Niners Nation
Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Thursday, November 21st, 2024
Kawakami: What comes next after this bomb cyclone of a season for the 49ers?
“Though Shanahan rarely gives clear hints about his thinking on this topic, I’ve got to believe by this offseason he’ll be as ready as anyone to move on from, in particular, special teams coach Brian Schneider.
I’m not sure about defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, whose unit has been so-so in his first season in charge. But Sorensen got the promotion because the top candidates weren’t available last offseason. If Robert Saleh is interested in returning to the 49ers now that he doesn’t have a job or if Jeff Ulbrich isn’t retained by the Jets, a DC switch would feel pretty natural.
The 49ers’ staff works best when there are one or two major personalities under Shanahan who have the credibility to debate him and maybe change his mind at times — the way Saleh did as DC and Mike McDaniel did on the offensive staff before both left for head-coaching jobs. I think DeMeco Ryans had the clout to do this, too, when he was DC. Maybe Shanahan brought in Brandon Staley for this purpose, but it doesn’t seem like it happened that way. I don’t think the 2024 staff has that guy, and it shows.”
“The All-Pro tight end spoke to media Wednesday and said definitively that he would play against the Green Bay Packers. He went back to last week and said that while he felt improvement as it went, it did not feel good on Saturday, which just about settled his status.”
“San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters ahead of Wednesday’s practice as the team prepares for its Week 12 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Here’s everything he said.”
Why is 49ers’ do-it-all Deebo Samuel doing so much less this season? (paywall)
“From 2019-23, Samuel had 18 broken tackles on 160 carries and 51 broken tackles on 283 receptions, averaging a broken tackle every 6.4 touches. This season, he has one broken tackle on 27 carries and two broken tackles on 33 catches, averaging one every 20 touches.
Tight end George Kittle maintained Samuel hasn’t changed, saying he thought opponents have caught on to him moonlighting in the backfield, which was a novelty when the 49ers began regularly employing him as a running back in 2021. This season, Samuel has 50 yards on 17 carries when lined up at running back. He has 29 yards on 10 carries on reverses, jet sweeps and lateral passes when aligned at wide receiver.
“We’ve been doing Deebo in the backfield for three years now,” Kittle said. “So I think teams have adjustments made for it. You know Deebo is a very explosive runner when he gets downhill and bounces off guys. He’s definitely one of our best (yards after catch) players. My...
