49ers' Deebo Samuel Calls James Bradberry 'Trash'; Doubles Down After Eagles Loss
Feb 12, 2023
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 09: Deebo Samuel attends SiriusXM At Super Bowl LVII on February 09, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, but Deebo Samuel didn't leave the defeat with unending respect for his opponent.
Former NFL running back LeSean McCoy asked the 49ers wide receiver about Eagles defensive back James Bradberry during a discussion on the I Am Athletepodcast, and Samuel responded by calling him "trash."
After the Super Bowl, which saw Bradberry called for holding Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, Samuel continued to call out Bradberry:
Samuel and Bradberry just battled it out two weeks ago in a high-stakes showdown, and there are clearly still some hard feelings.
The defensive back posted three tackles, while the wide receiver tallied three catches for 33 yards and six carries for negative-nine yards. The Eagles won with ease, 31-7, although San Francisco didn't have much of a chance given its quarterback injuries.
Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo were already sidelined by injuries, and Brock Purdy (UCL) and Josh Johnson (concussion) were hurt during the game. Purdy had to re-enter the contest, but he could barely throw.
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49ers' Shanahan: Johnathan Abram Twisting Deebo Samuel's Leg 'Pissed Our Team Off'
Jan 15, 2023
Seattle Seahawks safety Johnathan Abram (23) tackles San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) during the second half of an NFL wild card playoff football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said his team was infuriated after Seattle Seahawks safety Johnathan Abram twisted wide receiver Deebo Samuel's left ankle after a play early in the third quarter of the 49ers' 41-23 NFC Wild Card round win Saturday.
“I think that pissed a lot of people off. I think that pissed our team off and I think you could feel our team react to that.”
The incident in question occurred after Samuel caught a 21-yard pass to set the 49ers up with 1st-and-10 at the Seahawks' 16-yard line and his team down 17-16.
The four-year NFL veteran notably suffered a left MCL sprain and left ankle sprain during the 49ers' 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 11.
He missed the remainder of that game and the next three contests before getting back into the lineup on Jan. 8 against the Arizona Cardinals.
After the ankle-twisting incident, San Francisco scored 25 unanswered points to take a 41-17 lead before Seattle added a late garbage-time touchdown.
Samuel led the 49ers with 165 yards from scrimmage, including 74 on a touchdown catch that put his team up 37-17.
The 49ers will now host a to-be-determined opponent during the NFC Divisional round next weekend. That team will be the Minnesota Vikings if they beat the New York Giants on Sunday in the playoffs.
If the Giants win, then the 49ers will host the victor of Monday night's Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers playoff game.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel Expected to Return from Knee, Ankle Injuries vs. Cardinals
Jan 6, 2023
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is expected to return from knee and ankle injuries on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The 26-year-old suffered a sprained MCL and left ankle that caused him to be carted off the field in the blowout win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14. The 49ers noted that they expected him to be back at some point during the regular season.
Prior to being sidelined, Samuel registered 54 receptions for 612 yards and two touchdowns while adding 228 rushing yards and three scores on 41 carries. His output was a step below his All-Pro 2021 season, but he was still a key difference-maker in the San Francisco offense.
A year ago, he totaled 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns on his way to earning his first career Pro Bowl selection. He parlayed his stellar season into a three-year, $71.6 million contract extension with $58.1 million guaranteed in July.
In Samuel's absence, Brandon Aiyuk was thrust into the role of No. 1 receiver for San Francisco. He caught 16 passes for 201 yards and one touchdown in the three games Samuel was sidelined.
Samuel couldn't be returning to the 49ers at a better time. The team is still in contention for the NFC's No. 1 seed and is gearing up for a postseason run.
Jalen Hurts, Deebo Samuel, NFL Injury Statuses and Fantasy Impact for Week 17
Dec 30, 2022
CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 18: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) throws the football in action during a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears on December 18, 2022, at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Jalen Hurts and Deebo Samuel appeared at their respective team practices this week, but that does not mean they will play in Week 17.
Hurts is officially listed as doubtful with the shoulder injury that forced him to sit out the Philadelphia Eagles' Week 16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Samuel has been out with knee and ankle injuries since Week 14. His status is still uncertain for Sunday.
Fantasy football players may have gotten excited when they saw the news of Hurts and Samuel at practice, but they will likely have a minimal impact on fantasy matchups in Week 17.
Below is a look at the other injuries affecting the fantasy landscape in Week 17.
Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI: doubtful (shoulder), per NFL.com
Deebo Samuel, WR, SF: out (knee, ankle)
Alvin Kamara, RB, NO: full participant in practice (quad)
Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL: out (leg)
Colt McCoy, QB, ARI: out (concussion)
Antonio Gibson, RB, WSH: out (knee/foot)
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, MIA: out (concussion)
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, ARI: questionable (knee)
Christian Watson, WR, GB: questionable (hip)
Chris Olave, WR, NO: questionable (hamstring)
Tyler Lockett, WR, SEA: limited participant in practice (hand)
Austin Ekeler, RB, LAC: limited participant in practice (knee)
Jerry Jeudy, WR, DEN: limited participant in practice (ankle)
Hurts Officially Listed as Doubtful
Hurts made an appearance at Eagles practice in each of the last two days. Despite that, the QB is officially listed as doubtful with the shoulder injury he suffered in Week 15 against the Chicago Bears.
Philadelphia will host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and Gardner Minshew will likely make his second straight start.
Nick Sirianni and the Eagles coaching staff should have trust in Minshew's ability to earn the win after he came close to beating the Dallas Cowboys on the road on Christmas Eve.
The 26-year-old came through for fantasy football players last week, as he threw for 355 yards and a pair of touchdowns, though he tossed two interceptions.
Still, Minshew's comfort level in the Eagles offense makes him the ideal replacement for Hurts.
The fantasy status of running back Miles Sanders, receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert should not be affected by Minshew's presence in the pocket.
If Minshew is unavailable in your league, Mike White, Brock Purdy and Teddy Bridgewater are among the possible Hurts replacements.
Those aren't ideal options, but they're likely the best you can get with the current status of quarterbacks across the NFL.
Samuel Back at Practice
Samuel made an appearance at 49ers practice Thursday, but he was doing individual work instead of participating in team drills. He has been dealing with knee and ankle injuries, and Week 17 may be too soon for the 49ers to bring him back.
Fantasy football players would love to see Samuel on the field, but the team should be able to handle the Las Vegas Raiders without him. The last thing the 49ers want is to rush him back and for him to get hurt before the postseason starts.
San Francisco scored 37 points in Week 16 as George Kittle had a pair of touchdown catches, Brandon Aiyuk had 81 receiving yards and Jauan Jennings had a pair of catches.
If Samuel is active, he would likely be on a snap count as the 49ers work him back into the offense after two weeks off.
Washington's Jahan Dotson, Arizona's Marquise Brown and Isaiah Hodgins of the New York Giants are among the waiver-wire pickups you can make if you still need wide receiver help.
Elite Defense and O-Line Can Lift 49ers Past NFC's Best in the Playoffs
Kristopher Knox
Dec 16, 2022
49ers DE Nick Bosa
There's a perception in today's NFL that a team cannot make a legitimate Super Bowl run without an elite quarterback. Well, the San Francisco 49ers are poised to put that theory to the test.
San Francisco is now on its third starting quarterback of the season. Yet, as the 49ers showed once again on Thursday night, their defense and offensive line are strong enough to challenge the best the NFC has to offer.
Are the Seattle Seahawks among the conference's best? No, but the 7-7 Seahawks aren't pushovers either. Thursday's game was a tough, physical divisional battle that San Francisco faced in a hostile environment. While the 49ers didn't exactly make it look easy, they dominated in the trenches, forced mistakes on defense and delivered a decisive 21-13 victory.
The 49ers have now won seven in a row and are as hot as any team in the NFL. They continue rolling with that aforementioned third-string quarterback.
Let's talk about rookie quarterback Brock Purdy for a moment, because he is one of the top stories in San Francisco right now. Taken with the 262nd and final pick of 2022, Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant on draft weekend and largely unknown in Week 1.
Starter and 2021 third-overall pick Trey Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury two weeks ago, which handed the keys to Purdy.
In his two-plus games since, Purdy has done nothing to disappoint. Against Seattle, he finished 17-of-26 for 217 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a key first down on San Francisco's final drive. He did it all without one of the 49ers' best players in wideout Deebo Samuel.
More importantly, the rookie has shown poise, accuracy, a solid understanding of Kyle Shanahan's offense and an ability to push the ball down the field. Just check out this play from Thursday, during which Purdy surveys the field, works through his progressions and finds tight end George Kittle breaking loose in the secondary.
The bottom line is that anyone high on the 49ers a couple of weeks ago when Garoppolo was healthy should still be extremely high on them—even with Mr. Irrelevant running the offense.
And plenty of folks should be high on the 49ers because of their defense, their running game and their offensive line.
The line, headlined by All-Pro Trent Williams, can open holes for in-season trade acquisition Christian McCaffrey. The former Carolina Panthers star has become a force in San Francisco and came into Thursday's game with 426 rushing yards, 316 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
Against Seattle, McCaffrey rumbled for 108 rushing yards, 30 receiving yards and a touchdown.
That line helped pave the way for a ground-oriented nine-play, 71-yard drive at the end of the game to chew up the final 3:35 and seal the win.
The line can also give Purdy time in the pocket to survey the field, which is critical in a passing attack predicated on spacing. Shanahan doesn't rely heavily on timing patterns but rather utilizes the threat of the run and route patterns to get receivers open.
Brock Purdy has thrown 62% of his passes to open receivers tonight. HC Kyle Shanahan has drawn up a great game plan to make it easy for his rookie QB and SF is in control
If Purdy has the time to see receivers breaking open, he's shown that he can be dangerous. The 49ers are loaded with offensive playmakers, and they're expected to have Samuel back at some point in the postseason.
The 49ers expect Samuel "to return at some point during the regular season," according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner.
Purdy has shown that he can get the ball to those playmakers.
Brock Purdy has found his TEs and RBs tonight with great success. He's 11/14 for 89 yards & 2 TDs. their EPA/TGT is 0.43, an extremely efficient number when measuring how successful these throws have been in helping SF score
Then, there's the defense, which has been dominant since giving up 44 points to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7. Since then, San Francisco has not surrendered more than 17 points in any game.
Coming into Thursday, the 49ers ranked first in rushing yards allowed, 12th in passing yards allowed, first in total yards allowed and first in points allowed for the season.
This elite defense—headlined by Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner—gives San Francisco a big margin for error, almost regardless of who is under center.
This margin, San Francisco's ability to protect the passer (24 sacks allowed on the season) and its ability to run the ball are exactly why the 49ers can get past teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs.
The Eagles, who own an NFL-best 12-1 record, have been spectacular. However, they've thrived on racking up points (first in scoring), getting sacks (49) and forcing turnovers on defense (23).
Philadelphia also ranks a modest 24th in yards per rush allowed (4.7).
Dallas is a similarly built team, ranking third in scoring, third in points allowed, logging 48 sacks and amassing 23 defensive turnovers—but also allowing 4.4 yards per play on the ground.
While Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott may give the Eagles and Cowboys the edge at quarterback, respectively, San Francisco matches up extremely well with both the Eagles and the Cowboys. The Minnesota Vikings, who are 10-3 but are also a largely offensive squad, are an even better matchup for the 49ers.
Minnesota ranks 10th in scoring but dead-last in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed. That's not a formula that plays well against a 49ers defense that limits points, especially in the second half.
San Francisco did allow 10 second-half points to Seattle, but it's worth noting that starting cornerback Charvarius Ward exited with an injury before the Seahawks found their first touchdown.
According to the Amazon broadcast, Ward exited for a concussion evaluation and was cleared but did not return. Before that, he was spectacular against star Seahawks wideout DK Metcalf.
Charvarius Ward aligned across from DK Metcalf on 25 of 35 routes (71% shadow) in the first three quarters before leaving the game with an injury.
Seattle was still held to 277 total yards and 16 first downs while converting just four of 13 third-down tries. Rookie sensation Kenneth Walker III was held to just 3.9 yards per carry after averaging 4.7 coming in.
Geno Smith was sacked three times and faced constant pressure throughout the game.
Now, before we prematurely crown the 49ers as Super Bowl favorites, it's worth noting one big fact. We haven't seen how Purdy performs when facing a significant deficit. There's a difference between being a reliable game-manager and being a signal-caller who can spark a comeback.
Of course, with this defense and offensive line, the 49ers may not face a large deficit again before this year—at least until Super Bowl LVII, if they get that far.
The 49ers' formula of winning in the trenches, with defense and on the ground has taken them to two NFC title games in the past three years. There's every reason to believe it can take them to a third in the coming months.
49ers' Deebo Samuel Expected to Return from Ankle, Knee Injuries in 'Threeish' Weeks
Dec 13, 2022
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is expected to be out for "threeish weeks" while he recovers from knee and ankle injuries, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Tuesday.
The 49ers said Monday that the 26-year-oldsuffered a sprained MCL in his left knee as well as a sprained left ankle. They added that he was expected to return during the regular season.
Samuel was injured in San Francisco's Week 14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he carried the ball up the middle and landed awkwardly after being tackled. He was visibly emotional as he was carted off the field.
The South Carolina product this season has recorded 54 catches for 612 yards and two touchdowns while adding 228 rushing yards and three scores on 41 carries.
Samuel established himself as one of the most productive offensive players in the NFL last season, racking up 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns on his way to earning first-team All-Pro honors and his first Pro Bowl selection.
The 49ers rewarded him with a three-year, $71.6 million contract extension with $58.1 million guaranteed in July.
While he hasn't put up those astronomical numbers, he has been a major part of San Francisco's success. The 49ers are the hottest team in the NFL with a six-game winning streak heading into Thursday night's game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Without Samuel in the lineup, Brandon Aiyuk will be San Francisco's top option on the outside. Running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle could also get more targets in the passing game.
