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Kyle Shanahan defended his decision to run Trey Lance up the middle on third down as he confirmed the quarterback will have season-ending surgery on an ankle injury.
Lance was hurt on a quarterback power play on second-and-eight late in the first quarter of their 27-7 win over the Seahawks on Sunday.
While Shanahan described the injury as a “sad moment” and said it was “sobering” when the team got into the locker room despite the emphatic nature of their victory, he was steadfast in his defense of his play-call.
“Any time a guy gets hurt I wish I didn’t call that. That’s something we were gonna do, something we were going to continue to do,” Shanahan said.
“It’s a football play we believe in and it’s something that gives him a chance to be successful in this league.”
Shanahan bristled in the face of persistent questions about the play-call, adding: “Buffalo does it all the time with their quarterback. It’s a pretty normal play.
“It’s a part of football and it’s unfortunate he hurt his ankle on it, but it’s a very normal play. You guys should watch some other people.”
Despite Shanahan’s vehement defense of his decision-making, his usage of the quarterback the 49ers traded three first-round picks to acquire is likely to come under further scrutiny in the coming days even as he and his players pivot to another season with Jimmy Garoppolo as the starter.