Getting a new player up to speed on the fly with a new team is a lot like changing the tire on a moving car. The car is moving in San Francisco, and the new tire says “Emmanuel Sanders” on it.
“He’s going to play a lot,” coach Kyle Shanahan said regarding the former Broncos’ role in his first game with the 49ers on Sunday, against the Panthers.
“It’s always tough for people and it takes all year for guys to get used to it, especially when you miss the foundation in the offseason,” Shanahan said regarding Sanders’ effort to learn the 49ers’ offense. “But it really helps him being with [Broncos offensive coordinator Rich] Scangarello in Denver, so a lot of it is very similar, so he’s able to kind of jump in right away and make some mistakes as it goes. But at least he was able to get in there right away and do some things where, most guys, they’d be really overwhelmed. It would take them some time. Still a huge challenge for him, but he’s definitely got as good of a head start as he could.”
Although Shanahan has said that Sanders can play all three receiver positions, Shanahan suggested that Sanders will still to one position for his debut.
The challenge then becomes getting Sanders and the rest of the team ready for Thursday night’s game in Arizona, against the Cardinals.
