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49ers training camp takeaways: New kickoff rule opens door for Deebo originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — The 49ers gave many of their front-line players a day of rest on the Day 3 of training camp.
The list of starters sitting out the day of work included defensive end Nick Bosa, tight end George Kittle, running back Christian McCaffrey, cornerback Charvarius Ward, center Jake Brendel and defensive back Maliek Collins.
The 49ers have another practice Saturday morning, as those players are set to return to the field.
Following a mandatory day off Sunday, the team is scheduled to have their first padded practice of the summer on Monday.
Here are five takeaways from the 49ers’ practice on Friday:
Deebo volunteers for kick-return chores
The NFL’s new kickoff rule — which the 49ers were the only team to vote against — is designed to cut back on touchbacks and risk of injuries.
Deebo Samuel was among the players back deep as the 49ers went through their first session of working under the new kickoff guidelines. He believes the rule plays into his hands because of his ability to beat one-on-one tackle attempts.
“Looking at it, it’s kind of weird,” Samuel said. “We have a real big advantage. If you make one guy miss, it’s you and the kicker. And nine times out of 10, the kicker is not making tackles.”
Under the new rule, 10 players on the kicking team line up at the opposition’s 40-yard line, while at least nine players on the receiving team must line up 5 to 10 yards away from those on the coverage unit. Those players on both sides cannot move until the ball hits the ground or touches a return man inside the 20-yard line.
In the past, the 49ers have used Samuel on kick returns whenever they needed a spark in a big game. Samuel believes he could be a game-changer as on kick returns from the beginning of the season.
“I wouldn’t mind doing it from the get-go,” Samuel said. “I’m a team-first player, so if Kyle (Shanahan) was saying,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-training-camp-takeaways-kickoff-212000712.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-07-26 21:20:00
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