Rookie tackle McGlinchey eye-opening escort for 50 yards
Top pick kept going like Forrest Gump on Mostert’s TD run
SANTA CLARA >> Watching Mike McGlinchey race 50 yards down field as a lead blocker was phenomenal.
It spoke volumes not only about the 49ers rookie right tackle but how this year’s top draft pick fits so well into coach Kyle Shanahan’s scheme.
“That’s what’s fun about Kyle’s offense — you get to show off your athletic ability with how we run and how we try and get out in front of guys,” McGlinchey said.
While Monday night’s visit by the New York Giants will showcase their Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite in Saquon Barkley, let’s not forget about how well McGlinchey is faring as a promising cornerstone for the 49ers.
What better way to examine that than looking deeper into McGlinchey’s eye-opening escort on Raheem Mostert’s 52-yard touchdown in last week’s 34-3 rout of the Raiders: THE START >> McGlinchey and the 49ers lined up at their 48-yard line. Then
came the snap to Nick Mullens, who faked a jet-sweep handoff to Marquise Goodwin. As McGlinchey backpedaled to the 44, Raheem Mostert took Nick Mullens’ pitch at the 40.
What ensued was much more than McGlinchey’s one-man caravan.
“We watched the film as a team (Tuesday), and the backside guys are really the ones who sprung that play loose,” McGlinchey said.
The backside guys, left tackle Joe Staley, center Weston Richburg and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, all of whom cleared out secondlevel blocks. Aiding and abetting were tight end Garrett Celek, left guard Laken Tomlinson and right guard Mike Person.
“That worked out perfect,” Celek said. “We’ve ran it a few times (this season), it just hasn’t turned out that good.”
Celek, by the way, didn’t want to divulge the specific play call in case Mullens needs to audible to it later this season.
THE RACE >> As McGlinchey raced down the right sideline, Mostert was coming
on fast at 20.9 mph, as clocked by the NFL’s NextGen Stats. “Well, I had like a 20-yard head start,” McGlinchey quipped.
McGlinchey said his job was to take out the widest defender on the play, “but normally he shows up a lot faster than that.”
Raiders safety Marcus Gilchrist eventually entered the picture. Staley, upon reviewing film, told McGlinchey he should have cut block Gilchrist.
“He got you guys to notice him,” Staley joked.
“I don’t really like to cut block, especially when a guy is coming at me from the inside,” McGlinchey said. “The worst thing in the world is to cut block and miss. I just wanted to get on him and make a play.”
And so McGlinchey made like Forrest Gump and kept running.
“That was really cool,” Richburg said. “He could have made it easier by cutting the guy, but he wanted to be a hero.”
“Mike, he can move,” Celek said. “He beats me down field sometimes on celebrations.”
THE FINAL PUSH >> McGlinchey got a hand on Gilchrist at the Raiders 30, then zig-zagged to get out of Mostert’s way, nearly tangling legs with him at the 15. Finally, at the 5, McGlinchey cleared out Gilchrist and tumbled into the end zone while Mostert ran in untouched for his first career touchdown.
“Those are my favorite plays, because it allows us to do something different than just run downhill and block a defensive lineman,” McGlinchey said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Said Staley: “Every play is designed to get a touchdown, and very rarely does it happen like it’s drawn up, because they’re good players, too.”
THE AFTERMATH >> Was that really the way Shanahan drew it up for McGlinchey? Nope. “I think the O-Line gave him the showoff fine for trying to be on TV following him down the field for so long,” Shanahan quipped. “No, I’m just joking.
“He did a hell of a job. It was awesome.”
THE FUTURE >> Notre Dame had its share of pin-andpull blocking but nothing that ever got McGlinchey so far into the open field like Mostert’s 52-yard touchdown run.
“Mike McGlinchey’s been working his butt off all year long,” running back Matt Breida said. “You guys can see what type of player he’s going to be in this league. One day he’ll be a Pro Bowler.”
Such run-blocking agility and a highly professional approach was not what the 49ers got out of his predecessor, Trent Brown. Brown’s durability raised further questions as he entered his contract year, and his draft-day trade to New England has worked out for all parties involved.
Some three months ago, McGlinchey got planted on his backside by Houston Texans’ star J.J. Watt in a “Welcome To The NFL” scrimmage.
And now?
“I’m playing a lot faster and a little bit more free now that I have a full understanding of the offense,” McGlinchey said. “I’ve been pretty successful so far and still have a long way to go.”
• Tight end George Kittle, despite aggravating a chest injury last game, is a full-go for Monday night’s game when the 49ers host the New York Giants.
Kittle was limited in practice all week, in that he wore a blue jersey signifying no-contact. He’s played in every game this year for the 49ers and leads them with 41 catches for 692 yards, with three touchdowns, including one last week’s 34-3 rout of the Raiders.
Pierre Garçon, who also scored against the Raiders, will not be suiting up this game because of a knee injury that kept him from practicing all week. Garçon officially got ruled out Saturday along with linebacker Reuben Foster (hamstring) and safety Jaquiski Tartt (shoulder). Linebacker Malcolm Smith will start at linebacker in place of Foster, with Smith likely rotating less this game with Elijah Lee. Tyvis Powell again will start for Tartt.