SANTA CLARA -- When Nick Mullens stepped into the 49ers’ huddle in his NFL debut Thursday night, he looked like a player who was calm, comfortable and completely in control.
And while that was mostly the case, it turns out he was at times hearing a bothersome voice in his head during the 49ers’ 34-3 win over the Raiders at Levi’s Stadium.
NFL quarterbacks' helmets are equipped with a radio earpiece through which the voice of a coach on the sideline can be heard. The one-way transmission between plays lasts for 25 seconds. It automatically cuts off with 15 seconds remaining on the play clock.
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SIGN UP HERE 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan often takes advantage of the allotted time to relay the play to the quarterback, then give out other pertinent information, such as the expected defensive alignment and options to keep in mind as the play develops.
“Sometimes in the huddle, you hear the play call and you’re ready to repeat it and some, you know . . . So, yeah, I was just ready to call the play,” Mullens said.
It made for some light moments in the huddle, beginning on the opening drive, when Mullens was having difficulty communicating with his teammates while Shanahan still was talking to him.
“Coach Shanahan will talk in his ear while Nick is trying to call the play,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said. “Nick will be like, ‘Can you stop talking?’ Even though Shanahan can’t hear him. That’s really funny.”
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Said running back Matt Breida: “There were a couple of times Kyle didn’t cut off his mic, and Nick was trying to tell him to be quiet so he could call the play. He didn’t let that fluster him. He kept on going and kept on playing.”
Mullens is known as a serious, hard-working player who showed up at the 49ers’ facility in a suit when he took a pre-draft visit to Santa Clara in the spring of 2017. But there was laughter in the huddle early in last week's game when he blurted out in Shanahan’s direction, “Can you just shut up!”
“It was so funny, because you don’t see that from Nick,” Kittle said. “He’s the most professional person. You’ll talk to him, and he’s the stereotypical quarterback, A-B-C, and to see that in the huddle was really funny.”
Despite the sensory overload, Mullens said the information he receives from his coach is useful.
“You got to know what the defense is about to do, and Coach Shanahan does a good job of anticipating that,” Mullens said. “The hints he gives me in the helmet definitely help.”
[RELATED: Jeff Garcia believes Mullens' prep work showed in his debut]
The comedy in the huddle seemed to have an unintended effect of loosening things up for everyone. Mullens put together a strong showing, completing 16 of 22 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns in his debut. The 49ers scored touchdowns on their first two drives of the game.
“You got to have fun out there,” Breida said. “It’s football, and at the end of the day, you got to have fun. When you hear stuff like that in the huddle, it makes you chuckle. Then, you got to get back to the play.”
Mullens will have an opportunity to keep it rolling in another prime-time game. Shanahan informed him Tuesday that he will remain in the starting lineup Monday night against the New York Giants.
“The best part about football is competing with your teammates,” Mullens said. "And I think if you watch the film, all of us had fun playing together, and that’s what it’s all about.”