So, Jalen Hurd’s physical blocking got him into some fights. Kyle Shanahan wasn’t pleased with his team fighting, but also praised Hurd’s physicality. It turns out that there was a mastermind to it all: fellow San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Trent Taylor.
“Man,” Taylor told Hurd, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan. “you only get a couple of reps so go make the most of it, go hit somebody.”
Hurd did just that. He was seen as swinging on 49ers defensive backs after his blocking got under their skin. In a later skirmish, the 49ers had to pull him off a second defensive back when the two went to the ground.
“He took it a little further than that[hitting somebody],” Taylor said.
The incidents had Kyle Shanahan doing video surveillance to see who was at fault and using the episode as a learning experience for the team during the 2019 training camp. Shanahan loves him some Hurd blocking, but the team fighting? Not so much. This much we’ve read before.
The defense might be retaliating on Hurd in the smallest of ribs. Ahkello Witherspoon had some fun with Hurd, lobbing a ball Hurd’s way after an interception. If there’s more to come, well, maybe we can thank Taylor for the words of wisdom.
It’s rather humorous that Taylor gave Hurd advice and then somehow that’s exactly what happened. It’s doubtful Taylor intended to get Hurd into scuffles with veterans, but it’s rather interesting that the result was Hurd getting into two fights and having the defensive backs irritated. Almost like you can hear Emperor Palpatine laughing somewhere.