There aren’t many stamps of approval more valuable for an NFL team than one given by legendary coach Bill Belichick.
The San Francisco 49ers received that very stamp ahead of their Monday night showdown against the New York Jets.
Belichick didn’t accept a job offer from 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, but he did appear on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ and expanded on the difficulties of facing Aaron Rodgers before heaping praise on the 49ers and their head coach.
“The 49ers have really good skill players,” Belichick said. “You can’t let (Christian) McCaffrey get going if you’re the Jets. That guy’s a game wrecker. (Brandon) Aiyuk on third-down situations. (George) Kittle is one of, if not the best, tight end end in the league. He’s a tremendous player. Those guys are all really hard to tackle. They’ll all block. They’re a tough matchup. They’re a really tough matchup. With Trent (Williams) back there they’re solid at left tackle, so the blind side is good. And Kyle’s a great offensive coach. He’s a scheme coach. So, I’m sure he’ll challenge the Jets with some good looking plays and some tough schemes.”
Belichick isn’t familiar with facing the current iteration of the 49ers since he last faced them with the New England Patriots in 2020. San Francisco dominated that game in New England and won 33-6.
This version of the 49ers is even tougher with McCaffrey in the backfield and Brock Purdy under center. Belichick also didn’t mention wide receiver Deebo Samuel who is perhaps the most unique offensive weapon in the league.
Getting that co-sign from Belichick is just another signal that San Francisco’s offense has the potential to be the NFL’s best in 2024. Week 1 will give us a good picture of what’s to come against Jets head coach Robert Saleh and their very good defensive unit.
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