Kyle Shanahan & Trey Lance

[Fade]

Kyle Shanahan Is looking like a genius again, after a rough season and half of disappointment. (2020/1st half of '21)

He started 3-5, and looked utterly hopeless. They then turned it on and damn near made the Super Bowl w/Jimmy G!

My question is for anyone who knows QBs. And is following the situation more closely.

1) Did Kyle do the right thing for Trey Lance last year? (He predominately ran scout team.)

2) Is Trey Lance going to be more -or- less ready this year because of it? (Due to lack of reps with the 1's in practice.)

3) Can Trey Lance stay healthy an entire season, even though he got injured last year in limited action?

4) How good will Trey Lance be in his 1st year starting?

 

[bigskydoc]

Sometimes it's good to remember the old ways, and revisit them. This is one of those times.

He was pretty amazing at NDSU, and a joy to watch in person. However, he had very limited playing time in college.

More than most QB draftees, he needed a year or two of being an understudy. I would argue that keeping JG for another year, and slowly bringing Lance into the starting position would probably be optimal, you know how we used to develop QBs before free agency became so big.

A couple of years of NFL training and nutrition should get him up to his final, Roethlisberger-esque weight of 245, which should reduce his injury risk, and add a few years to his career.

I think the biggest challenge to shared time was born out last year. Jimmy G is a statue, and blocking for him is way different than blocking for a mobile guy, like Lance. That resulted in a lot of unnecessary hits despite the limited playing time.

More time working with the 1s on the O-line is probably the biggest thing that will help his progression this year, and I expect he will get most of the reps in training camp.

The jury is, of course, still out on whether the Niners did the right thing, trading up to get Lance. I think they overpayed, but it we won't see the downside of losing those picks for another year or two.

However, IMHO, they absolutely did the right thing sitting him for at least a year.

Good topic.

 

[nanomoz]

This is one of the most interesting story lines in the division. For sure.

They Niners gave up a lot to get Lance, and he is probably the most inexperienced QB ever picked so high in the draft. He started like 16-17 games in total during his college career. And this is NDSU, not a big, D-1 program. And he only played about a game in 2020. Most of those starts came in 2019.

He's just turning 22 in May. After what they gave up, you gotta figure he'll get this season and probably next to figure it out. He's in the best spot to succeed. Shanahan makes it as easy as possible on QBs. There were times Garoppolo looked liked top QB, and he very clearly isn't. I think most of that success belongs to Shanahan.

I see Niner fans talking about getting a second-round draft pick for Jimmy, who has one year remaining on his contract. This is a fantasy. If he gets moved, I'll be surprised if he nets more than a fourth or fifth. Teams will view him as a bridge quarterback, at best. We've already seen two teams opt for Carson Wentz and Mitch Trubisky (!!!) over Jimmy.

 

[Marvin49]

Couple Things:

1) I'm not going to pretend that I know 100% that sitting him was the best move for next year. I don't know what for sure. What I WILL say tho is that Shanahan and Lynch were crystal clear from the start. Jimmy was the starter and they didn't want to HAVE to play Lance in his rookie year. All this "he couldn't beat out Jimmy G" BS is just that. Its beside the point.

They made the move knowing full well they had an opportunity to let him sit for a year. Lance and the 49ers were in a different spot than all of the other rookie QBs and their teams. I mean even the Bears wanted to sit Fields, but they just couldn't.

49ers had a plan, told everyone what the plan was, then everyone thought they were lying, then they actually did what they said they were gonna do, and now the popular thought is that something is wrong with Lance because they didn't play him...even though that's exactly what they said they were gonna do.

Then it was all "they'll get Brady" or "they'll get Rodgers". No. That was never gonna happen. Lance is gonna play now. That was and is the plan.


2) I think taking the year off to acclimate will in the long run make Lance a better QB, I just don't know if that reward will be realized in year 2. For certain, I think he'll have a better first season as a starter than he would have had as a rookie. There are numerous examples of QB excelling after sitting early. The issue is that few teams these days have the option or the wherewithal to do so.


3) I don't know what they will get for Jimmy, but honestly I think it doesn't matter. I'd love a high pick obviously, but Jimmy did his job. He was the bridge. He afforded the 49ers this opportunity. I got nothin but love for the guy who took one for the team this year in a big way. Groomed the guy he KNEW would replace him. Class act.


4) There is absolutely no question in my mind that the 49ers knew EXACTLY what they were doing when they made the trade. They suspected they wouldn't be picking that high again, they knew there were several QBs available, and they knew the crop for the next year was nowhere close to last years. There is no doubt in my mind (and I've heard several draft guys say the same thing) that Lance would be the slam dunk 1st pick of the draft this year (assuming Jacksonville traded the pick). Thats why they made the trade when they did and were perfectly happy letting him sit. The move wasn't about that specific year. It was about the future.

A point that, again, Lynch and Shanahan have been making at every opportunity from the very start.

I remember all of the "they badly mismanaged the situation" post on this board. In those threads I kept saying over and over again...the move was about the future, not the now.

Well, the future is now.

I don't know how this ends or how good a player he'll be. All I can say is that this has gone according to plan and I can't want to see him next year.

 

[94Smith]

I am not even sure he will be ready this year as his talent is so raw. But he has all the tools. I suspect there will be some growing pains but hopefully the rest of the team is talented enough to get him through any mistakes he might make . Injuries are a bit of a fluke but I know they can’t treat him like the second coming of Jim Brown this year as we don’t have the luxury of losing him .

 

[toffee]

He is ready now, according to Shanahan.

 

[94Smith]

No time like the present. There are going to be growing pains. Yesterday practice was good, today it was bad. 49ers have to have a long term vision with him at QB even though the rest of the team is ready to win now

 

[Scout]

Shanahan has coached up QBs with lesser talent than Lance. And if Lynch is on board with it then it is a decision the entire organization feel is worth pursuing.

Also makes sense from a salary cap perspective. Even if Lance has mediocre results in 2022 but makes him ready for 2023 and beyond that allows the 49ers flexibility for a few more years to add more pieces around Lance. Now, if Lance shows out in this season then it is a huge bargain for the 49ers.

 

[Giedi]

Trey's defense and special teams, as well as his surrounding offensive players should help him weather the inevitable bad QB days this upcoming season.

 

[Fade]

So Shanny went on a podcast and admitted that he like both Mac Jones and Lance. Shouldn't he have said Trey Lance all the way? Weird.

Parsing some of his other comments at training camp and things coming out of 9erland I'm getting the vibe that Shanny is going to run Trey Lance into the ground. It will be effective and exciting until he inevitably gets injured. It's also how Kyle played him last year until he got hurt. And how he did RGIII. There's a history here, so it's not outlandish to believe it's a continuation of that.

 

[Rosco]

So Shanny went on a podcast and admitted that he like both Mac Jones and Lance. Shouldn't he have said Trey Lance all the way? Weird.

Parsing some of his other comments at training camp and things coming out of 9erland I'm getting the vibe that Shanny is going to run Trey Lance into the ground. It will be effective and exciting until he inevitably gets injured. It's also how Kyle played him last year until he got hurt. And how he did RGIII. There's a history here, so it's not outlandish to believe it's a continuation of that.

RGIII played his best under M. Shanahan but was fragile. RGIII just didn’t have the frame to make it in the NFL.

 

[94Smith]

Lance frame is a lot bigger than rg3 so should be more durable. However, Lance injured a finger on throwing hand in limited action last year. The problem 49ers offense is going to have will be interior o line. RG, C LG all new this year and will take time to improve. If they allow interior pressure which I suspect they will , Lance will have to run more out of necessity. Reports out of camp have been Lance has been under constant pressure. However, the 49ers defense is also very good .

Also reports out of camp has been Lance accuracy has been 50 percent which is not good. The down field plays and explosives have been more though

I don’t think the offense is going to be great this year. I think though if they can be middle of the road the 49ers could reach the playoffs.

 

[CPHawk]

Lance looks great if all he does is check downs and screens.

 

[94Smith]

Lance looks great if all he does is check downs and screens.

And 70 yard bombs tonight

 

[CPHawk]

And 70 yard bombs tonight

If the DB doesn’t play D.

 

[CPHawk]

Yep. Looks like GB backup DBs just suck.

 

[94Smith]

If the DB doesn’t play D.

Safety against a receiver with 4.3 speed.

 

[FrodosFinger]

Sudfeld looks better even Love from GB looks better. That interception wasn’t his fault

 

[94Smith]

Sudfeld looks better even Love from GB looks better. That interception wasn’t his fault

Which interception ? The first one, second one , or third one

 

[CPHawk]

Which interception ? The first one, second one , or third one

By week 5, you won’t be laughing anymore.