TAMPA, Fla. – Deebo Samuel’s made a profession out of being a bodily soccer participant, however when it got here to swiping at teammate Taybor Pepper’s throat Sunday, it was clearly an “out of character” second.
Samuel had first confronted kicker Jake Moody for his third missed discipline objective Sunday when Pepper, the veteran lengthy snapper, got here to his protection, prompting Samuel’s left hand to lurch at Pepper’s throat and ricochet off Moody’s helmet.
“He was telling him to lock in,” Pepper defined after Moody rebounded to make his first profession walk-off discipline objective within the 49ers’ 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Bucs.
“We know what our job is. We’ve got us,” Pepper mentioned. “It’s hard being a specialist. Sometimes it’s feast of famine.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned he didn’t see Samuel’s verbal then bodily assault, downplaying it publicly to reporters by noting “brothers scuffle” and peace could be brokered by the point their flight lands Sunday night time in San Jose.
Nobody’s voice carried greater than Samuel’s after Moody’s third and ultimate miss.
“He had a little dog in him, a little motivation to go out there and make the (winning) field goal,” Samuel mentioned. “I was talking to him at first and wasn’t saying nothing crazy. I was frustrated in the time. He went out there and won the game for us. He wasn’t bothered by it so we move past it.”
Moody, after lacking three earlier video games with a high-ankle sprain, made a 28-yard discipline objective for a 3-0 lead however then hooked a 49-yarder huge left. He rebounded to make a 33-yarder, however then got here the fourth-quarter flurry, with him hooking a 50-yarder left earlier than slicing a 44-yarder proper, that latter one touching off the Deebo Dispute with 3:09 left and the 49ers forward 20-17.
The Bucs responded with a game-tying discipline objective from 26 yards, by one-time 49ers temp Chase McLaughlin, earlier than Brock Purdy directed a last-minute drive that allowed for Moody’s 44-yard winner.
“Really, really wanted a chance to redeem myself,” Moody mentioned. “I felt really confident, really good going that direction. It was the same exact spot as the previous kick, so I felt really confident. What happened with the previous one I was able to make an adjustment.”
The Buccaneers didn’t use any of their three remaining timeouts to ice Moody, to which coach Todd Bowles mentioned;”He had missed two earlier than that so we didn’t really feel like icing him.”
Moody credited his teammates and coaches for trustring him, for “picking me up” in an “emotional game.”
“As a young developing specialist like Jake is, the best mental exercise you can have, I don’t know how much better it gets than missing three straight than having to step up and hit almost a 50-yard game winner,” Pepper mentioned. “I’m super proud of Jake.”
Moody, who struggled on the finish of final season’s rookie 12 months, mentioned an apology from Samuel wouldn’t be mandatory, and never simply due to the “heat of the moment” circumstances.
“We won, so that’s all that matters,” Moody mentioned. “There doesn’t need to be. It’s heat of the moment. It happens. I do have to make those kicks at the end of the day. That’s all I’m focused on, not anything like (an apology).”
This was the primary sport the 49ers gained on a Moody kick, however it was not his first shot alternative; he missed a 41-yard try with six seconds left final 12 months in Cleveland because the 49ers misplaced 19-17 and fell to 5-1.
Moody blamed his first and third misses Sunday on altering winds, and he thanked Pepper for dashing to his aspect within the confrontation with Samuel.
“He had my back. Just making sure everyone stayed calm and collective, nothing got too crazy,” Moody mentioned. “It’s a lot of emotions that happened in the game. We were able to quiet it down and just focus on the last one.”
Initially Revealed: November 10, 2024 at 3:04 PM PST
