He’s a Person who likes anonymity, but he’s becoming a key offensive cog

SANTA CLARA

No one notices the right guard until he screws up.

He's anonymous. A faceless, nameless person lost among the bodies of the offensive line. In this case, his name is Person. Mike Person.

Almost generic, as in a person, not a specific someone. The quintessential generic right guard. Just a guy who has played for six teams. And this person saved the 49ers' win last Sunday. They wouldn't have beaten the Detroit Lions without him.

He was the MVP. The most valuable person.

He wasn't even supposed to play. He suffered a foot strain Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings.

His backup, Joshua Garnett, had a dislocated toe and definitely couldn't play. The 49ers thought they'd have to start undrafted rookie guard Najee Toran, who has zero experience in the NFL.

Keep in mind, the 49ers' record was 0-1. Had they lost to the Lions and fallen to 0-2, the 49ers odds to make the playoffs would have plummeted to 8.5 percent. It was a must-win game. They needed Person to play.

He did, and they won by three points – 30-27.

'It was unbelievable,' 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said. 'He told us all week he was going to play and we didn't take him that seriously because we didn't think he should be able to. Then, we worked him out on game day. He looked good. Not only did he make it through the whole game, but he played at a very high level.'

Person played the game of his life.

'He was huge,' said offensive line coach John Benton. 'The game it became, we needed to gain yards on the ground and have him in there. I don't think we would have had nearly the success without him. The longest run of the day was right off his block.'

Here's what happened.

The block

The 49ers' passing game wasn't working. The Lions ended up sacking Jimmy Garoppolo six times. The 49ers needed to run, or else they would lose.

With 1:06 remaining in the third quarter, and the 49ers clinging to a 20-13 lead, Shanahan called a run to the right side of the offensive line. It was an outside-zone run, and it worked because of Person.

He blocked former 49ers defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois.

They did not line up directly across from each other before the play. Jean Francois lined up a couple feet to Person's right, in the gap between Person and the right tackle. Exactly where the 49ers wanted to run. Person was outflanked.

Jean Francois' job was easy. He needed to take one quick step into the backfield and cut off Matt Breida, the 49ers running back. Stop him from running outside. Force him to cut back inside. Get in his way.

Person's job was extremely difficult. Before Jean Francois could break into the backfield, Person had to run to his own right, get around Francois and cut him off so Breida could get outside.

Person owned Jean Francois.

'It was a picture-perfect block,' Benton said. 'It might be the toughest run block. The three-technique (defensive tackle) is so close and so explosive, that's why most defenses that play a three-technique would say that run shouldn't be allowed to get outside. Mike allowed us to keep the run outside and into a gap that was undefended, essentially.'

Breida burst through a gaping hole created by Person and sprinted 66 yards into the end zone.

Person never saw the run develop. He's an offensive lineman, the only position group that keeps its back to the ball 100 percent of the time.

'I felt Breida go right past me,' Person said. 'That's always a great feeling.'

The survivor

Person started his career with the 49ers. They drafted him in 2011, took him in the seventh round. Thought he could play offensive tackle. He was a project.

The next year, they cut him.

'I was a young guy,' Person said. 'After the first season, I might have gotten a little bit complacent. I only weighed about 290 pounds. I had a bad camp, and learned real quick that you can't do that.'

Person signed with the Indianapolis Colts, who cut him nine days later.

Then, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks. Then in 2013, he signed with the St. Louis Rams, who moved him to guard. Then in 2015, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons, whose offensive coordinator was Shanahan. He moved Person to center, where he started 14 games. Then, the Falcons released Person during the season. Then, Person signed with the Kansas City Chiefs a week later.

Then in 2017, the Chiefs released Person, and then he signed with the Colts for the second time. Then this offseason, he returned to the 49ers.

A lot of 'thens' in Person's career.

'He's a survivor,' Shanahan said. 'He finds a way to play. We didn't bring him in here thinking he was going to be our starting right guard. But, he came here and he's a better player now than he was a few years ago. He earned the job.'

He was competing against Garnett, a former first-round pick. Garnett was the favorite to win the competition, but he injured his knee and missed most of training camp. Person was the last person standing.

'He fits our scheme well,' Benton said. 'He's really a technician. He has thrived with the techniques we've taught him, and was good technically when he came here.'

Now, he has a home.

'For whatever reason, I've bounced around,' Person said. 'I take pride that I've been able to stick it out this long.'

The second Person

Person grew up in a small, rural town called Glendive, Montana, about 40 miles west of North Dakota.

'My dad was a high school history teacher and our football coach in town,' Person said. 'I graduated from Montana State with a history degree. I wanted to be like my dad, a history teacher and a coach.'

In that sense, Person has two personalities.

'Off the field, he's the guy who keeps us loose in the meeting room,' Benton said, 'makes sure we're not taking things too seriously. Probably a 180 on the field. He's very, very serious on the field. Between series, he'll come back and go through every play we had and exactly what he did, what he thought he did, what I saw and what success or failure we had. Really, really puts in the work.'

And he's mean on the field. He considers the defensive tackle his enemy. 'It's personal,' Person said. 'It's your job against his job. Whoever does his job better is the one who wins.'

The 49ers like the way Person thinks.

'There's another person to Person,' Benton said, laughing. 'We constantly attempt to make a pun out of his name. He probably hopes we'll give him a nickname.'

Fat chance. Right guards don't get nicknames. They blend in.

'I like it that way,' Person said. 'I'm a quiet guy. You don't play offensive line for the glory. You play it because you enjoy football.'

Call him a person of passion.