05 May 2023 , 17:13
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San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel has addressed the quarterback situation his side are facing.
The Californian team were on the cusp of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time since 2020, when they came unstuck by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Conference Championship game in January. The five-time winners of the Vince Lombardi trophy lost 31-7, but were hindered due to injuries sustained by both of their quarterbacks.
Brock Purdy went down on the first series after tearing his ulnar collateral ligament and backup Josh Johnson was later knocked out during the Eagles game with a concussion. Samuel insists this is the only reason they missed out on playing in the Super Bowl and addressed what the team is doing to avoid another similar situation.
They have signed Sam Darnold whilst Purdy and Trey Lance, last year's initial starter, are expected to be back to full fitness, creating some debate over whether the latter could be traded. Yet Samuel insists their experience in the NFC Championship game means carrying an extra proven quarterback is a smart move.
"We lost because we played with 10 people,” Samuel told Complex. “I ain’t going to keep going on about what could’ve happened and what would’ve happened but yeah, it would’ve definitely been a different outcome (if healthy)." He added: “I mean the people upstairs from John Lynch and company. Brock (Purdy) is still recovering from his surgery.
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“Trey (Lance) is fully healthy. We went and got another quarterback in Sam Darnold. That was the only piece we were missing. If we had another quarterback, we would’ve been alright. In that situation, what could you do? The front office is doing a good job of making sure we’ll be alright.”
In the NFC title clash the Eagles did a stellar job of restricting Samuel to just three catches for 33 yards at the Linc. They certainly aren’t his favourite team right now and in fact, the athlete even claimed they are the ‘most hated’ side.
"I mean hey man, we done wiped the Rams so many times," Samuel said. "All the trash talk coming from the Eagles fan base and the players, you just get tired of that."
The 49ers last reached the Super Bowl in 2020 (USA TODAY Sports)Both the Niners and Eagles are looking strong throughout the offseason and may be favourites to contest the conference championship match once again. Deebo took the time to respond to those who suggest the Eagles are the clear favourites to claim the NFC again despite the 49ers performances last season.
“See, I ain’t know nothing about that until you just said something," Samuel commented. "I barely watched the draft to be honest with you. I seen a couple of guys that I knew get drafted and at the end, I was just off of it. How we move as a team, we don’t even pay attention to the noise. It’s just crazy how you just said this and I ain’t heard nothing about it.
“We just a team that’s focused on the things we have and the people we have in our building. We’re not worried about the outside noise.” Should that come to fruition, Deebo is hoping his side will be able to compete with all their players available. "We just gotta stay healthy, man," he said. "We stay healthy, and the sky's the limit."