Turner proud of Mason’s growth after underwhelming start with 49ers

Turner proud of Mason’s growth after underwhelming start with 49ers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CLARA — Jordan Mason and 49ers running backs coach Bobby Turner did not start off on the best of terms, but heading into the 2024 NFL season, the ball carrier has earned his coach’s trust and respect.

As a rookie, Mason did not see the importance of diligently studying his playbook and was unable to answer Turner’s questions during meetings and film studies. The undrafted free agent had earned the trust of coach Kyle Shanahan and the remainder of the 49ers’ staff as a special teams ace, but the venerable coach still had his doubts

“They all believed in him and trusted him,” Turner told NBC Sports Bay Area on Monday. “I had my own lens, so he and I did not hit it off at the very beginning. I wanted more out of him than that. I was honest with him and told him the truth. This is what I expect out of you, so I want more out of you and I want you to expect more out of yourself.”

Mason did not take the challenge from Turner seriously at the start of his NFL career. Being a necessary component of the special teams unit seemed to be good enough for the rookie, but never enough for the long-tenured coach.

“We started off— we were not on good terms at all,” Mason said on Saturday. “We just had to get it going. I had to learn his style. It just took me growing up and getting into the system and actually learning him. He’s an old-school coach and you have to do things a certain way. I had to switch it up.”

Mason finally took his coach’s words to heart after his second season. The Georgia Tech product went as far as investing in a JUGS machine to improve his receiving skills during the offseason which will make him a much more valuable piece for the offense.

“When [Mason] showed back up, you could definitely see it,” Turner said. “It was overall just maturity and growth. [ I told him], ‘Look at yourself and not only consider…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/turner-proud-masons-growth-underwhelming-202047801.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-08-05 20:20:47

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.