San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch deemed Kyle Juszczyk’s position name was offensive weapon or OW. The Harvard graduate is listed on the roster as a fullback but spends time in meeting rooms with the running backs as well as with tight ends. He says it just depends on the day.
Juszczyk has been playing multiple positions since he started playing football. He says he studies the playbook just like everyone else that didn’t go to an Ivy League school, joking that being able to solve differential equations doesn’t help you memorize a playbook faster than anyone else. He did say that the offense is similar to what he saw in Baltimore, yet a little more complex or thorough.
Juszczyk explained that Kyle Shanahan understands the complete defense, thinking about all 11 players on the field. He accounts for everyone, even the corner on the side of the field away from the play. He believes it takes advantage of weaknesses in the defense. He spoke to us after a challenging day for the offense but says everyone is honing in on the task at hand. He added that there’s a lot of learning going on on both sides of the ball with installs nearly everyday. It’s important for everyone to focus on what’s going on right in front of them.
Part of making the offense more cohesive is everyone’s chemistry with Brian Hoyer who Juszczyk says is a great leader. The two have known each other for a little while, which makes it easy to speak freely and sort things out. He added that Hoyer has a lot of poise while being a good teacher to everyone who is less familiar with Shanahan’s scheme.
Another resource for the offense is running backs coach Bobby Turner, who Juszczyk says is a wealth of knowledge. He knows he can ask him about any position on the offense and he will have the answer. Turner’s more than 40 years as a football coach as well as an extensive amount of time working with Shanahan makes him invaluable.
Juszczyk will use Turner as a resource as well as tight ends coach John Embree. Juszczyk reiterated that doesn’t matter what he’s listed as on the roster, he will do whatever they ask of him.