Remember Mike Person

San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida (22) goes on a 66-yard touchdown run during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. At left is San Francisco 49ers offensive guard Weston Richburg (58) and at right is San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Mike Person. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

SANTA CLARA

No one notices the right guard until he screws up.

He’s anonymous. A faceless, nameless person lost among the bodies of the offensive line. In this case, his name is Person. Mike Person.

Almost generic, as in a person, not a specific someone. The quintessential generic right guard. Just a guy who has played for six teams. And this person saved the 49ers’ win last Sunday. They wouldn’t have beaten the Detroit Lions without him.

He was the MVP. The most valuable person.

He wasn’t even supposed to play. He suffered a foot strain Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings.

His backup, Joshua Garnett, had a dislocated toe and definitely couldn’t play. The 49ers thought they’d have to start undrafted rookie guard Najee Toran, who has zero experience in the NFL.

Keep in mind, the 49ers’ record was 0-1. Had they lost to the Lions and fallen to 0-2, the 49ers odds to make the playoffs would have plummeted to 8.5 percent. It was a must-win game. They needed Person to play.

He did, and they won by three points – 30-27.

“It was unbelievable,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He told us all week he was going to play and we didn’t take him that seriously because we didn’t think he should be able to. Then, we worked him out on game day. He looked good. Not only did he make it through the whole game, but he played at a very high level.”

Person played the game of his life.

“He was huge,” said offensive line coach John Benton. “The game it became, we needed to gain yards on the ground and have him in there. I don’t think we would have had nearly the success without him. The longest run of the day was right off his block.”

Here’s what happened.

THE BLOCK

The 49ers’ passing game wasn’t working. The Lions ended up sacking Jimmy Garoppolo six times. The 49ers needed to run, or else they would lose.

With 1:06 remaining in the third quarter, and the 49ers clinging to a 20-13 lead, Shanahan called a run to the right side of the offensive line. It was an outside-zone run, and it worked because of Person.

He blocked former 49ers defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois.

They did not line up directly across from each other before the play. Jean Francois lined up a couple feet to Person’s right, in the gap between Person and the right tackle. Exactly where the 49ers wanted to run. Person was outflanked.

Jean Francois’ job was easy. He needed to take one quick step into the backfield and cut off Matt Breida, the 49ers running back. Stop him from running outside. Force him to cut back inside. Get in his way.

Person’s job was extremely difficult. Before Jean Francois could break into the backfield, Person had to run to his own right, get around Francois and cut him off so Breida could get outside.

Person owned Jean Francois.

“It was a picture-perfect block,” Benton said. “It might be the toughest run block. The three-technique (defensive tackle) is so close and so explosive, that’s why most defenses that play a three-technique would say that run shouldn’t be allowed to get outside. Mike allowed us to keep the run outside and into a gap that was undefended, essentially.”

Person never saw the run develop. He’s an offensive lineman, the only position group that keeps its back to the ball 100 percent of the time.“I felt Breida go right past me,” Person said. “That’s always a great feeling.”

THE SURVIVOR

Person started his career with the 49ers. They drafted him in 2011, took him in the seventh round. Thought he could play offensive tackle. He was a project.

The next year, they cut him.

“I was a young guy,” Person said. “After the first season, I might have gotten a little bit complacent. I only weighed about 290 pounds. I had a bad camp, and learned real quick that you can’t do that.”

Person signed with the Indianapolis Colts, who cut him nine days later.

Then, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks. Then in 2013, he signed with the St. Louis Rams, who moved him to guard. Then in 2015, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons, whose offensive coordinator was Shanahan. He moved Person to center, where he started 14 games. Then, the Falcons released Person during the season. Then, Person signed with the Kansas City Chiefs a week later.

Then in 2017, the Chiefs released Person, and then he signed with the Colts for the second time. Then this offseason, he returned to the 49ers.

A lot of “thens” in Person’s career.

“He’s a survivor,” Shanahan said. “He finds a way to play. We didn’t bring him in here thinking he was going to be our starting right guard. But, he came here and he’s a better player now than he was a few years ago. He earned the job.”

He was competing against Garnett, a former first-round pick. Garnett was the favorite to win the competition, but he injured his knee and missed most of training camp. Person was the last person standing.

“He fits our scheme well,” Benton said. “He’s really a technician. He has thrived with the techniques we’ve taught him, and was good technically when he came here.”

Now, he has a home.

“For whatever reason, I’ve bounced around,” Person said. “I take pride that I’ve been able to stick it out this long.”

THE SECOND PERSON

Person grew up in a small, rural town called Glendive, Montana, about 40 miles west of North Dakota.

“My dad was a high school history teacher and our football coach in town,” Person said. “I graduated from Montana State with a history degree. I wanted to be like my dad, a history teacher and a coach.”

In that sense, Person has two personalities.

“Off the field, he’s the guy who keeps us loose in the meeting room,” Benton said, “makes sure we’re not taking things too seriously. Probably a 180 on the field. He’s very, very serious on the field. Between series, he’ll come back and go through every play we had and exactly what he did, what he thought he did, what I saw and what success or failure we had. Really, really puts in the work.”

And he’s mean on the field. He considers the defensive tackle his enemy. “It’s personal,” Person said. “It’s your job against his job. Whoever does his job better is the one who wins.”

The 49ers like the way Person thinks.

“There’s another person to Person,” Benton said, laughing. “We constantly attempt to make a pun out of his name. He probably hopes we’ll give him a nickname.”

Fat chance. Right guards don’t get nicknames. They blend in.

“I like it that way,” Person said. “I’m a quiet guy. You don’t play offensive line for the glory. You play it because you enjoy football.”

Call him a person of passion.

This article has 39 Comments

  1. Playing through his foot injury like he did, as well as he did, really speaks for how tough he is and how much it means to him. 49ers were lucky to get both he and Morris when they did. Neither guy was really on their radar at the start of the offseason, if the time it took to sign them is anything to go by, but they may end up being very important to the team finding success this season.

  2. I plan to give my 10 point plan tomorrow before the 10 am kick off. I’ve spent some late night hours going through YouTube clips and even read some interviews from Andy Reid while he was coaching the Eagles in 2001. You say I’m not dedicated to my craft? HA! If I knew KS’s email then I would send it to him but oh well…. I’ll give you a hint, JG needs to use his legs.

    1. 10 ways JH (KS) can improve. Dec. 31. 2013
      .
      1. Read Rudyard Kipling’s poem IF. Channel Bill Walsh (and his side line demeanor). Study the game winning drive before ‘The Catch’.
      .
      2. Consider time outs to be precious, and used for (legitimate) challenges, and the last 2 minutes (of each half). Good job last game.
      .
      3. Stop wasting 10 to 15 seconds every play. Tell Kaep ( JG) he can get at least 2 more sets of downs, (2 more opportunities to score), if he stops wasting time.
      .
      4. Run the no huddle with quick snaps. (That might help negate the crowd noise.) This will eliminate the delay of game penalties and stop the defense from substituting. ( Vary the snap count to try and draw them offsides for a free play that should be morphed into a long strike down field.)
      .
      5. Expressly forbid Kaep to call an audible with less than 5 seconds on the play clock. ( Luckily, this problem has been rectified with better coaching. JG does not seem to have this problem.)
      .
      6. Use players so they can maximize their talents. Stop forcing Kaep (JG) to be only a pocket passer. (6 sacks may result).Use designed roll outs (read option and naked bootlegs) to fluster the defense.
      .
      7. Establish the running game, then use play action for long strikes down field.
      .
      8. Do not run into the teeth of the defense. Hit them where they aint.
      .
      9. Be unpredictable. Use deception. Keep them guessing. Put them on their heels. ( Change things up by starting the second half doing things totally different, so their adjustments are stymied.)
      .
      10. Niners will win if Kaep (JG) gets the ball in Frank Gore’s ( playmaker’s) hands. Think screens, draws, counters, swing passes, shovel passes, (fly sweeps, misdirection, bubble screens, flea flickers, reverses, double reverses,) and even the Statue of liberty.

      1. Nice try but that is not my 10-point plan of attack at all. Catfish alert.
        .
        I have already faxed in my game plan to Lynch (not to go over Kyle’s head).
        .
        I’ll be here tomorrow hell or high water reminding you all that they either listened carefully (we win) or they failed to execute my scripted plays (we lose big).
        .
        Last but not least- for heaven’s sake, when is a defensive backs coach finally going to implement my strategy and carry the flanker receivers out of bounds?
        .
        Go Niners!

        1. No, this is my 10 point plan that I have been advocating for years. Most posters have probably had it etched into their psyche by now. Repetition is the key.
          .
          I do not have to email this plan to KS. Joan in accounting did it for me.
          .
          That tactic already was implemented from the first game of the season. Julio Jones caught the ball in the end zone, but was driven out of bounds. Both feet did not stay in bounds, so it was an incompletion.

  3. Great article Grant.

    And your right, if Najee Toran was the starting RG last Sunday, the Niners probably lose that game.

  4. My personal take on the situation was- KS played it coy by designating Najee Toran as the starting RG. Thankfully, Person played through pain and did a fine job. KS may have been forced to plan on starting 2 rookies on the right side, but Person saved the day.
    .
    Jonathan Cooper was designated as the starting RG before TC, but had not recovered enough from surgery.
    .
    Joshua Garnett played well in the preseason, and was designated as a possible starter until he became injured, so Person is the last person standing. Person looks like he is the right person for the job. Thankfully, they do not have McGlinchey impersonating a RG.
    .
    Watching his interview from TC, Person has a nice personality, too.

    1. Can they still get Cooper? What seem to have knocked him out was that he was not recovered from his injury. He is probably fully recovered and ready to play now. The should give him another shot. I don’t believe they could ever rely on Garnett. He just can not stay on the field.

  5. I don’t know alot about KC. I do know Chiefs fans are sky high about their high octane, high powered, high-falutin offense. Who can blame them? Nobody likes a low-falutin offense.

    Given my scarce exposure to KC, my hopes are someone generic.
    – Run the ball. Chew clock. Shorten the game. High-falutin offenses hate short games.
    – Prevent big plays on defense (specifically, big plays by the other team).

    It will be nice to see Foster play. I hope he freezes KC’s offense. Give em the Foster’s Freeze!

    1. And hope they have been playing over their heads and will be overconfident against the Niners. Even very good teams have let downs. The Niners could be their ” trap game”.

  6. Should be good weather at game time. I’m hoping 9er special teams have a very strong day–giving the 9er offense great field position and forcing most KC starts well inside their own 20.

  7. Enjoyed the read, Grant.
    Nicely done.

    Wish list:
    1. Effective running game
    2. RZ touchdowns replace field goals.
    3. Foster has immediate positive impact.
    4. God help our secondary…

    1. Sounds good St. Louis, also maybe…..
      5. Generate pressure from d-line without extra blitzers??

  8. Wasn’t on the 49ers radar, but he’s now a Person of interest. Good job, Grant! Thanks for not making me click to read.

    1. Niners have come a long way. They used to have VD and Crabs. Now they have a Person of Interest, Wick and Bourne. Soon after they BURN the Chiefs the will again draw NOTICE.

      1. “Person of Passion” is well known to Christians as being a quote from the bible that refers to enthusiastic Christians that spread the Word. God’s servants.

        1. Grant’s semantics were fine. Besides, he may not be versed in New Testament verbiage (which isn’t exclusive to the English language) since he’s an Old Tetstament devotee.
          Aren’t you going to be late for worship?

  9. Grant is spot on for once, and we need Person to play at the same level today if getting a win is the plan.

  10. Nice Article….we can win this game.

    Our Running game and Special teams will be the key…..Chiefs have an awesome coach in Dave Toub who needs to be stopped. Hoping DJ Reed/Pettis/Mostert have a remarkable day!

    Let’s go!

    1. If Toub coaches from the sidelines, the 9ers could run a sweep to where he’s standing and have two OL, a TE, and a RB take him out in the pileup.

  11. Cassie
    As a Flying Circus Fan, I thought you might appreciate. We were atop The Shard observation deck on the 72nd floor overlooking London. I was trying to identify some of the great buildings, and an unfortunate couple of tourists thought I knew what I was talking about. They pointed to something and asked if it was a government building.
    Not having a clue, I said: ‘Yes indeed, that’s The Ministry of Funny Walks.’
    They smiled, thanked me, and moved on. A bartender gave me a wink and said
    ‘Well played, sir. Jolly good. But you’ve quite dated yourself, you know.’
    ?
    Go Niners. I’ll check back after dinner.

  12. Turns out Person did not save the season. Only saved the game. Good job, though.

    Season was lost the next week when Garoppolo’s protection broke down and he decided he was a fullback and was going to run through everyone and win the game. Then Jimmy’s knee said, “Not today.”

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