NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Shanahan lauds rival stars Witherspoon, Walker before 49ers-Seahawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Ahead of the looming Week 11 matchup, coach Kyle Shanahan took time in the latest “49ers Game Plan” episode to admire a pair of Seattle Seahawks stars.
First was Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
“He’s as good as advertised,” Shanahan told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Greg Papa. “He’s a little different, in terms of guys they’ve had in the past. To me, he’s a little smaller, more [of a] wiry guy, fast. [He] plays in the nickel so well at such a high level; they put him outside the numbers, and he plays equally at as high a level.
“You don’t really know where he’s going to be. They can change him up game to game, they can change him in the game. He’s just as good in the run game as he is in the pass game. He’s a playmaker. He’s going to be a good one for a long time.”
At six feet tall and 185 pounds, Witherspoon is one of the most versatile secondary defenders in the league. The second-year Illinois product has started all nine of Seattle’s games during the 2024 NFL season and has collected 51 tackles, three passes defended, a forced fumble and a quarterback hit.
Shanahan, though, is no stranger to Witherspoon. In the 49ers’ 36-24 win over the Seahawks in Week 6, the cornerback led his team with a 76.7 PFF grade (h/t The Sporting News’ Tim Weaver). Expect Shanahan to get creative with play calls away from Witherspoon on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.
The other player Shanahan marveled at was running back Kenneth Walker III.
“I mean, he’s as good as it gets just from a talent perspective,” Shanahan told Papa. They (the Seahawks) don’t run the ball a ton, but he leads the league in missed tackles. He’s a guy that’s hard to touch; if you give him any space, and there’s just one guy there, he’s probably going to make you look silly. We don’t think about stopping the run first with them because they’re…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/shanahan-lauds-rival-stars-witherspoon-072428964.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-11-16 07:24:28
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
