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Programming note: Watch Matt Maiocco’s full interview with Kyle Shanahan on “49ers Game Plan,” airing at 10:30 p.m. PT Friday on NBC Sports Bay Area after “Giants Postgame Live”<\/p>\n
Mac Jones will be the 49ers’ starting quarterback on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, but coach Kyle Shanahan still is entering the matchup with supreme confidence<\/a> despite a backup signal-caller being under center.<\/p>\n Shanahan revealed he and his team have the utmost belief in Jones’ ability to execute San Francisco’s offense in Brock Purdy’s absence<\/a> during an interview with 49ers insider Matt Maiocco on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “49ers Game Plan.”<\/p>\n “I think it kind of validates what our gut feeling was watching him in college. He played at a very high level in college. Didn’t surprise me at all that he was going to be a top-15 pick,” Shanahan told Maiocco. “He was a guy that we could’ve easily taken. Thought he played very well his rookie year. He had gone downhill statistic wise and everything like that. I think other circumstances played into that a lot, though.”<\/p>\n “Didn’t get a ton of opportunities in Jacksonville, but that’s all a different story. Once he’s been her,e he’s kind of looked how we’ve anticipated. We love talking to him as a guy, getting to know the person and I think our team will rally around him because they love the guy.”<\/p>\n The 49ers famously were linked with Jones ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft<\/a> before San Francisco decided to select Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall selection. After studying Jones extensively ahead of that draft, Shanahan clearly feels vindicated in San Francisco’s original assessment of the Alabama product now that he’s in the 49ers organization<\/a>.<\/p>\n While the trust in Jones is evident, the temporary loss of Purdy still carries a great deal of weight and his mobility and knack for extending plays in particular can’t be overlooked. However, Shanahan does feel Jones is capable of piloting the offense in his own way, despite the differences between the backup’s style and Purdy’s.<\/p>\n \u201cNot having Brock, obviously, Brock\u2019s been a hell of a player and had a hell of a game last week against Seattle,” Shanahan told Maiocco. “But we do have a lot of confidence in Mac. He\u2019s had a great training camp [and] he\u2019s had a great week of practice. He might not have the same mobility as Brock; Brock makes a number of plays with his legs, which Mac is capable of, but he\u2019s not going to do that quite as much.<\/p>\n “But after that, they are very similar. Mac can execute the offense at a high level. He\u2019s had a hell of a week. [I\u2019m] not too concerned with Mac; as long as we play good around him, Mac will have a hell of a game.\u201d<\/p>\n After racing out to a strong start in a thrilling Week 1 win, Shanahan and the 49ers know a trip to the Big Easy will be anything but. Still, the confidence in Jones’ ability to come back to the Bay Area with a win is clear.<\/p>\n