Bosa, Shanahan know Murray’s improvement poses unique challenge for 49ers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA – After taking on the challenge of trying to bring down New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett in Week 4, Nick Bosa and the 49ers defensive line a new test on the bridge this Sunday at Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals signal-caller.
The elusive quarterback has given the 49ers defense difficulties in the past with his mobility – enough to be called a “squirrel” by the former 49ers and current Indianapolis Colts defender. defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.
“Yeah, I definitely thought about it today,” Bosa said Wednesday of the anecdote. “That’s funny. I miss Buck.
Coach Kyle Shanahan thinks Murray is even better than what San Francisco has seen before, now that he’s working in a new offensive system and under a new coach. The former No. 1 overall draft pick is also nearly two years removed from a season-ending ACL injury that occurred near the end of the 2022 NFL season.
“He looks so much more comfortable,” Shanahan said. “I thought he looked really good last year when he came in, just watching their offense, seeing him in this new scheme for the first time. I think he needs to sit back and watch the other guys do it. You could tell he was really consciously trying to play within the confines of the offense, which was different from seeing how the plan was before.
“And then always when he’s not playing as part of the offense, how he can be the scariest guy in the league. Kyler has always played at a pretty high level when healthy, and he’s doing that right now.
Bosa understands the challenge ahead, as well as the discipline required to contain Murray and prevent him from escaping the pocket. The passer was as complimentary of the quarterback as his coach.
“I’ve only watched some racing footage and stuff, I still need to watch more tape but yeah, he definitely looks more comfortable,” Bosa said. “In a way, I read more of his readings, instead of trying to escape. He looks good.
Murray has been effective in the passing game this season, completing 75 of 108 attempts for 777 yards and six touchdowns with one interception. New targets in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson have contributed to Murray’s effectiveness.
But Murray showed he could still run, averaging 10.3 yards per carry on 16 attempts for 164 yards, including seven for first downs.
“Once you catch it, it’s not hard,” Bosa said. “Sometimes he falls to avoid the blow, so in that sense it’s easier than Brissett, but the problem is catching him.”
Shanahan believes in new plan and can monitor other quarterbacks like Josh Dobbswho was the Cardinals’ quarterback for eight games in 2023, ran the offense and was likely helpful to Murray.
“You could see he would always put his wrinkle on everything,” Shanahan said. “But you could see he was really taking coaching and playing within the program and when it was time not to, he did what he did as well as anyone in the league.”
