The 49ers were pretty awful on Thursday night, but for what it’s worth—Carlos Hyde once again showed he’s the proverbial man. Frank Gore’s heir is on pace to have a 1200 yard rushing season under Chip Kelly and if you watched the tape, he’s fought for every single yard he’s gained.
The 49ers have a lot of holes to address, but running back probably won’t be one of them. As long as Hyde can stay healthy, the 49ers have a solid running attack. It’s just getting a passing game going so teams don’t stack the box. With the current quarterback play, that’s easier said than done.
Here’s what Hyde had to say to the media.
Are you seeing any improvement in how the run game is progressing and how you are fitting into it?
Yes. As the game goes on, I feel like I get better. I just have to stay at it. I hurt my team today. I can’t do that. I got a penalty, I let my emotions get the best of me and I can’t allow that. We just have to stay at it. We have to stay focused and keep working and don’t give up. It is still a long season and we just have to keep fighting. Things can turn around. We can get one win and the next thing you know, you go on a streak. We just have to stay at it and keep pushing.
Do you think your teammates have that same mentality?
Not sure but I hope they do. We’ll see. I really hope they do.
Can you talk about 49ers WR Jeremy Kerley that can really pace this offense, it seems like when he gets going this offense gets going?
“He does a good job of getting open. He does a good job of getting that YAC. He is a good player.”
How do you see yourself benefiting when he gets open?
Usually when he is rolling, we are getting close to the red zone, and usually when we get close to there, my number is about to get called soon and I get excited. I am about to score a touchdown.
Speaking of getting excited, what happened in sequence where it seems like it was a momentary loss of composure for you?
Like I said, I let my emotions get the best of me. I gotta stay focused got to stay locked into the game. Guys want to talk, don’t pay attention. Get back to the huddle, line up, and play again.
This is a divisional game, one that you want to win, to drop one to Seattle and then to Arizona today, can you put that into perspective what that means to the team at this time?
Yeah. Losing those divisional games are not that good. We just have to stay focused. We just have to keep working, keep pushing and don’t give up. We just have to keep fighting, always fight until the clock hits zero just keep fighting.
Easier said than done?
I think that it is easy. I like to compete, so I am going to compete all the way until the game is over. I don’t care if we are up by 30 or losing by 30. I am going to keep playing, keep doing my job and try to help my team to win.
This team has already faced three top ranked run defenses in the league in your first 5 games. How have you benefited from that?
Before the season started I was looking at our schedule and knowing we’re playing these top teams and I get excited. These so called top defense in the league, I look forward to it every Sunday. I suppose I’m playing the best and I’m ready for my best shot and they bring out the best in me. I really look forward to Sundays.
Seems like the advantage you bring, like you were saying in the 4th quarter getting some carries, but when the game gets kind of away from you , you can’t do that. How do you handle that?
Become a receiver. I had a couple of passes thrown to me today. Do whatever I do to help my team get in position to win. If we get behind and we can’t run the ball, we got to pass it. That’s ok. Go out there play receiver, get open, catch the ball, stay on pace.