What we saw from 49ers’ feisty practice with the Chargers; Garoppolo vs. Lance duel
Ask an NFL writer about their favorite events to cover and there’s strong chance they will say joint training camp practices between two teams.
There’s a different level of angst and competitive fire. It’s less restrained because there’s less on the line. A player committing a personal foul during practice (i.e. starting a fight) won’t cost his team 15 yards in a game, which could be pivotal in the middle of a playoff race.
Joint practices are where players can let loose and release the pent-up energy they’ve built up ramming into their teammates over and over for weeks on end.
“You enjoy that stuff,” 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said Thursday. “That’s the competitive nature.”
Garoppolo spoke to reporters Thursday right after San Francisco’s joint practice in Costa Mesa with the Los Angeles Chargers, with sweat stains on his black practice jersey, and his hair getting more salt and pepper by the day while he works to keep 21-year-old rookie Trey Lance from taking his job.
The 49ers and Chargers shared that competitive nature on L.A.’s two practice fields at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex in the first two of practices in Costa Mesa on Thursday. Though there were no significant scuffles to speak of, but there were a few tense moments.
The chatter started after normal warmups, when Chargers linebacker Kyzir White began chirping to tight end George Kittle and coach Kyle Shanahan during a one-on-one period between linebackers and tight ends.
White is the brother of former 49ers receiver Kevin White, who was waived earlier this month. So perhaps he took his work against San Francisco personally after his brother recently signed with the New Orleans Saints.
After a few reps, White asked Kittle if he was done, to which Kittle replied, “Yes, sir!” using his clout as a former All-Pro to indicate he might not need as many reps as someone competing for a starting role, like White.
Adding to the discussion was former 49ers linebacker Michael Wilhoite, who was animated and vocal during the drill. Wilhoite coaches Chargers linebackers, after a stint coaching special teams in New Orleans, and his voice carries like he did when he was playing alongside NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis.
Wilhoite was the loudest guy on the field during the drill, which saw Kittle make catches against star safety Derwin James in coverage, while Garoppolo and Lance fed passes to their receivers against Chargers defensive backs on the other side of the field.
White’s aggression carried over into full-team drills. He took Raheem Mostert to the ground following a run for a medium gain up the middle. Afterwards, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan walked right into the Chargers defensive huddle and had words with White.
“He was just excited,” Shanahan said, smiling. “Sometimes they get excited. I told him to save his energy a little bit. And there was just one tackle. So he was real cool. I went up to him and said we’re not taking guys to the ground today. He didn’t mean to and it was cool after that.”
The team drills went well in the early going for Garoppolo. He completed his first three throws, including a 40-yard touchdown to scantly-used receiver Travis Benjamin, the veteran who opted out of last season and appears to be on the outside looking in on a final roster spot.
Garoppolo on the next series connected with fullback Kyle Juszczyk on a long wheel route, hit Brandon Aiyuk twice and Deebo Samuel on a deep post route. Garoppolo, at that point, completed 6 of his first 7 attempts.
Then things started to sour for Garoppolo. He missed all three of his throws in the next period. And in the red zone, he had a bad screen pass intended for Juszczyk dropped by a defender who should have made the interception. Two plays later, rookie cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., a player many 49ers fans wanted the team to draft in Round 2, picked Garoppolo on a poorly thrown out route to Richie James Jr.
Garoppolo ended the drill with a touchdown throw to reserve tight end Charlie Woerner, who did not have a great time blocking the Chargers during individual pass protection drills. He also hit on a handful of long passes, which has been rare throughout training camp. Garoppolo, unofficially, completed 9 of 17 and just two of his last 10.
He was also stripped by Joey Bosa, brother of 49ers star, Nick, during the 2-minute drill. It led to a humorous exchange given defenders aren’t allowed to touch quarterbacks in any capacity.
“He said ‘sorry’ as he passed me,” Garoppolo said. “He sounds just like Nick. It was kind of funny in my head. You’re upset at the time, then you hear him say, ‘Sorry, Jim’ at the same time. It’s just a Bosa thing I guess.”
Lance, meanwhile, had another up and down session working with the second-string offense. He threw a pair of touchdown passes during the red zone drill, including hitting tight end Ross Dwelley for a touchdown up the seam and later surging receiver Jauan Jennings toward the sideline in the front right corner of the end zone.
But Lance also took five sacks on the day, unofficially, while he threw an interception on a pass that came after a play was blown dead because of a sack. Lance completed 12 of 17 on the day.
Lance didn’t receive any first-team reps Thursday, indicating he still has a ways to go before supplanting Garoppolo atop the depth chart. Shanahan has said Lance has been reverting slightly when it comes to his fundamentals, which he worked on during his 40 days off between June OTAs and the start of training camp in late July.
Shanahan said he’s noticed a similar patterns from all the rookie quarterbacks getting their feet wet in the preseason.
“It’s extremely common,” he said. “It’s their first NFL games and just like a lot of rookies (at) every position, they get in there and they resort back to surviving and what they’ve done their whole career.
“Sometimes that’s a little different at the NFL level. You can’t just go out there and play, you got to be exact on your details, exact on your techniques. The more you can do that and the more you make it automatic, then you don’t lose it in the heat of battle, but that’s kind of the story for all rookies.”
That showed up for Lance recently in the game and on the practice field. It’s led to more inaccurate throws and taking longer to get the ball out of his hands.
When Shanahan was asked about Lance directly, he mentioned the emphasis on avoiding sacks both for the quarterback and the offensive line.
“I challenged the O-line big time,” said Shanahan, “but I’m also going to challenge him (Lance) to get rid of the ball. And you gotta know where those outlets are and how to get rid of it.”
The practice ended with Lance taking a sack during a two-minute drill before he completed consecutive passes to Jennings and River Cracraft to get into field goal range. As was the case during two failed drives during the final two minutes of the first half in the preseason opener last week against the Chiefs, Lance still has work to do in hurry-up scenarios.
“You can’t hesitate,” Shanahan said. “You gotta get rid of it because you get a sack in 2-minute, look at the percentages, it’s pretty much over. It’s not going to be a lot of great protection there. It’s good to get him some fo this experience without it being in a game. So we’re just going to keep challenging him hard and can’t wait to watch the tape here in about an hour.”
There’s no bigger story line for the 49ers this offseason than the team’s quarterback situation with Garoppolo holding on while Lance pushes him for the starting job.
But in hearing Shanahan talk about it for nearly four months, he seems at ease. The fifth-year coach is approaching the situation like quarterback uncertainty is a good problem to have. He believes he has two viable options to help his team win games and doesn’t appear to be stressed about having to pick one of the two.
“I can’t get caught up in everything else,” Shanahan said. “I get why it’s fun and that’s the decision that everyone’s interested in. But I can’t make it about that. I’m just really excited that I think we’ve always had a quarterback like Jimmy who could give you a chance to win the Super Bowl, and when hasn’t been in, we’ve really struggled. And I also think we drafted a guy who could get there also. Which, yeah, that makes me very excited. However that plays out, whoever gives us the best chance to win, is definitely what I’m trying to focus on, but I’m also excited that I think we have some depth there too. Where, regardless of what happens, we have other answers.”
