Kyle Shanahan Explains how Bobby Turner will Help the 49ers

Kyle Shanahan and Bobby Turner have coached together since 2010, with brief haituses in 2014 and 2022. Turner is an all-time great running backs coach who stepped away from the 49ers in March to have surgeries. Now he's healthy, and this week he returned to the 49ers. And when he and Shanahan work together, the two almost always produce quality running games.

But Turner missed the first three games. And since Jimmy Garoppolo has taken over as the starting quarterback, the 49ers have gained just 3.3 yards per carry. In addition, running backs Elijah Mitchell and Ty Davis-Price are injured. So Turner has to kick start an anemic run game with backup running backs -- something he has done many many times before.

Here's what Shanahan said Saturday about Turner's return.

ME: How nice is it having Bobby Turner back and how did that come about?

SHANAHAN: “It's awesome having Bobby back. It's been weird not having him. He told me last year he was very clear, ‘Kyle, I'm not retiring, I'm just taking a year off to get my surgeries, get healthy.’ I’ve been talking to him the last month or so and his wife. He was ready to come back. We saw him in Denver. It's awesome to get him out here. Got here two days ago and it's been great having him around.”

ME: Is he doing the same stuff he always did or is he doing new things? I mean there already is a running backs coach, so I'm just curious how does he fold back in?

SHANAHAN: “Just helping in every way. I mean Bobby, he's been around a lot. He'll tell you he's been around about 80 years coaching. I think it's 45, but no, we got a great running backs coach in [assistant head coach/running backs] Anthony [Lynn]. Anthony who was coached by Bobby, so their relationship is great. They got a lot of love for each other and I just like Bobby coming around and getting on everybody on every little detail the way he does, so it's not just the runners, it's the receivers, it's the quarterbacks, it's everybody. And I think everyone's glad to have Bobby in here.”

Q: Sometimes with a coach like that, it's good for them also, it seemed like that for linebackers coach Johnny Holland, to be back in this mix is good for their mental health.

SHANAHAN: “Yeah, I see it a lot with those guys. You get used to doing something for a long time. I think it happens to probably a lot of people in a lot of lines of work. Everyone looks forward to vacation and everyone looks forward to getting time off and I think a lot of people look forward to retirement, but after you do that you realize that that's something that you loved and I've seen that, definitely. You knew it was going to happen with Bobby. I see that with my dad a lot. It took him a while. You feel it with Johnny and I think once other things happen you realize you get an appreciation for it more. Oh, I don't do this because I have to, I do it because I really love it and that's what makes those guys so good.”

Q: Bobby's been such a staple for you and your dad. What was it like not having him here for that six months or so?

SHANAHAN: “Yeah, it was really weird for me. I have little things I always mess with Bobby on. Anytime I have an awkward time in a meeting, I just make a Bobby T joke or call him out on something and we kind of just make everyone laugh and not having him there has been awkward. I always start with every meeting, addressing him, stuff like that. So just things that you get used to that. For me, it started for all those years in Washington I was with him and then same thing with Atlanta and being here with him the last five years, so it's a really nice to get him back.”