49ers notes: McGlinchey didn’t like missing game, Shanahan talks about Redskins stint
Mike McGlinchey had never missed one of his football games before Sunday. Not at Notre Dame, in high school or as a youth.
“This is a pretty tough deal,” the 49ers’ right tackle said Wednesday, with his right knee heavily wrapped following arthroscopic surgery last week to repair his medial collateral ligament. “I had to sit home with my mom this weekend to watch my team on television, which sucked. But at least they were showing up and showing out and kicking ass. So that’s all you can ask for.”
McGlinchey missed the 20-7 road win over the Los Angeles Rams and is expected to be out four to six weeks after suffering the injury during the Oct. 7 victory over the Cleveland Browns. His hope is to only miss four weeks, which means he’d be back for a pivotal NFC West showdown with the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 11. Left tackle Joe Staley could be back from his fractured left fibula the game prior, coach Kyle Shanahan said this week.
McGlinchey played in 92 percent of the snaps against the Browns and came out late in the 31-3 rout. Shanahan announced two days later that McGlinchey would miss at least a month.
So how did the second-year pro handle not being on the field during the win over the division rival Rams?
“Not well,” he said. “It would have been a lot harder had the game not gone the way it did, sure. But it’s tough. Not only not playing, but not even traveling with the team. It does a little bit to your psyche, and (then) sit there in boredom all weekend ... you’re just watching and you’re as equal to a fan at that point.”
McGlinchey received support through his rough patch. His mother, Janet, arrived the morning of his surgery last Thursday. And he received a card from left tackle Staley’s young daughter, Grace, who also gave a get-well card to fullback Kyle Juszczyk after suffering a knee injury in the same game.
McGlinchey was replaced by first-year player Daniel Brunskill, who spent the offseason playing for the San Diego Fleet of the defunct Alliance of American Football. He spent last season on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. Making his first NFL start, scouting service Pro Football Focus gave Brunskill the third highest grade of any 49ers offensive player.
McGlinchey said he did what he could to help Brunskill prepare last week before being away from the team following his surgery. He immediately downloaded the coaches tape on his iPad when it was available after Sunday’s game and offered a good review of his replacement playing opposite Justin Skule, who’s taken over for Staley on the opposite side.
“They (did) a hell of a job,” McGlinchey said. “They fought, they fought hard. Him and Justin both have done a great job. ... It’s been seamless for those guys.”
Coach tries to keep the 49ers humble
Shanahan switches things up during his team meetings throughout the week leading up to a game. Sometimes he highlights good plays from the previous game. Other times he emphasizes important things for the next matchup.
On Wednesday, Shanahan went through the plays he thought were bad from the Rams win.
“I just did it today because I showed a lot of good things on Monday,” Shanahan said. “We enjoyed the win, there was a lot of good things. But you can watch that in a different light. You can find a lot of bad things, too.”
Perhaps Shanahan wanted to humble his team before traveling to play the Washington Redskins – who are 1-5 and ranked near the bottom of the league in most statistical categories – to try and avoid a letdown performance after an emotional win.
“It’s nice when people tell you how good you are and stuff,” he said. “It makes people, all human beings, feel better. But those are also the same people who tell you how bad you are if the ball bounces the other way. You can watch that game in a different light and see it’s three plays away from getting out of hand and going the other way. So you always want to put that perspective back in players’ minds so you never relax. If you relax in this league, you will be humbled as quickly as you can imagine.”
Shanahan also wasn’t shy about his feelings about coaching in Washington as the offensive coordinator under his father, Mike, from 2010-13. Things ended badly when both were fired and it’s become increasingly clear the Shanahans didn’t end their tenures on good terms with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.
Shanahan was asked Wednesday what the best part of coaching in Washington was.
“Being able to work with my dad and being around some other good coaches,” he said.
The worst?
“Everything else,” he said, drawing laughter from media. “And I liked a lot of the players.”
Injury update
Running back Raheem Mostert is day-to-day with a knee sprain and didn’t practice Wednesday, Shanahan said. Dee Ford (knee/quad) was a limited participant, as he’s been in recent weeks with his knee tendinitis. Slot cornerback K’Waun Williams was also limited with a hand injury. He wore a non-contact jersey.
▪ Players who didn’t practice: defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (not injury related, vet day), tight end George Kittle (groin), defensive tackle D.J. Jones (hamstring), Juszczyk (knee), McGlinchey (knee), Staley (fibula), receiver Deebo Samuel (groin), cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (foot).
