The 49ers offense soared at the end of last season and helped them cruise into the playoffs and through to the NFC championship game. While quarterback Brock Purdy’s insertion into the lineup during Week 13 played a role, running back Christian McCaffrey’s presence unlocked a slew of new things for San Francisco on the offensive side.
McCaffrey arrived with the 49ers in Week 7 last year, and caught up with the offense on the fly to have a major impact. Now he’s had a full offseason to soak in the offense and it’s making a difference according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan on Thursday in an interview with Tom Tolbert and Adam Copeland on KNBR in San Francisco explained what’s been different for McCaffrey in his first training camp with the team.
“I can tell he feels a lot more comfortable,” Shanahan said. “I mean, he studies it not just from his position, he really studies it from the whole, kinda like a quarterback. So he understands what we’re trying to do on everything, not just running the ball or not just running his routes. He does get the big picture, which sometimes is good for guys. Sometimes it’s, ‘why even try to cloud your mind with all that? Just focus on your job.’ Christian’s the opposite. He’s a guy who can soak everything in and just allow it to add to how he adjusts throughout games and does things. But, I’d like to say he’s gonna be a lot better, but I don’t get really how he can be. He did pretty good last year, I just think he’s more comfortable.”
Last season in 11 games with the 49ers McCaffrey put up 746 rushing yards, 464 receiving yards and scored 10 total touchdowns. He scored at least one TD in eight of the 11 games he played. Over a 17-game season those numbers extrapolate out to 1,153 rushing yards, 717 receiving yards and 15 total TDs. Only nine players ever have reached 1,100-plus rushing yards, 700-plus and 15-plus TDs in a season.
Part of the reason McCaffrey succeeded last year was the attention to detail he takes with the offense. There’s also a perfectionist streak in the running back that Shanahan has to try and tamp down. He relayed a funny story about McCaffrey from OTAs that points to why he’s been so good throughout his career and with the 49ers.
“He’s such a perfectionist that every time he misses something he’s coming right up to you,” Shanahan said. “I remember he dropped two passes in OTAs and before I can even get home that night I had texts on my phone saying, ‘that was the worst practice I’ve ever had in my life, that’ll never happen again.’ And it’s just like, ‘chill dude. It was just two drops. That happens sometimes.'”
If McCaffrey is using that perfectionist drive to find ways to actually improve in his first full season with the 49ers, they just might be getting the best version ever of one of the most dominant, versatile offensive skill position players in the NFL.
