The 49ers have gone five seasons without a 1,000-yard rusher, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Since the 2017 season when Kyle Shanahan and his coaching staff arrived in the Bay Area, the 49ers have produced five different running backs to gain more than 400 yards rushing in a season: Carlos Hyde, Matt Breida, Alfred Morris, Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman.
Shanahan’s father, Mike, regularly produced outstanding run games during his time as an NFL head coach with seven different 1,000-yard rushers, including Hall of Famer Terrell Davis. The one constant has been the Shanahans' choice at running backs coach.
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Bobby Turner, 71, entered the NFL with the Denver Broncos in 1995. He has been with at least one Shanahan for all but one season of a quarter-century in professional football.
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“Just having him in the building just gives you that extra boost of confidence,” Mostert said of Turner on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “(He’s) a guy in my eyes should be in the Hall of Fame, just because of the stature he’s brought to this game at the running back position.
“His mindset is, ‘Hey, I’m the best running backs coach this game has ever seen,’ and for him to have that mindset, he wants his players to feel like they’re the best running back that’s ever stepped on the field, as well.”
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Turner, along with legendary 49ers offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick, is among eight nominees for the Pro Football Writers of America’s Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award for lifetime achievement as an assistant coach in the NFL.
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Mostert said there is not a day that goes by that he does not thank Turner for helping make him a better player and person. Turner often jokes that he has softened with age and experience, Mostert said.
“He really treats us like we’re his own family,” Mostert said. “He tells us all the time, once we’re in that huddle, it’s all love and respect and he loves us all. It’s a great feeling to be in his huddle.”