Brent Jones spoke on KNBR Monday afternoon. Here’s what he said the 49ers have to do to make up for the loss of Kendall Hunter.
Q: What do the 49ers do with Kendall Hunter out for the year?
BRENT JONES: “That’s the thing. Frank carried the ball 23 times on Sunday, and he’s been more of a 17-to-18-carries type of guy.
“Somebody’s going to have to step up. Is it Dixon? I don’t know. They didn’t give him many opportunities. Is it Brandon Jacobs? It doesn’t seem they’re giving him a huge opportunity.
“I think LaMichael James has to be the guy. And I thought he was going to be the guy, I was surprised coming out of training camp that he wasn’t an active guy on a weekly basis, but there’s a lot to learn as a young back. The No.1 thing you need to know as a young back is who to block in pass protection. If you miss guys, your quarterback can get killed. So that’s probably a big part of it right now, but I think they’re going to have to create a package for him to give Frank some rest. I’d love to see some screen and draw packages in there for James.
“Without Kendall Hunter, we’re going to have to call some more – and it’s tough when it’s your starting quarterback – but we’re going to have to call some more quarterback draws, some naked boots or some planned runs – drop back and if you see man coverage, then plan on running with the ball and picking up 10 to 15 yards because you’re going to be able to beat the linebacker who’s spying you.
“This whole process of Colin Kaepernick being the starting quarterback is also new for the coaching staff. It’s not like they’re going to keep doing things the way they did them the last 20-something games. It’s like all of a sudden they have to adjust and adjust their thinking as well.”
How do you think the 49ers can compensate for the loss of Kendall Hunter’s outside running? Is the Wild Cat a good option? Is the Pistol?
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