49ers
Former 49ers OT Joe Staley revealed that he had vouched for Kyle Shanahan to be the team’s next head coach while meeting with CEO Jed York several years ago.
“I was like, ‘You have to make this happen,’” Staley told the Mojobreak Media podcast. “Everything I’ve heard about from a player’s side, management side, he is the next big thing. He is an unbelievable coach, the way that he sees the game. You need to — whatever you can do — try to make this happen.’ ”
“That’s why I was so behind Shanahan, because I saw the system, saw what he was trying to build, him and [49ers General Manager] John [Lynch],” Staley added. “And it was the first time in my career, since probably before [Trent] Baalke and [Jim] Harbaugh, that I felt a connection from the top level down — ownership, General Manager, head coach, support staff — everything was on the same page, and I knew what they were going to build from that point on.”
Panthers
Panthers first-round QB Bryce Young had two passes batted down during minicamp practices, which is the same number he had during his entire college career. Obviously, Young’s height makes it a topic of discussion but HC Frank Reich said he was expecting more passes to be knocked down than just two.
“Because we’re not going live and we’re telling them not to hit the quarterback. So the defensive line, they rush and then they pull off and they’re standing there — more guys standing with their hands up,” Reich explained via the Athletic’s Joe Person. “So to be quite honest, I expected a whole lot more balls batted down from all the quarterbacks.”
Still, that was two too many for Young.
“The goal in the red zone is to score and every pass you want to be completed. I’m aware that’s not going to happen (every time). But I’m not gonna be complacent about that,” he said. “Just like any other pass, it sucks when it doesn’t get completed. But you learn from it and then you move on. You turn the page and now you have to figure out how to make the next play work.”
Seahawks
Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf is looking forward to all the assets the team has heading into the new season and spoke about first-round WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba as well as other players that are expected to be big contributors in Seattle this year.
“I mean, just the type of person he is, first,” Metcalf said of Smith-Njigba, via NFL.com. “He’s a great dude. And on the field, he’s a great route runner, excellent hands. So, I think he’s going to open the offense even more. Him and Zach Charbonnet is going to do, you know, amazing things at the running back position along with Ken Walker. We got a whole arsenal of weapons on offense, adding Bobby Wagner back on defense, you know, a leader for not only the defense but the whole team.”
“We have to decide what type of team we’re going to be and not just listen to the outside noise,” Metcalf added. “We just got to be a band of brothers on Sunday just playing for each other, and everything is going to fall in place.”
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