Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Sunday, December 10th, 2023
“As Shanahan points out, there are multiple reasons for the Niners’ ascent to the top of the offensive rankings. McCaffrey gave them the type of versatile, three-down star they’d been seeking at running back. Purdy’s ability to distribute the ball to his many playmakers while successfully pushing the ball down the field has added a missing element to the passing game.
Above all, the Niners have a valuable commodity that is increasingly hard to find in the NFL: continuity.”
All eyes on 49ers’ Kalia Davis, who’ll have a big role Sunday — and also next year (paywall)
“The early signs are good.
“For him to seize (the opportunity) the way he did this past week was gratifying for not only him, but for everybody,” Wilks said. “Good pad level. He’s very strong. I love the way he comes off the ball, uses his hands well, and good lateral movement where he can shed and get down the line of scrimmage and chase things down. He’s going to be getting a lot of reps here coming up soon.”
Cosell lists two ‘high level’ Purdy traits not seen in college film
“There’s two things Purdy does at a really high level, which were hard to see in college because the college game is different from the NFL game,” Cosell explained. “… Number one, he is outstanding at reading a late rotation of coverage. You don’t really see a lot of late rotation of coverage in college football. …
“Maybe Georgia, maybe an Alabama, but there’s not 100 college teams that are able to do a ton of late rotation and disguise with coverage. Purdy has proven to be a master at seeing that instantaneously and knowing exactly where to go with the football.”
49ers roster moves: WR Ray-Ray McCloud to IR, WR promoted from practice squad
“The 49ers also elevated a pair of players from the practice squad, including safety Erik Harris and running back Jeremy McNichols. Harris was a special teams contributor last week in his first game with the 49ers. He also provides depth at safety. McNichols is up since RB Elijah Mitchell is doubtful. The 49ers most likely went with McNichols instead of RB Ty Davis-Price because the former is a better special teams player.”
Shanahan shares what makes Deebo ‘different’ from other receivers
“That’s what makes Deebo different,” Shanahan told Papa. “First of all, to have a linebacker hit you like that and to bounce off him like he does everybody, I mean, it’s just different to have the base that Deebo has, the hips, the width of his body, it’s not built like a normal receiver.
“And that’s what his advantage is in situations like that, but people like that can’t go zero to 100 as fast as he does. The way Deebo does it, when he gets that and has a direct line where he can go across the court, as we’ll say, it’s rarely not to the house.”