SANTA CLARA — Longtime observers of Mike and Kyle Shanahan wouldn’t be stunned if Jeff Wilson Jr. breaks free with 100 or extra yards Sunday when the 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks.
Or it could possibly be undrafted rookie free agent Jordan Mason. Or rookie third-round decide Ty Davis-Worth.
It’s been that manner for the 49ers since Kyle Shanahan took over as head coach in 2017, with a special main rusher in every of the final 5 seasons: Carlos Hyde (938 yards), Matt Breida (814), Raheem Mostert (772), Wilson (600) and Elijah Mitchell (963). Seven totally different runners have damaged 100 yards in a recreation since Shanahan arrived, led by Mitchell and Breida at 5 instances every.
Mostert was on and off rosters for six totally different groups as an undrafted free agent earlier than sticking with the 49ers, setting a franchise document with 220 yards speeding on 27 carries in a playoff win over Inexperienced Bay following the 2019 season. He signed with Miami within the offseason.
Gamers with a knack for zone scheme runs can come from wherever.
“All our guys, our complete room, we’re proper there,” Wilson mentioned. “There’s not likely an excessive amount of of a distinction between anyone. All people brings their very own factor in their very own manner, however we work collectively and we see issues the identical manner.”
The roots of the 49ers operating recreation return to Shanahan’s father Mike with the Denver Broncos from 1995 by means of 2008 and zone scheme runs as taught by the late Alex Gibbs, an offensive line coach who handed away in July of 2021.
Whereas attrition has stored the 49ers from having a 1,000-yard rusher beneath Kyle Shanahan, Mike Shanahan’s groups in Denver and Washington had 13 in 18 seasons. Denver backs who broke 1,000 yards included Corridor of Famer Terrell Davis (six instances), but additionally included Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson (3 times), Clinton Portis (twice), Reuben Droughns and Tatum Bell.
In 4 seasons in Washington from 2010 by means of 2013, undrafted free agent Albert Morris broke 1,000 yards twice.
Tellingly, not a single lead operating again for Mike or Kyle Shanahan was drafted within the first spherical. Davis, the one who obtained it began, was a sixth-round pick of Georgia, No. 196 total.
Kyle Shanahan has defied the Gibbs edict of by no means mixing different speeding methods with zone scheme. Mike Shanahan joked in an interview with Professional Soccer Focus in 2019 that Gibbs would probably exclude Kyle from his Christmas card checklist due to it.
Kyle Shanahan, who labored with Gibbs in 2008-09 on Gary Kubiak’s employees with the Houston Texans, chuckled on the thought when requested about it Friday.
“Alex didn’t like new issues,” Shanahan mentioned. “We had a battle on that stuff. It was enjoyable. I miss him.”
The Mike Shanahan/Gibbs exterior zone system included a couple of primary runs with bootlegs and play-action passes through which the road appeared as in the event that they had been blocking for out of doors zone. Defenders usually couldn’t decide whether or not the play was a run or a cross till the split-second after the ball was snapped, which is a large benefit for the offense.
Linemen ideally had been athletic and lighter, in a position to transfer and stretch the protection sideways.
Kyle Shanahan mentioned the techniques he and his father ran are totally different in that the Broncos ran exterior zone virtually solely, whereas the 49ers use it as a basis for the operating recreation.
“We combine in much more stuff and we do our exterior zone in a different way,” Shanahan mentioned. “It’s advanced and altered. However the factor that’s comparable is we’re at all times going to make individuals cease our exterior zone. That’s the place every part begins. It makes quite a lot of different performs higher. It makes your energy recreation, your hole schemes higher and your toss schemes and man blocking higher.”
Kyle Shanahan labored for his father as offensive coordinator from 2010 by means of 2014 as offensive coordinator, however has spent much more time tweaking and devising run schemes with Mike McDaniel.
McDaniel was Kyle Shanahan’s right-hand man at stops in Houston, Washington, Cleveland, Atlanta and the 49ers. They added different run schemes yearly, with Shanahan doing the play-calling at every cease.
McDaniel was employed this offseason as coach of the Miami Dolphins.
Chris Foerster changed McDaniel because the run-game coordinator this season, and described the 49ers’ speeding recreation as a “catalogue” of performs that may be chosen based mostly on the opponent as one would a household model meal in a restaurant.
“It’s an enormous library and at all times creating,” Foerster mentioned. “The nice factor is we’re at all times taking a look at what’s greatest towards the crew we’re enjoying. You attempt to maximize the talents of your gamers towards your opponent. What do they do properly? What will we do properly? Kyle has created a lot range in what we do.”
Exterior zone, through which linemen are accountable for an space quite than a selected participant, is principally the left jab for the remainder of the 49ers’ operating assault. Whereas it allows rushers to sometimes get exterior, extra usually it stretches the opposing protection horizontally with the runner chopping again instantly towards the stream and discovering a seam.
A again should possess two incongruent qualities — the flexibility to be affected person after which be violently decisive. Not everybody can do it. Darren McFadden was the No. 4 decide within the 2008 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, however struggled a lot with the zone scheme he was known as “McFalldown” by the fan base. The road coach and eventual head coach was Tom Cable, a Gibbs disciple.
McFadden thrived as soon as Hue Jackson took over the offense and put in performs and schemes that eliminated the persistence consider favor of one thing extra speedy.
Wilson, an undrafted free agent, mentioned operating energy out of the I-formation is extra international to him whereas zone scheme comes naturally as a result of he did it in faculty at West Texas State.
“You’ve obtained to be a really instinctive runner, and never simply instinctive, you’ve obtained to know the task at hand and what everyone seems to be doing round you,” Wilson mentioned. “That places you proper the place you could be. That’s just about the entire deal. Some persons are comfy. Some aren't.”
Left deal with deal with Trent Williams, who performed beneath Mike Shanahan (with Kyle as coordinator) in Washington, has watched as operating backs have thrived with out regard to fame or draft standing.
“There’s a standards (Kyle) is in search of,” Williams mentioned. “I believe he is aware of what matches his offense greatest. To him, I don’t suppose it issues what spherical or the place he finds them. If they arrive in and present the progress he expects, he’ll be comfy sufficient to play them.”
Mitchell, out for 2 months with an MCL pressure, was a sixth-round draft decide who set the 49ers’ rookie speeding document with 963 yards final season. He beat out Trey Sermon, a third-round decide who wasn’t decisive sufficient and misplaced out to Mason and Davis-Worth for a roster spot.
“They don’t fiddle, they get downhill — two kinds of model we want and like,” Shanahan mentioned.
Wilson, who made the 49ers initially on the follow squad, has primarily been a reserve however known as upon sufficient to have three 100-yard video games in 2020 and 2021. Carrying the ball is the simple half. The laborious half is when the ball goes elsewhere.
“There’s quite a lot of various things with routes, cross safety and blocking that it's important to take note of, and people particulars could make it a superb play or a foul play,” Wilson mentioned. “It goes manner past simply operating the ball or catching it. It’s every part in between.”
The 49ers thought they'd one thing in Mitchell a 12 months in the past however weren’t planning on utilizing him extensively early on. Then Mostert obtained harm on his first carry, and Mitchell got here in to realize 104 yards on 19 carries.
Now, with Mitchell being out, it will likely be Mason and Davis-Worth who might get the possibility to shine.
“We had a intestine feeling (Elijah) could possibly be nearly as good as he’s ended up being, however you don’t completely know on a man till he will get within the warmth of battle,” Shanahan mentioned.