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Jennings’ commitment to blocking doesn’t surprise 49ers teammates originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — In the 49ers’ divisional playoff round win over the Green Bay Packers, wide receiver Jauan Jennings famously blocked cornerback Corey Ballentine all the way to the Gatorade tubs on the Packers’ sideline.
While the outside world might have been shocked or surprised, no one at the 49ers team headquarters blinked an eye. Jennings’ behavior is expected by coach Kyle Shanahan and his players.
“What he did on that, taking the guy into the Gatorade, it’s what he does every play out at practice,” Shanahan said on Wednesday. “Our defense tried to fight him all last year because they thought he was going above and beyond.
“The next day in the meeting I had to show them what he does every single play and say it’s not personal, this is just how he blocks. He stops after the whistle. He just drives into people, puts his face and hands into people and never stops. When it’s over, he usually goes back to the huddle. But usually people take it personal, but it’s not personal. That’s just what he does.”
Jennings is known for his fierce run blocking, as are all of the 49ers’ receivers. They easily get under their opponents’ skin while rarely, if ever, getting flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“He’s caused a lot,” Shanahan said. “But that’s kind of what I mean. That’s what I had to show our defense. That’s how he always is. You almost want to warn refs too because it looks like he’s going out there and doing it, he’s just playing to the whistle. He takes that whistle very literally. He’s playing until the whistle.
“Usually when that whistle comes, he’s in the middle of driving into someone. When that happens, they both end up on the ground.”
While Jennings causes frustration with his opponents, his play in the divisional round was a release of his own dissatisfaction with being away from the field since mid-December while in the league’s…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jennings-commitment-blocking-doesnt-surprise-230108606.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-01-25 23:01:08
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