There’s no secret the San Francisco 49ers have a talented team; however, they lack experience and talent at the QB position. Their most talented player is their slot WR, and some consider RB Deebo Samuel. However, in back-to-back weeks they’ve suffered injuries to their starting QB Jimmy Garrapolo, and now star WR Samuel.
Many fans and 49ers die-hards are a bit fed up with San Franciso’s HC Kyle Shanahan. Specifically, one of the biggest voices who’s expressed their distaste for the playcalling is Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice.
“Please stop running our skill players up the middle. @trey.lance @jimmypolo10 and now @19problemz all hurt!!” Rice posted on Instagram following the game.”
Jerry Rice called out Kyle Shanahan after Deebo left the game today with a knee injury 😳 pic.twitter.com/LxTO6j0IYm
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) December 11, 2022
Many have shared this sentiment as Rice; however, it’s been hard to dispel or criticize simply because it has helped the San Francisco 49ers rack in wins. While Samuel’s ability to run the ball has been one of the staples of the offense, if this is the team’s key player, they must attempt to protect him more.
Rice’s frustration came within the game, deciding to run Samuel up the middle of the field while leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21-0. He believes this is a direct reflection of the coaching Shanahan. Trey Lance was also hurt on a power run; however, unless one’s a running back, usually, the middle of the field is dangerous for everyone else.
So far this season, Samuel has run the ball 41 times, and 12 of those 4 were in between the tackles. This is an absurd amount of times for any star WR in the NFL. The risk-to-reward ratio simply doesn’t add up.
