Kyle Shanahan addressed Deebo Samuel-Taybor Pepper scuffle as an overreaction on Pepper’s part with good intentions.
Kyle Shanahan, Deebo Samuel (Images via Imago)
The San Francisco 49ers gained a much-needed win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in the final minutes. Brock Purdy and Jake Moody played an integral role in the last game-winning drive to go 5-4 in the season. Moody was however involved in another moment, which grabbed instant media eyes.
Jake Moody started with three missed field goals, which led to some scuffle on the sidelines. In a moment of frustration, after kicker Moody missed his third field goal attempt of the game, Deebo Samuel lost his temper. Samuel struck teammate Taybor Pepper, the long snapper who had stepped in to support Moody. The actions by the wideout have been called out by fans and critics like Emmanuel Acho.
Samuel admitted that he let his frustration take over and acknowledged that his actions were out of character.
Normally, I don’t even get like that, but just frustrated in the heat of battle. You know, really close game, and I kind of got out of character a little bit. But I’ll talk to Moody, and we’ll get past it.
Deebo Samuel told the reporters
Speaking to reporters regarding the incident, head coach Kyle Shanahan considers the matter resolved. Shanahan initially didn’t think it was necessary to address it directly after the game. Nevertheless, he understood the need to address the matter once he viewed the video while also clearing the confusion regarding the scuffle and defending Samuel.
I talked to the guys about it, talked to a number of guys on the team, and we squashed it, and we’re good. Deebo also wasn’t saying anything bad to Jake, like it sounded. He was meeting him on the field, telling them to ‘lock in,’ the same thing I’ll tell to an offensive player who just dropped some balls or made some penalties or something.
Kyle Shanahan said
The Niners now face Seattle Seahawks, whom they defeated once in the season already, in the next week to claim the top spot. As Detroit Lions put in 8-1 performances, the NFC is shaping up a fierce competition.
Kyle Shanahan praises Taybor Pepper for having Jake Moody’s back
Sideline scuffles aren’t a common occurrence but it isn’t a rarity either. For example, Travis Kelce losing it at sidelines with Andy Reid last year is fresh memory for many fans. In such cases, it is important to resolve the dispute at hand which, as per the coach, is settled.
Kyle Shanahan admitted there was some overreaction on Pepper’s side. The head coach elaborated Pepper might have misread the situation, leading to the punches in the sidelines. At the same time, Shanahan stated that Pepper had genuine reasons and he praised the player on having Moody’s back.
I think it was a little bit of an overreaction… I like Pep’s (Pepper) intentions on it, I mean, he’s got his kicker’s back, but I think he kind of interpreted wrong what Deebo was doing to him and overreacted a little bit, and Deebo didn’t like that and got him out of his face, and that’s really about where it ended.
Kyle Shanahan added
Furthermore, Shanahan clarified that his usual approach to in-house fines wouldn’t apply in this case. He explained that he reserves fines for rule violations, but saw this as simply players handling issues on the sidelines, which he didn’t consider a significant problem.
