The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Garland, Person shining with 49ers
Ex-Falcons offensive linemen will be Super Bowl starters.
After the world-re
MIAMI — nowned D J Khaled finishes spinning the warmup tunes selected by the players on the field at the Super Bowl on Sunday, they will announce the starting lineups for the 49ers and Chiefs.
Two of San Francisco’s offensive line starters, center Ben Garland and right guard Mike Person, will be familiar to Falcons fans. While the Falcons have had trouble building out their offensive line, they didn’t re-sign Person after the 2015 season and Garland after the 2018 season.
“That was always a disappointment that they didn’t want to sign me, but to come to this organization and be a part of it was a real blessing,” Garland said.
Person started 14 games at center for the Falcons in 2015. He was a guard by trade, and it showed
with some of his wild shotgun snaps. The Falcons signed veteran Alex Mack in 2016 and Per
son, who bounced around the NFL after he was drafted by the 49ers in the seventh round of the 2011 draft, was back on the street.
The Falcons initially played Garland on the defensive line in 2016, his college position. He actually played one snap on defense in Super Bowl LI.
After right guard Chris Chester retired, Garland and Wes Schweitzer competed for the vacated spot. Schweitzer won the battle, but when Andy Levitre went down with an injury, Garland played.
He played in 16 games and made four starts at guard in 2017 and played in 14 games and made four starts in 2018. Garland finished 2017 with a low overall grade from Pro Football Focus (sub-45).
Looking to add depth, the 49ers signed Garland in April 2019.
He played in nine games and made three starts in the regular season. He played 236 snaps after playing 341 for the Falcons in 2018 and 371 in 2017.
When 49ers center Weston Richburg suffered a torn patella tendon in his knee against the Saints on Dec. 8, the 49ers turned to Garland.
“I love this opportunity, and I’m really glad I got to play for coach (Kyle Shanahan again),” Garland said.
Garland finished out the season and has played well in the playoffs.
“Ben has been great,” Shanahan said. “That’s one of the stories that has been most impressive this year. We lost our tackles, and both guys came in who hadn’t played before. We continued to win.
“When we lost Richburg, who I give credit to as much as anyone on our team for how well we’ve run the ball this year, and how well we’ve protected. I thought Richburg was having as good of a year as any center.”
But initially, Shanahan was extremely concerned.
“When we lost him, we thought it was going to be very tough,” Shanahan said. “I have a lot of confidence in Ben. But the player that we lost in Richburg was a little bit scary, especially the time that we did it. Ben came in and didn’t hesitate. Did great in his first game and has gotten better in every game since.”
Given Garland’s low grades at guard for the Falcons, his play has been a pleasant surprise for the 49ers.
“Not only has he come in and has done his job,” Shanahan said. “He’s made plays out there. When you guys look at him on some the (end) arounds, reverses and some of the screens that we’ve had, he’s been a playmaker. We haven’t missed a beat. He’s been huge.”
Garland and the rest of the 49ers’ offensive line pounded the Green Bay Packers in the NFC title game when they ran the ball 42 times for 285 yards and four touchdowns.
Person has been a part of the attacking line, too.
“I just have the utmost respect for Mike,” Shanahan said. “I think he was on seven different teams in his first eight years. Mike is a guy that I was with in Atlanta that battled for us and did a lot of good things.”
Person was out of football in 2016. He played in 12 games for the Colts in 2017.
“Then when we got him in a workout last year,” Shanahan said. “He was available. We worked out three guys. He did the best, especially with us knowing him as a guy. He ended up starting every game last year. This year he started most of the year. He played through a ton of things, a ton of injuries, and we gave him a few weeks off.”
When Person needed a break, another Falcons’ castoff lineman stepped in. Daniel Brunskill, a former Falcons practice-squad member in 2017 and 2018, took over for Person.
“He did a helluva job and got Mike healthy again,” Shanahan said. “He’s been back since the playoffs started and been right back where he started.”