Why the 49ers Play Hide-and-Seek Before Every Snap

Only two players gained more yards after the catch this season than Kittle, but he believes there is no greater feeling than moving a player against his will.

“You take a guy, you drive him backwards, you put him on his back and you feel the exhale of his breath and he loses his wind,” Kittle said. “It’s kind of snatching his soul.”

Shanahan likes saying that a team’s physical identity is defined not by its offensive line or tight ends, since they bulldoze anyway, but by its receivers. The receivers coach Wes Welker tells his charges that blocking is more important than catching, that their willingness to crack safeties and impede cornerbacks on the edge can turn short gains into long ones.

“It’s the only way they’ll play, honestly. That’s one of the reasons why he’s had offensive success everywhere he’s gone,” Welker said of Shanahan. “A lot of people have the same plays in the N.F.L., but when the boss of all bosses is showing in front of the team the standard and what’s acceptable and not, guys either do it, or they don’t want to play and then they’re not there.”

Every Friday, the 49ers hold run meetings where they discuss that week’s plan and review highlights from the previous week. By the end, Kittle said, he feels invincible. But as a rookie in 2017, receiver Kendrick Bourne never enjoyed going, he said, because he would wonder why they didn’t just pass the ball more. As the 49ers’ offense has evolved, so has he.

“We don’t mind catching the ball,” Bourne said, “but ain’t no reason to put the ball in the air and ask for those risks when we can just hand it off and get the same amount of yards.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/sports/football/49ers-super-bowl.html?emc=rss&partner=rss