Training Days

We are now a full week into training camp for the NFL. Allen Iverson said it best, “It’s just practice”. Although it may be practice and light in the workload, you can take away some things that will be important to have down during actual gameplay and the regular season. Throwing accuracy and chemistry on the field are two that come to mind. This is what I like to look at throughout the preseason to see if teams are ready to take that next step in live competition. I know we like to over analyze the videos we see during training camp and the games in the preseason. We are prisoners of the moment, but we are human. What I am about to talk about might be just that and I am okay with it.

The San Francisco 49ers have been in the news a lot this offseason. Most of it has been the circus surrounding quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and where he will land via trade. Which puts the magnifying glass on second year quarterback Trey Lance. Drafted #3 overall after the 49ers traded away their 2021, 2022, and 2023 first round picks. Along with their 2022 third round pick. That is quite the haul to give up for a player who only had one full year of college football experience. It may be unfair to Lance, but the pressure is on him to succeed right away. Especially since Jimmy Garoppolo, in his two full healthy seasons with San Francisco, led them to the Super Bowl and a second NFC Championship. Lance was able to get some playing time during the 2021 NFL season. Here comes one of those measurements I like to talk about which is the throwing accuracy. In the NFL, the average completion percentage has gone up across the league year by year. In 2021 we had 19 quarterbacks throw for 65% or more. Russell Wilson was 20th in the league with 64.8% completions. If we go back 10 years to 2011, only four quarterbacks had a completion percentage better than 65%. As the league became more offensive friendly over the years due to the rule changes for player’s safety, more screens and quick passes, and better play calling, it has made it easier on the quarterbacks to be more accurate. Why is this relevant to Trey Lance and the 49ers? Last year in the limited time Lance played, his accuracy was his biggest issue. In the 3 games he saw substantial playing time, he threw for 50%, 51.7% and 69.6%. Yes, the game against the Texans was his best performance as a rookie and starter. What gives me pause is that the Texans were one of the worst teams and defenses in the entire league. This now brings me to this past week’s training camp practices. Lance was 65 for 130 with six interceptions. Again, I know this is just training camp, but I do want to see some growth. I have not seen this so far. It is early on and only August. Defenses in actual game action are going to be faster with disguised coverages. For a roster that is in win now mode, you want to make sure your quarterback can keep you in games and take pressure off your defense. Jimmy may not have been the flashiest, but he won games while placing the ball in the right spot for his pass catchers to make a play. Luckily for Lance, he has a creative play caller in Kyle Shanahan that will put him in a better position to succeed.

In addition to Lance and his struggles to be accurate comes a bright spot in camp so far. This is the report he and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk have become a great duo. Aiyuk has seemed to be Lance’s favorite target during camp. Aiyuk has shown flashes of a great number two option. I do believe that if these two can remain on the same page and grow, it will help this offense flourish more than it has the past few years. The 49ers are known for their versatile running attack. Whether it is the zone running game, jet sweeps, or Deebo Samuel lining up in the backfield, they can punish you every which way. Shanahan has a way of plugging in a runner, giving them great success. This again allows the passing game to become easier with play action. This is a recipe for things to progress as the season goes along. The chemistry between quarterback and receiver goes a long way. The best we have seen in a long time was Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams being on the same page. They carried Green Bay a long way. I don’t need Lance to throw for 70% in the preseason, but if he can get to the 62-65% range then I know there is growth being made.