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Kyle Juszczyk’s value in the Shanahan offense

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The 49ers’


The 26-16 win in Houston provided plenty of intriguing nuggets for fans to watch for when the 49ers return home to play Titans on Sunday. Here are just a few:

-The value of Kyle Juszczyk was evident on an 11-yard first-quarter run. Juszczyk walled off Jadeveon Clowney on the edge, which allowed room for Carlos Hyde. It wasn’t a crushing block, but something Juszczyk does with consistency. As he says his blocking is about body positioning and not necessarily knocking out a linebacker.

-Jimmy Garoppolo does things a half tick faster than C.J. Beathard. He goes through reads quickly and seems to get to his second or third read on every play, which has the affect of looking off defenders.

-Rookie tight end George Kittle has seen his snaps reduced because Garrett Celek knows the offense better and can help Garoppolo with the play call if needed. Also Celek has played well.

-The 49ers like to do quick hitting stuff with running back Matt Breida, but sometimes he’s too quick and will outrun his blocks.

-There was an instance when Garoppolo did panic a little. The Texans brought six on a blitz and he threw right into coverage, while trying to get the ball to Trent Taylor. He not only missed Taylor on the throw, he threw the ball threw the hands of linebacker Dylan Cole and then right to Kareem Jackson for the interception. Shanahan said Garoppolo just missed the throw.

-The 49ers looked like they didn’t do anything special to take away DeAndre Hopkins consistently in the first half. They seemed just as concerned with the deep speed of Fuller.

-Aldrick Robinson is replacing running back Hakeem Mostart as a gunner on the punt coverage team. He did make a tackle for no gain on his first opportunity and then went past former 49ers returner DeAndrew White on his second chance. White dropped the kick. If Robinson would have stopped, he could have tried to recover the bobbled kick. It’s a learning experience for him.

-Sometimes, it looks like DeForest Buckner is playing at a different speed than the man trying to block him. That’s what the 49ers hope Solomon Thomas will do eventually.

-Trent Taylor is getting cagey as a punt returner. He faked as if he was going to catch a punt at the 15-yard line. The kick went over his head and then he got in the way of a Texan trying to down the ball inside the 5. The ball went into the end zone for a touch back. Taylor is likely to get more cagey as he learns the NFL game, which is going to be something to watch.

-Garoppolo’s best pass of the day was an 19-yard strike to Marquise Goodwin in the second quarter. He got rid of the ball with haste and put it right on his numbers. Only a few quarterbacks in the world can make that throw.

-With Garoppolo, the entire field opens up. He’s so good at looking to one side and then going all the way back to the other side, which makes it difficult for a secondary to cover that much ground.

-Kyle Shanahan told the Fox broadcast crew that Garoppolo reminds him of former Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, because of his ability to generate a quick throw with just his upper body. Shanahan has mentioned the quick twitch in Garoppolo’s torso that is special.

-If Marquise Goodwin can be more consistent, he could be an upper echelon receiver. On third down in the second quarter, he dropped a pass right to him when he stumbled and fell. The play would have gone for 32 yards. On the his first play of the next series, he caught a 10-yard blitz beater, then turned up field for another 22 yards. So he dropped a 32-yarder, and on his next pass, he creates a 32-yarder.

-The 49ers had a serious protection break down in the second quarter. On a Houston blitz, Clowney sprang free unblocked and then crashed into Garoppolo after he released a deep pass for running back Carlos Hyde. Luckily, Garoppolo turned away from Clowney at the last instant and avoided getting injured. Meanwhile, Hyde looked like he lost sight of the ball and missed the deep throw that would have been a touchdown. After the play, linemen looked to be arguing about the missed assignment. Clowney made hits on Garoppolo on consecutive plays and then stopped Breida for a 1-yard loss. However, the 49ers were able to adjust and limit his impact as the game went on.

-Coaches should get credit for adjusting. They were able to limit Hopkins and Clowney in the second half, which was the key to their win.