49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s Lions admission after running trick play vs Cowboys

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan got honest about using the same trick play as the Detroit Lions in the big win over the Cowboys.

Impersonation is said to be the most honest form of flattery, and San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan demonstrated that to Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell in the 49ers’ big win against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

After watching the Lions score a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers a few hours earlier on a trick play involving multiple pitches back to the quarterback, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan called the exact same play against the Cowboys on Sunday, and admitted it after the game, according to Pro Football Talk.

“Detroit ran it earlier in the day, and they scored,” Shanahan explained. “I noticed it before the game. We intended on calling it based on what we were up against today, but seeing it succeed for someone else gives you more confidence. (…)We put it in a few years back. “I just got it today.”

The 49ers (and the Lions) picked out a perfect time to bust out the flea flicker trick play, as both resulted in touchdowns for their tight ends from Iowa: 49ers tight end George Kittle and Lions tight end Sam LaPorta.