It isn’t uncommon for an NFL coach to yell at his quarterback through their headset during game action.
But the reason Kyle Shanahan did so with Mac Jones in the 49ers’ Week 9 win over the New York Giants on Sunday was pretty unique for a quarterback.
Jones, speaking to reporters after practice Thursday, shared the amusing reason Shanahan had to raise his voice at him during a big third-and-1 conversion when the quarterback pushed All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey forward to help get the first down.
“Kyle always yells at me on the headset whenever I do that,” Jones recalled, laughing. “It’s just kind of my competitiveness. I’ve seen it so many times where there’s like a pile of people and then it goes the other way and the refs spot it five yards back. I did one my rookie year where I pushed the pile in, and that’s where I got it from. We scored on it. And I was like, “Alright, well I might as well help.’ I mean, it’s another 225 pounds — sometimes more, depending on my diet.
“But if I can get that momentum behind it, and the offensive line is doing it, I’m like, well, I might as well jump in there and try.”
Of course, that typically is the job of the offensive line — not the quarterback.
But Jones is different.
As he attests, it stems from his swagger and high competitive nature.
And while Jones will do whatever it takes to help his team win, he understands Shanahan’s concern.
“I definitely have to be safe about it,” he said, “but it’s just [my] competitiveness.”
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