Day 12, practice 22: Defense holds

Day 12, practice 22: Defense holds

 

The afternoon practice had one of those dog-day feels to it. The team concluded with the two-minute drill.

. . . or in this case, the 1-minute-53-seconds drill. That’s the amount of time Alex Smith, working with the second-team offensive line had to drive the offense 70 yards against the first-team defense.

 

Kentwan Balmer had a sack for a 7-yard loss. He and Justin Smith move inside to defensive tackle to rush the passer. Smith came back to find Vernon Davis for 17 yards and a first down on the next play.

 

Smith hit Dominique Zeigler for 15 yards on a third-and-10 with :07 remaining. The 49ers had two shots to get the ball in the end zone. A pass for Micheal Spurlock went out of the end zone, and Dashon Goldson broke up a pass lofted for Arnaz Battle in the end zone as time expired.

 

Then, it was rookie quarterback Nate Davis’ turn to take over. It was young guys vs. young guys. Davis hit Thomas Clayton for 2 yards. But Davis was sacked on back-to-back plays for a four-and-out in the drill. Blitzing cornerback Terrail Lambert finished off Davis on fourth down.

 

Shaun Hill did not get a crack at the two-minute drill, but in the afternoon he completed 6 of 7 passing attempts.

 

Smith had a lot more attempts, completing 15 of 23 passes. (That number includes two spikes to stop the clock in the two-minute drill.)

 

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The 49ers have a light day of work Thursday. They will go through a “mock game,” when the practice some of the procedures, such as game substitutions at 11 a.m. Then, they’ll have a short practice at 1:30 p.m.

 

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INJURY REPORT

Here’s an updated list of the injuries (and dates the injuries occurred) that will likely keep the following players out of the exhibition opener Friday against the Denver Broncos:

 

CB Tarell Brown (L toe sprain) – Aug. 1

LB Patrick Willis (R ankle strain) – Aug. 3

G David Baas (L foot strain) – Aug. 4

RB Michael Robinson (groin strain) – Aug. 4

TE Delanie Walker (concussion) – Aug. 5

WR Brandon Jones (R shoulder fracture) – Aug. 6

DE Ray McDonald (R knee) – On PUP list after offseason surgery to repair ACL. Barring setback, team expects his return for regular season.

 

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