The harsh truth a coach told CMC before his historic 2019 season

Christian McCaffrey had one of the best overall seasons for a running back in NFL history in 2019 during his time with the Carolina Panthers. The former No. 8 overall pick in 2017 led the NFL with 2,392 total yards and 19 total touchdowns on 403 touches, becoming just the third running back with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in one season.

But before the season, his former position coach made sure McCaffrey knew which area of the game the running back was lacking.

Jake Peetz became the Panthers' running backs coach in 2019 and, despite never coaching the position before, wanted to find ways to motivate McCaffrey to get better after a solid sophomore season included 1,965 total yards and 13 total touchdowns.

"I found a guy that was extremely motivated, extremely talented, but how do you make this guy better?" Peetz said on the NFL Spotlight podcast with Ari Meirov. "The thing that I told Christian, which you could ask him, he didn't really appreciate, I said, 'I think you're one of the worst running backs in the league at pass protection.'"

McCaffrey's response, according to Peetz, was telling.

"He's like, 'Well, I need to be coached how to do it.' And it's like, 'Great, that's why I have a job.'"

Peetz spent time with veteran RB coaches Kennedy Polamalu and Eric Bieniemy before he built a plan for McCaffrey, one that resulted in a historic season for the running back that included his first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selection.

Peetz left for LSU the following year, and McCaffrey's path eventually led him to the San Francisco 49ers after the Panthers traded him midway through the 2022 season. Peetz, who had joined the Los Angeles Rams staff that year, watched it happen from the same division.

"It would have been great to acquire him," Peetz said about McCaffrey and the Rams. "We had to play against him twice, we played against him with Carolina and then we played against him right away with the 49ers and he threw a touchdown pass, caught one and ran for one."

He didn't hold a grudge. Peetz called the trade a blessing for McCaffrey, noting the familiarity between CMC and Kyle Shanahan, whose father Mike had coached McCaffrey's dad Ed with the Denver Broncos.

"Look at how well they've used him," Peetz said. "It's so cool to see him as a dad now."

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: The harsh truth a coach told CMC before his historic 2019 season