Here’s what 49ers head coach wants Trey Lance to focus on after uneven preseason game
Trey Lance’s pro career began Saturday night with an uneven preseason debut, which included signs of brilliance. The effort left 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wanting more.
“For him to get his first NFL game, I thought it was huge for him. And I know there’s a lot of things that he’s going to already know without seeing us that he’s going to be hard on himself for, and that he can get better,” Shanahan said Sunday on a conference call after reviewing the film from the 19-16 loss to the Chiefs.
Lance, a rookie and No. 3 overall pick, started out well. He threw accurately to receiver Brandon Aiyuk on the move on his first pass attempt on a play that was designed to push the ball deep. Aiyuk dropped the pass, marking the first of Lance’s three incompletions that came via drops by his targets.
His second throw was the 80-yard touchdown to Trent Sherfield – another example of Lance hitting a big play that’s been common on the practice field.
Otherwise, Lance mostly struggled in his first game action as a pro. He completed just 5 of 14 (36 percent) passes, was sacked four times and threw two passes that could have been intercepted. Shanahan blamed Lance directly for one of the sacks: early in the second quarter in the red zone, when the Chiefs threw an all-out blitz at the rookie and had an unblocked defender screaming off the left edge.
Shanahan said Lance should have gotten rid of the ball to a receiver on a hot route instead of taking the sack. The other three sacks Shanahan put on the offensive line.
“You can always get rid of it when someone doesn’t hold up in protection too long,” said Shanahan. “But I think it would have been tough to, especially with some of the down and distances we were in.”
Said Lance after the game: “Obviously (I) left a lot of big plays out there. Wish I would have had taken advantage of the opportunities that were given a few times. … It was awesome being out there, playing again, have great guys around me obviously. Just need to do a little bit better job getting those guys the ball.”
Sloppy rookie play
Shanahan indicated Lance might have been sloppy with his fundamentals, which were an emphasis before the draft and during his time away from the team between the spring program and the start of training camp.
Lance came into the NFL with some observers concerned about accuracy issues relating to his footwork and a release that can get too long, particularly when he tries to power throws with extra velocity.
“I think he started out good, got a little excited sometimes, which he does,” Shanahan said. “You get a little excited and your technique and stuff you lose, which will be fun to watch with him. Trey’s a guy who’s tough on himself and loves to correct things. Since we’ve had him he’s been very good at correcting mistakes.”
Lance was also making aggressive throws throughout his 29 snaps in the game. He finished with a 11.4-yard average depth of target, according to Pro Football Focus, the most of any 49ers quarterback over the last three seasons in a preseason, regular season or playoff game.
Starter Jimmy Garoppolo, meanwhile, had three completions for 26 yards, while his average depth of target was 1.3 yards down field. He had short completions to Deebo Samuel, fullback Josh Hokit and rookie running back Trey Sermon. Twenty-one of Garoppolo’s 26 passing yards came after the catch.
What’s next for Lance?
So what’s next for Lance?
The 49ers on Monday will return to the practice field where they’ll begin ramping up for joint sessions against the Los Angeles Chargers in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Thursday and Friday before Sunday’s second preseason game.
Shanahan has remained steadfast with Garoppolo as the starting quarterback. And it doesn’t sound like Lance is going to get a significant amount of work with the starters any time soon. His work with the first unit has been scarce throughout training camp, not getting more than one snap in a single practice.
It’s likely Lance would perform better with more time behind standout left tackle Trent Williams and center Alex Mack, while also getting to throw to All-Pro tight end George Kittle with Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, who have been significantly better than the rest of the receiving corps lacking established options. Lance had two potential completions dropped by Richie James Jr. and River Cracraft, who are hardly locks to make the team.
Shanahan on Sunday was asked what he needs to see from Lance before feeling comfortable working him with the first unit, which would serve as the unofficial start of the competition with Garoppolo.
“I don’t know. I haven’t really defined that for myself either,” he said. “When I think it feels right, when he seems ready and I think the team seems ready. We’ll continue to mix him in there. But I don’t plan on just doing that completely.”
The joint practices against the Chargers will likely be crucial in Shanahan’s evaluation of the No. 3 overall pick. Lance is expected to get a reps against L.A.’s starting defense, though it could get ugly if the second-team offensive line continues to struggle in pass protection. It might be even more difficult with rookie second-round pick Aaron Banks on the shelf with a shoulder injury suffered Saturday night. He’s expected to miss two to three weeks.
Shanahan sounded focused on the big picture.
“It’s all about the process and how they react to these situations,” Shanahan said. “We all know Trey has the ability to play well and do some special things, being at practice, and you saw a little bit in the game. But that’s not playing quarterback in the NFL. You got to have the ability to get into the club, but it’s how you respond to adversity, how you can play over the course of a game when you do make mistake and you come back and make another big play.”
