Kyle Shanahan isn't impressed with everything Christian McCaffrey has done in 2023
Kyle Shanahan has taken every opportunity to praise Christian McCaffrey during the 2023 season. The San Francisco 49ers head coach has made no secret of his admiration for the massive impact McCaffrey has on their offense and his belief the running back is deserving of the MVP award. There is one thing McCaffrey has done […]
Kyle Shanahan has taken every opportunity to praise Christian McCaffrey during the 2023 season.
The San Francisco 49ers head coach has made no secret of his admiration for the massive impact McCaffrey has on their offense and his belief the running back is deserving of the MVP award.
There is one thing McCaffrey has done this season that did not impress Shanahan, however.
In his Thursday press conference ahead of the Niners' Christmas Day game with the Baltimore Ravens, Shanahan was asked about McCaffrey's flop in the 49ers' Week 13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
McCaffrey joked about his efforts to draw a penalty as Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox tossed him aside after a play in his appearance on the Manningcast during Monday Night Football this week.
Asked about that clip, Shanahan had some constructive criticism for McCaffrey.
"I didn’t see the Manningcast. I saw that [the flop], and I thought that’s like the only thing he didn’t do very well this year," said Shanahan.
"It wasn’t the best flop, it can’t be so obvious. You want guys to do that, you’re not allowed to touch guys after the play so sometimes guys can’t see it because it happens so fast but they can see your reaction but you don’t want it to turn into the NBA too fast."
For his part, McCaffrey shared Shanahan's assessment.
While on the Manningcast, he said: "That was some of my worst work. I’ve had some good flops in my career. That was not one of them.’’
"I’m glad the ref helped me up and laughed in my face as I got up. He said, 'That was one of the worst acting jobs I’ve ever seen.' And I was just like, yep, you’re right, and I just laughed with him."
There's consensus then that McCaffrey's flop game needs work. Thankfully for the 49ers, everything else he's done on the field this season has been of the highest standard.
Deebo Samuel’s latest 49ers statement should terrify the NFL
It’s a massive claim.
