49ers notebook: Sanu looking forward to fresh start, MetLife turf cleared by NFL
One of the more surprising moves before the NFL season was the New England Patriots’ decision to part with receiver Mohamed Sanu.
Sanu was released during final cuts before he could begin his first full campaign with the club. It was unexpected because the receiver-needy Patriots cut Sanu less than a year after trading away a second-round pick to the Falcons to get him at the 2019 trade deadline.
Sanu, of course, is now with the San Francisco 49ers, who acquired him off the street last week to add depth to their depleted receiving corps. Sanu played 13 snaps in his debut against the Jets and wasn’t targeted. There’s a chance his role increases this week against the New York Giants now that he’s had a full week of practice with his new team for the first time.
The 31-year-old receiver was asked Thursday about why things didn’t work out in New England.
“I felt like it just wasn’t a good fit,” Sanu said over Zoom from The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. “Things happened the way they happened, and I’m not really looking to the past.”
“I’m grateful for my time in New England. It taught me a lot, just didn’t jell out how I wanted it to.”
Said Patriots coach Bill Belichick to reporters earlier this month: “I have a lot of respect for Mo. But ultimately, things just didn’t work out.”
Sanu had 26 catches for 207 yards in eight games last season after being acquired by the Patriots. There’s a belief the 49ers were interested in trading for Sanu before San Francisco traded for Emmanuel Sanders instead. San Francisco didn’t have a second-round pick in the 2020 draft because it was already traded to the Chiefs for pass rusher Dee Ford.
Sanu played last season through an ankle injury that required offseason surgery. He was expected to be a prominent member of the new-look offense with Cam Newton at quarterback. But the Patriots, despite needing play makers at receiver, decided to part ways.
“I’m just focused on what I got ahead in San Fran,” Sanu said. “I’m excited just to be a part of this team. This culture is more my style, so I’m excited for it.”
NFL gives green light on MetLife Stadium turf despite complaints
As expected, no changes will be made to the playing surface at MetLife Stadium despite the 49ers calling the artificial surface “sticky” and saying it contributed to their slew of injuries during last week’s game against the Jets. Which is notable, of course, because San Francisco will be playing at the same venue on Sunday against the Giants.
According to an ESPN report, representatives Wednesday from the NFL, NFL Players Association, the Giants, Jets, FieldTurf (the company that produced the playing surface) and an independent investigator took another look at the field and verified that it met all standards and protocols.
That comes after the 49ers lost star defensive end Nick Bosa and interior defensive lineman Solomon Thomas to torn ACLs during a three-play span in the first quarter of last week’s game. Additionally, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was forced out with a high ankle sprain while the team lost its top two running backs, Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman, to knee injuries that could keep them out multiple weeks.
49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh on Thursday was asked about the team’s approach to playing on the turf again after what happened last week.
“There’s things you have control over and there’s things you don’t have control over,” Saleh said. “If you worry about the things you have no control over, you’re going to take away from the energy that you can exhaust on things you do have control over. With regard to the playing surface, you don’t have control over it. We’re going to be there playing on Sunday and if you spend your time thinking about the surface on Sunday, it’s probably going to lead to an injury just because you’re not exhausting the energy that you can to be a football player.”
Kittle has no problem with Baker’s hit
49ers star tight end George Kittle spoke with reporters on Thursday for the first time since spraining his left knee in the second quarter of the season opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Kittle returned to practice this week in limited fashion and wouldn’t say if he plans on playing Sunday, but he did say whether or not he held ill will toward Cardinals’ safety Budda Baker, who hit Kittle low on the play in which he got hurt.
Baker took criticism from 49ers fans on social media, including a racist message he received that was publicly denounced by the team and CEO Jed York.
“It was a clean hit,” Kittle said. “It’s football. If he tried to take to it easy on me, I’d try to give him crap for that and I’m glad he didn’t. He’s a hell of a player, he plays at a Pro Bowl, All-Pro level every single week.”
Kittle was hurt after leaping to catch a high throw from Jimmy Garoppolo on a bubble screen near the goal line. By the time he came down, Baker hit Kittle around the knee area causing his left knee to hyper-extend. Kittle left the game momentarily before returning in the second half, though he wasn’t targeted after halftime. The injury kept him out of last week’s game.
Kittle said Baker apologized for the hit afterwards. The two have formed a relationship and appear to have a healthy respect for one another as division rivals who regularly match up.
“Unfortunately it was an awkward hit and it is what it is and we’ll both move on,” Kittle said.
▪ Running back Raheem Mostert left the team this week to join his wife in the Cleveland area for the birth of their second child. Mostert isn’t expected to play Sunday due to his knee injury, an MCL sprain.
▪ The only change on the injury report Thursday involved linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who did not practice Thursday after being limited Wednesday. He came out of Sunday’s game with a thigh contusion, head coach Kyle Shanahan said.
▪ Otherwise, the 49ers who didn’t practice Thursday were unchanged: running Tevin Coleman (knee), defensive Dee Ford (back), quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle), Greenlaw (thigh) and Mostert (knee).
Kittle was limited. Cornerback Jason Verrett was listed as a full participant for the second straight day.
▪ Former 49ers safety Adrian Colbert was a limited participant during Giants practice Wednesday and Thursday with a quadriceps injury.
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 3:50 PM.