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SANTA CLARA, Calif .– It remains to be seen whether San Francisco 49ers rookie Trey Lance will take over as a starting quarterback this year. Either way, he’s going to be on the ground to some extent.
If it hadn’t already been made clear by the number of Lance-specific racing sets the Niners have installed in the first week and more of training camp, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan has dispelled any doubts. with his comments after Friday’s practice.
“Trey is going to play for us this year,” Shanahan said. “I know you’re all running Twitter with that. But situationally he’s going to have games. That doesn’t mean he’s going to be the starter or anything. He’s going to have games. You have to prepare him for it. in every possible way. “
For Lance, this preparation was an ongoing process during his first NFL training camp. Even putting on pads this week for the first time in over 300 days, Lance seemed comfortable operating from his pocket on the passes while providing a running element unique to him among San Francisco quarterbacks. .
Many of the zone play pieces and designed play options that Shanahan composed for Lance were already in the playbook, but most have gathered dust over the past four seasons because the Niners didn’t. not employed a quarterback with Lance’s running ability.
But with him in the fold, Shanahan was able to start the process of bringing him up to speed on some of those passing options that might present a different challenge for the defenses of current starter Jimmy Garoppolo.
Shanahan compared the different plays of his quarterbacks to a group of wide receivers with varying abilities.
“I know it’s different, but when you have quarterbacks with different skills, it kind of makes it easier for me to compare it to other positions,” Shanahan said. “That’s why I don’t think it’s a problem in our team, and it’s not a problem in there when we’re discussing what we’re going to do.”
Which could possibly lead to a scenario in which Garoppolo is the starter but Lance is deployed in places like the red zone or short range situations, forcing the defense to consider his running ability while offering the threat to pass. . This would be similar to what the New Orleans Saints have done in the past with Drew Brees and Taysom Hill but without splitting Lance as a receiver and with more ability to deploy Lance as a passer.
Of course, there is still the possibility that Lance could land the starting position. At this point, Shanahan has stuck with the original plan of leading Garoppolo with the starters and Lance with the second team offense.
Over eight practices, Lance took a snapshot with the first string attack, a run designed specifically for Lance in the playbook and that Shanahan wanted each group of offensive linemen to have a rep in the drills. ‘team.
That should change at some point so Lance can at least get extended work with the first offensive line. For what it’s worth, Niners go through the other skill positions with each group during an average workout.
“Trey will have reps with the 1s,” Shanahan said. “It doesn’t mean the competition is open. It just means I want him to get reps with the [No. 1] line O. “
Lance impressed his teammates and coaches with his performance at training camp. He was efficient and above all precise working from the pocket in team drills and demonstrated the running ability that Shanahan hopes to harness.
There were also recruit fights. Lance had two botched rallies with running back Wayne Gallman on Friday that turned into fumbles, one of which was near his own end zone, and he also had bouts of vagueness, throwing high at some open receivers.
Perhaps most importantly, Lance had no problem grasping the offense and translating it into the field.
“He’s really very comfortable in his skin,” said offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. “And he gets to the point where he can correct other players, which from a coach’s point of view is all you are looking for. You want a coach on the pitch. The person a receiver is going to listen to. , more than the coach, he’s the guy who throws the ball to him. So he’s been really good with that, and I think a lot of guys react to that. “
Lance and the 49ers are scheduled to open their preseason schedule on August 14 against the Kansas City Chiefs and will follow with joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers on August 19 and 20 before playing against the Chargers in their second competition. ‘exhibition.
How much Lance plays in these games has to be determined, but he will be involved and have a chance to bolster his case to turn the current quarterback situation into a competition.
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