It would appear that Alfred Morris still has plenty of gas left in the tank. He was outstanding in his preseason debut on Saturday night as he ran with the San Francisco 49ers first-team offense. Morris shredded the Indianapolis Colts defense for 84 yards on 17 carries, good for a robust 4.9-yard average.
The 49ers running back jumpstarted a running game that hadn't gotten going through the first two weeks of the preseason. Kyle Shanahan, unsurprisingly, was pleased with the ball carrier's display on Saturday.
"I was happy with Alf from what I saw," Kyle Shanahan said. "It looked like he got some good looks. It looked like he always got a little more than what they blocked for. So he ran hard, and I was pleased with him."
Morris opened up the game with an 18-yard carry that was called back for an illegal formation penalty. On the ensuing play, he picked up 11 yards while displaying patience as a runner and the vision to find an open lane.
Morris appeared to pick up right where he left off under the tutelage of Shanahan. Morris' best production came in his first two seasons with the Washington Redskins where he amassed 2,888 rushing yards and averaged 4.7 yards a carry with Shanahan as his offensive coordinator.
"I felt like he's always looked like the same guy," Shanahan added. "And he has in the two weeks of practice that we've got him."
Following his preseason performance, Morris has solidified his case in the 49ers running back battle along with Joe Williams, Raheem Mostert and Jeremy McNichols. Now at the age of 29 and entering his seventh NFL season, Morris looks to cement a roster spot in his reunion with Shanahan. He's fully confident that he's plenty capable of being an impact player in the 49ers offense.
"I always laugh when people throw age out there. I feel like if you got it, you've got it. If you don't you don't," Morris said. "Whether you're 21 years old, or whether you're 30 years old. It really doesn't matter. I really don't care about age. To me, it's just a number. I feel great. I feel like I still got a lot of tread on these tires and I'm going to keep running until I can't."
