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The 49ers’ offense was practiced in the nearby field on Friday, which made it much easier to observe. Here are my five takeaways from the Niners’ final practice against the Chargers.
Trey Lance gets reps with the first team
For the first time during training camp, Lance had a long run with the first team. Results were mixed as Lance had some precision issues early on but finished strong, rebounding with some nice pitches while showing exceptional balance in the pocket.
Lance started 11-11 with a shovel pass to Deebo Samuel, who came through the lineup before the snap. This was followed by two designed runs leading up to his first designed passing game, which resulted in a sack after Lance held the ball a bit too long while apparently having nowhere to go with the ball due of the Chargers’ tight secondary coverage on the game.
Lance’s first three actual passing attempts all ended in failures as he continued to miss his goal. His second attempt was a back throw on the left sideline intended for Mohamed Sanu, a ball which was not necessarily a bad throw, but of an exceptional level of difficulty and which Lance attempted a few times, too often. during training camp in my opinion.
Lance’s third attempt was a ball thrown so high in the middle that it was almost intercepted by security playing above, at least 10 yards past where Lance was aiming at his receiver between the hashes.
After that streak, Lance turned it on, hitting Deebo Samuel for a big win over the middle for his first achievement with the starters. From that point on, Lance looked a lot more comfortable, still working well throughout his progressions when his primary reading wasn’t available. Lance finished training with a touchdown to JaMycal Hasty on the third down during situation drills.
Shaking practice for Jimmy Garoppolo
It was a tough training for Garoppolo as he looked extremely indecisive during team drills. He often held the ball too long while showing reluctance to push the ball down the field. Garoppolo’s biggest problem has always been the lack of consistency, which was fully visible during practice on Friday.
Garoppolo started strong 11-11 with a completion of tight end George Kittle in the middle, but followed him with a severely knocked down ball to Deebo Samuel at the back of the straight sideline.
Samuel had to make his way to the ball, battling the defender for a chance to play on it – which unfortunately was common during training camp.
The lack of velocity certainly contributes to this, but the most concerning part of these backlashes is that they often occur after Garoppolo seems to panic in the pocket after opening his first read.
Often times, these shots are placed where the defender can not only play on the ball, but regularly has the advantage over the receiver in getting there first.
Garoppolo had some powerful throws that day, including an impressive 3rd down conversion against George Kittle, but today the bad ones far outweighed the good.
The right guard point is a major problem
There’s no two ways about it, the most disturbing part of the practice was how badly starting right tackle Daniel Brunskill was beaten. There was a portion of practice where the Chargers’ defensive line was one-on-one with the 49ers offensive line, and Brunskill was beaten in every rehearsal he attended. However, the problem wasn’t just that he got beaten, it was that he lost every rep by a wide margin.
Now, it’s important to note that Brunskill is extremely valuable due to his ability as a run blocker in a heavy zone scheme. But he’s clearly the weakest link in the entire offensive line when it comes to pass protection. This has been a problem for several seasons and was likely factored into the 49ers’ decision to pass a second round pick over Aaron Banks, making his current absence and overall struggles at camp all the more concerning.
Ultimately, the hope is that Banks will solidify this place for years to come. Still, his current injury and below-par play during the preseason make it unlikely to happen anytime soon, leaving the 49ers in a tough spot as Brunskill appears to be what he is at this point, this that makes it unrealistic to expect pass protection problems on the inside will soon go away.
Raheem Mostert is still RB1
Even though Trey Sermon has secured a significant number of reps with the first team, Mostert is still by far the most dangerous option among full-backs and will continue to be the main running back for the foreseeable future.
Mostert kicked off 11-11 with an explosive 80-yard touchdown designed to go to the left side, which he then slashed to the right side before hitting only green grass in his way to pay. dirtiness.
It was the perfect embodiment of what makes Mostert so special, as he displayed his home run speed which could only be utilized thanks to incredible vision that helped him identify the massive hole in the defense. on the right side.
The Big 3 continue to impress
The 49ers’ target allocation in the passing game will go through three players, all of whom have had strong performances in the camp so far. Kittle, Aiyuk and Samuel have dominated on several occasions in their one-on-one clashes and each provided some sort of safety blanket to anyone who’s been a quarterback.
Samuel, in particular, had the strongest training of the three before leaving training due to what head coach Kyle Shanahan described as a gluteal twitch. Samuel seemed to work the deeper part of the course tree much better compared to previous seasons, a testament to the work he did in the offseason.
Aiyuk continues to show off his incredible catch radius, seemingly registering at least one jaw-dropping reception with every practice. Kittle continues to be a confrontational nightmare as Shanahan has used him in the slot machine more often than usual this preseason.
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