SANTA CLARA CA — Coach Kyle Shanahan ordered his team to huddle together after a brawl occurred on Tuesday.
He immediately spoke up about the situation. He was clear about his desire for his team to win.
Physical? Absolutely. Tough? It is. Irritating? Sure.
However, punches can be thrown — as was the case on Tuesday practice — and namely between star linebacker Fred Warner Receiver Brandon Aiyuk Shanahan is asking the Niners to do the same.
Shanahan declared on Friday that she wanted everyone to challenge one another. “I don’t care what the other says; I don’t care how close they fight. They can be as intense or as lighthearted as they like and still get the best out of one another. This is a common way to have fun. It’s the same in the field.
“But once you throw the punch, you get an ejection or you get penalized and that is what we pride ourselves in, I want people not to be irritants, to get as close to all this stuff as they can. I want people to be right there when they are about to black out, but you cannot black out on the football pitch or it will cost you your team.
Shanahan’s team had a problem this week because it took place on the practice field with other teammates. This was the warmest day at camp, and it was also the longest and most padded session of the week. Multiple players pointed out that these factors contributed to the problem. Although fights are not uncommon at training camps, this incident took place between two players who will play key roles this season.
Warner and Aiyuk were in the midst of their biggest fight when Aiyuk landed a late hit. Marcus Johnson In the concussion protocol.
Aiyuk and Warner were already at war. Aiyuk had told media, in a semi-joking tone, that Warner was “annoying” because he continued to rip at the ball, touch guys, and continue to do so after plays ended.
Warner responded that he believes Aiyuk has the potential to move on in his career, and that he is doing all he can to help him do so.
Warner stated, “Specifically with Brandon,” he chose him out. “I believe he is ready to take that next step and play at an elite level. Because I know how much he loves me, I have gotten after him a bit. He’ll get tired of me nagging him and will eventually learn to do his own thing. He has started to realize that he is a man and is capable. I try to get the most out of him. That’s it.”
Shanahan stated that he is fine with his players pushing one another and that he trusts them to do the right thing. However, incidents such as Tuesday must reach a natural halt.
Shanahan stated that she loves the intensity of the sport. But, you don’t have to fight in order to be intense. Scuffles are scuffles, but they can lead to more. That’s why protocol has a guy because he took an inexplicable shot on someone. This led to a big fight, and then there were a lot of haymakers and stuff that broke hands.
The Niners were able to complete Tuesday’s practice and Wednesday’s practice without any problems. Shanahan has made it clear that the Niners can be physically strong without engaging in actual fights.
Shanahan stated, “I think our team’s pretty tough.” “I think that we are quite physical. I think that if most people voted on the most physically active team on tape last summer, I think we would win most of that. And we didn’t fight one fight last year. That doesn’t necessarily mean that toughness is not important to me.