At some point the injury bug has to stop biting, right? Right???
While it hasn’t been the early season devastation that 2020 provided, the 2021 season hasn’t gotten off to a much better start injury-wise. Already down top running back Raheem Mostert and Jason Verrett for the season, San Francisco looks like they could be without three more starters in Sunday’s divisional matchup vs. the Seahawks.
Most concerning is the status of George Kittle, who remains questionable to play with a calf issue.
“I hope so,” Shanahan said on KNBR regarding Kittle’s ability to play on Sunday. “I wish I could state it like that, but it’s not guaranteed. We were hoping it would heal a little bit more and expected it to by yesterday. He went out to give it a go in walk-thru [yesterday], and it was just still bothering him, so we shut him down for the day.
“I haven’t seen him yet today. Hopefully, he’s coming in today, feeling better. He’ll get a few reps out there today, and then we’re hoping he’ll be ready by Sunday. Even if he doesn’t go today, George is a guy who’s played long enough, who plays the game as hard as he possibly can, whether he practiced that week or not.
“George is a guy that if he doesn’t practice, he’s still going to have an option to play in that game. As long as it’s not risking him, we’ll give that decision all the way up to kickoff, if need be.”
Shanahan sung basically the same tune when asked about Elijah Mitchell, the rookie running back who has been thrust into the starting role due to Mostert’s absence.
“Not yet,” Shanahan answered when asked if he knows if Mitchell’s shoulder is healed enough to play. “He got the most work he’s gotten here in two weeks yesterday. Just got a couple of runs. He’s still hurting, still sore. We’ve still got him in a blue jersey, so no one can touch him, but we’ll see how he does today. Each day of rest is helping his body heal. But that probably won’t be a decision we make until tomorrow.”
The worst news came regarding Josh Norman, who sustained bruised lungs in the loss to Green Bay and had to spend the night in the hospital. He is listed as doubtful, which would be another knock to an already depleted secondary.
“Right now, I’ll see how it is when I talk to the doctors today, but I would pretty much think it’s pretty doubtful,” Shanahan said. “We’re hoping he can get out there. He’s trying to condition. Any time you get an injury like that when it’s in your lungs area and stuff like that, when you do heal up, you’ve got to get your stamina back. You’ve got to get your breath back.
“Any time you mess with the lungs, it’s a little bit scary for anybody, let alone an athlete, out there working hard and doing stuff like that. We’ll be able to condition him the most today that we’ve been able to in the last five days, and if he responds real well, then I think he’ll have a chance. So, hopefully, we have a good day today.”
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Listen to the full interview below.