49ers coaches not down on Williams for Week 4 performance

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Seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams did not have “his best night” in Week 4, as coach Kyle Shanahan said a day after the 49ers’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

But the assessment Williams received from the 49ers' coaching staff apparently showed that it was a lot better than anyone on the outside would have thought.

For example, Williams allowed two sacks and four total quarterback pressures in the 49ers’ Week 4 game Sunday night, according to Pro Football Focus.

However, the report card Williams received back from his coaches was not nearly as harshly graded.

“If you’re talking about pass pro, I was credited for half a sack from the coaches, which I feel like I could’ve done that play a little better,” Williams said of his 53 snaps in pass protection.

“The quarterback got to moving around and things happen. We could all be better in that sense. In pass pro after that, I was pretty clean from a personal standpoint.”

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Philadelphia defensive end Derek Barnett drove back Williams in the first quarter for a half-sack he shared with Javon Hargrave, who beat 49ers left guard Laken Tomlinson.

On another play, Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat got around Williams. That play was designed for quarterback Nick Mullens to roll right, away from Williams and Sweat. But Mullens had to stop when Eagles pass-rusher Brandon Graham played it perfectly on the front side against tight end Ross Dwelley’s attempted block.

Williams said there were four or five plays from the game he wishes he had back. He described his holding and false start infractions as “bonehead penalties.”

“Got to erase those from the game,” Williams said. “But other than that, from a pass-protection (standpoint), I had a pretty clean sheet.

“I know sometimes that the public perception can think some things are on you when in-house we kind of know they’re not. That’s a tough deal to kind of juggle with just dealing with perception versus reality.”

On Monday, Shanahan acknowledged Williams was not at the top of his game against Philadelphia. He also said he has no reason to be concerned. After all, Williams has been one of the 49ers' best players since the opening of training camp.

“Trent was a little bit off, along with everyone else out there, and that's the result when that happens,” Shanahan said. “Trent’s as good and as talented of a guy as I've been around.

“He had a rough night. I'm not worried about that going forward. It's going to happen at times, but Trent’s in here working his butt off, doing the right things. He'll get it corrected and we'll help him do it around him, too.”

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Williams said he knows every member of the 49ers can rely on Shanahan to tell it like it is without sugarcoating anything.

“The best quality about Kyle is he’s transparent,” Williams said. “He’s honest with the team. He’s going to shoot you straight, no matter if it’s comfortable or uncomfortable for him. That’s what he’s done. That’s what he’ll continue to do.

"As a grown man, you want to hear the truth.”

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