NFC West Notes: 49ers, Seahawks, Brett Hundley

49ers

Despite suffering a season-ending ACL tear last week, 49ers RB Jerick McKinnon is clearly in good spirits and says he “excited for the process.”

“My main thing is just I’m excited for the process,” McKinnon said, via the Sacramento Bee. “It’s going to be a challenge, everything is a challenge. Everybody that knows me knows I love challenges, so I just see it as probably one of the toughest challenges I’m going to have to face, but I’m excited for it.”

• 49ers veteran LT Joe Staley says that while he didn’t seriously consider retirement this offseason, the thought did run through his mind: “I was just going through — you start getting older, and I’d finished up my 10th year. I wasn’t considering retirement seriously at all, but it was kind of the first time it rolled through my mind.” (SFChronicle.com)

Seahawks

Seahawks TE Ed Dickson tweeted Monday that he isn’t happy with the team’s decision to place him on the non-football injury list to open the season, which will cost him the first six games of the season.

“Can’t say I’m happy with the decision but I’m trusting gods [sic] plan,” Dickson tweeted. “I’ll be ready when #84 is called.”

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll explained that Dickson has dealt with too many muscle-related injuries to keep him on their active roster to open the year.

“He just hasn’t been able to get [back],” Carroll said, via ESPN.com. “He’s had, really, three different things that bothered him in the process of trying to get back. All muscle-related issues and just couldn’t get well. At this point, he’s not in shape enough so he’s going to have to get in shape in the next weeks and he’ll be healed soon, but he just hasn’t been able to catch up with us fast enough so we’ll wait a little bit longer for him and expect him to come back in six weeks or something like that.”

Brett Hundley

New Seahawks QB Brett Hundley says he plans to “give it all [he’s] got” when it comes to learning the team’s offensive system in time for Week 1.

“I told my wife she may not see me for a while because I’ll be studying,” Hundley said, via Pro Football Talk. “I’m going to give it all I got. I think I can learn a good amount by Sunday.”

Hundley added that his experience filling in for an injured Aaron Rodgers last year was an invaluable experience for him.

“This was the first offseason I was able to watch myself play instead of watching others,” Hundley said. “I learned just about everything I needed to. For a quarterback, that means so much because you can be a five-year vet, but if you haven’t had playing experience it’s completely different. So, for me last year to get that for once and to get a good amount of games under my belt. Even this preseason, I just felt more comfortable, confident, and I’m ready to roll.”