When a coach is asked directly about a player’s future, sometimes he feels no choice but to dance around the truth with his lips. Take what 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said about defender Jimmy Garappolo as an example of creating space for movement: “I think Jimmy will be our defender next year.”
It’s different from Giants coach Joe Judge’s uninterrupted vote of confidence for defender Daniel Jones, who was voluntarily introduced in response to a question about offensive penalties. The judge said Jones’ security and decision-making is why it is a “key piece” for the future.
“Do you always want to know about ‘Daniel is our guy?’ Are we moving forward with Daniel? The answer is absolute, “said the judge.
“What gives us that confidence is even in games like that [Sunday] where it didn’t come out perfectly … you look at the tape and you see the guy over there operating, running, understanding the pressure – and not just sitting there bravely like he did it all the time and hitting, but understanding how to take the hit and give a precise pass and move the sticks to the field. “