:
"He’s heard enough of me for the time being. He got four days away, I’m sure with his wife. We saw him Monday, which gave us some extra time there and he’ll be with us all week. You’ve got everything we want on an iPad, so you don’t her have to come in to a building to work."
At this stage, it would be unlikely the 49ers re-sign Ward to a new deal following the completion of the season. With continued inconsistencies and injuries, he simply would not be worth the money. His role as a utility player this year almost supports that.
Shanahan was asked what he expects Ward to put himself through for the remaining six weeks:
"Same thing as every other player. It’s not just guys in contract situations. It’s every single person on our team, every coach on our team, everybody in this building. It’s not just a few people. Jimmie’s got a lot on the line and so does everyone else. Jimmie’s been playing like it all year. Jimmie did a good job first at corner. We made the move to safety and been really excited about how he’s been playing so far. But, it’s how you finish."
Having played with all three quarterbacks, tight end George Kittle has continued to produce throughout the season for the 49ers. He leads the Niners in receiving yards with 50 receptions for 775 yards. His size and strength make him not only a great offensive weapon, but also highly efficient when it comes to blocking assignments.
Nick Mullens in line for big day against Buccaneers. dark. Next
Shanahan put forward his opinion of what he has seen of Kittle so far and his future in the NFL:
"I watch the guys every day. I watch how they run routes. I watch how they block. Then, I watch how they play with injuries, how they try to get through it and how they take care of themselves.Kittle has been very similar since the day he got here. His production has gone up and down to me based off of health, based off of situations, how good we’re doing around him. But, no, I think Kittle has been very good since we got here. He’s gradually gotten better because he works the right way and I think that’ll continue throughout his career."
The 49ers visit the Buccaneers on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. ET.