Shanahan refusing to blame 49ers’ struggles on injury misfortunes originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA – Even though it’s apparent that injuries already have taken a big toll on the 49ers, Kyle Shanahan is not in the mood to use them as an excuse for the current state of the team.
Even after it was revealed earlier this week that defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is likely to miss the remainder of the season because of a torn triceps injury he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers coach was quick to point out that San Francisco still was in position to win the game no matter who was on the field.
They just didn’t get it done, allowing a 14-point lead to slip away as the 49ers dropped to 1-2.
“Every time you have injuries, everyone knows it makes it tougher,” Shanahan said. “People have injuries throughout the league. We have to be able to overcome those. I felt we had every chance to win on Sunday despite some of our injuries. When you lose games that you believe you should have won it makes it that much harder, injuries or no injuries.”
The 49ers have been fighting an uphill medical battle since the start of the season.
Christian McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve before Week 1 because of an Achilles injury. He recently traveled to Germany to see a specialist about his situation, Shanahan confirmed on Tuesday.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel (calf) again was held out of practice Wednesday while tight end George Kittle (hamstring) was limited.
Left tackle Trent Williams, who missed most of training camp while in a contract holdout, was added to the 49ers’ injury report Wednesday but not because of an injury. Williams was unable to practice because he is sick.
On a more optimistic note, Shanahan said that he recently spoke with first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall and is encouraged by the rookie receiver’s progress. Pearsall, who was shot in the chest on Aug. 31 during an alleged armed robbery attempt near Union Square in San Francisco, recently was cleared to resume working out and has been honing in on his conditioning.
“I’m not exactly sure the timeline but I know he seemed healthier,” Shanahan said. “He seemed great when I talked to him.”
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