Kyle Shanahan and Brandon Aiyuk had differing opinions on his display in 49ers' Week 1 victory
Brandon Aiyuk caught a lot of criticism for one specific play in Week 1 following the end of his contract impasse with the San Francisco 49ers. After signing a four-year, $120 million extension to bring a seemingly often acrimonious saga to an end, Aiyuk caught just two of his five targets for 28 yards in […]
Brandon Aiyuk caught a lot of criticism for one specific play in Week 1 following the end of his contract impasse with the San Francisco 49ers.
After signing a four-year, $120 million extension to bring a seemingly often acrimonious saga to an end, Aiyuk caught just two of his five targets for 28 yards in the Niners' 32-19 win over the New York Jets. The lowlight of his showing was a drop in the endzone following a perfect pass from Brock Purdy in the waning seconds of the second quarter.
Aiyuk was immediately and heavily criticized by Peyton Manning for the drop and for not being in training camp this year amid the contract dispute. The All-Pro wide receiver essentially got one week to properly prepare for the opener.
But head coach Kyle Shanahan was pleased with Aiyuk's performance, at least from a conditioning standpoint.
"I thought he did a good job. He never felt like he wasn't conditioned," said Shanahan.
"We rotated him more than usual, which definitely helped. I haven't gotten to talk to him yet today, but I'm sure he was sore and stuff from it. But no, the conditioning, everything, was no factor."
Aiyuk, however, contradicted his coach, conceding that he did not feel right against the Jets and had never felt that way in a game before.
“After the game, I didn’t watch the film until this morning,” Aiyuk added. “I was a little scared to watch it. But it wasn’t as bad as I thought."
Asked how he felt after the game, Aiyuk replied: "It felt good. A little sore. Solid, though."
Now as the 49ers prepare to face the Minnesota Vikings on the road on a short week, Aiyuk knows what he needs to do to ensure he shakes off rust and excels in Week 2.
“We got a short week this week, so it’s being deliberate today and tomorrow and leading all the way up to the game,” he said.
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