Jimmie Ward catches one, Carlos Hyde drops two

SANTA CLARA — Here’s what stood out to me at the 49ers’ first non-padded training camp practice of the year.

THE GOOD

1. Jimmie Ward. Faced Stevie Johnson once during one-on-one drills. Johnson faked a move to the outside and quickly cut back to the inside but couldn’t shake Ward. Ward ran in front of Johnson and swatted the ball to the grass. Ward played with the second-team defense during team drills and did not give up a completion. On one play, Colin Kaepernick threw a short pass to his left, Chris Cook deflected the ball and Ward dove and picked it off.

2. Vance McDonald. Didn’t drop one pass today. He also made the catch of the day, reaching up and snagging a pass between two defenders near the sideline.

3. Aldon Smith. Kaepernick attempted a short pass to his left and Smith stepped in front of it and easily picked it off.

4. NIck Moody. Kaepernick attempted another short pass to his left. This time Moody stepped in front of it but dropped the ball.

5. Chris Culliver. Started at right cornerback and didn’t give up a completion. But he wasn’t tested on any deep passes.

6. Blaine Gabbert. Threw two perfect deep passes, the first one to David Reed in a one-on-one drill. Reed ran straight down the sideline and cornerback Kenneth Acker ran with him stride for stride. Gabbert threw the ball perfectly over Reed’s left shoulder so Acker couldn’t get to it, and Reed made the catch. Later during team drills, Gabbert hit a wide open Brandon Lloyd for a deep touchdown.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD

1. Carlos Hyde. Dropped two catchable passes in the flat. He didn’t look the ball into his hands.

2. Tramaine Brock. Got beaten deep by Kassim Osgood in a one-on-one drill. Brock grabbed and held Osgood to prevent him from catching the pass.

This article has 67 Comments

  1. So its sounds like Kap didnt have a very good day either then…Sounds lime hes staring down recievers again..

  2. From all reports it sounds like the 2nd team DB duo of Ward and Cook looked very good today. How long before those two start running with the 1s…?

  3. Ward will be in there..dudes great in coverage and has a nose for the ball..Hopefully plays out just like eric reid

  4. I predicted right after the draft that the 9er draft class of 2014 was going to go down in history as one of those special groups and if Jimmie Wards performance on the 1st day is any indication I may just be right.

  5. Interesting tidbit from Barrows latest post. G. Whitfield was seen working soley with Kory Faulkner but not at all with CK

    1. He probably won’t work with Kaepernick in front of the media. That would be a big story.

      1. Grant can u see ward maybe having a tyron mathew type season?? Just a prediction

  6. Did we see the Tank do some damage today? Anyone on the DL do anything great today?

    1. Good link. It’s always good to get another set of eyes and another set of impressions on the view of practice. Inevitably there are differences on what is seen. I’ll be including this guy as I roam around sites during TC. His take on StevieJ. was interesting. He saw SJ stand out, Grant noticed other stuff. We’ll see as this plays out. Now time to check in with the two Matts.

      1. SJ made a nice 10-yard catch on the sideline during team drills. He beat Darryl Morris on a comeback route.

        1. Yeah, no one else was quite as enthusiastic about Stevie as the BASG was. The Matt’s said he made some nice plays. I gather it’s kind of a 3 ring circus with things happening simultaneously. Is the press allowed a bit closer now that construction is complete?

  7. It’s the first practice! Give it a rest. Are people really gonna play arm chair quarterback this early and dissect Kaep’s weaknesses? It’s a simple 7 on 7 drill and people are acting like we just played Seattle. I have high hopes for Ward but to say the pick is an absolute hit after one lousy practice? Come on. Grant this comment isn’t targeted at you, but the people on this forum.

  8. Give it a week and some fools will be questioning if Gabbert should be the starter…

  9. I know he’s destined for the p/s squad but I like Faulkner. I’m keeping two fingers crossed he doesn’t get plucked and can work his way into the two or three spot next year.

  10. Where was Ward lining up? Where was he playing on the Johnson play? How are the receivers lining up? Who’s the #3?

    1. CFC
      On the int, he lined up in the slot in man coverage, read a double slant and came up after CC tiped the pass

  11. Got beaten deep by Kassim Osgood in a one-on-one drill. Brock grabbed and held Osgood to prevent him from catching the pass.
    ———————-
    But it’s only the Seahawnks DB’s that mug people.

  12. Looks like VMac has been hitting those jugs over the break… wait can I say jugs on here….oh crap I said it again.

    Good to hear though. He seems to be making a lot of progress. I’m really excited to see this passing game in action….

    Jugs

      1. You guys are clearly out of control. And Jack I have new visuals of you! I’ll refer to you as “stud” in the future. I guess still waters do run deep. Haha.

              1. Rocket: I’m who I say I am. Now obviously this “DS” and I have a language rhythm or word usage that is similar, but for better or worse, I’m an original.

                It would appear I’ve been polarizing as well and that was never my intent. I get the rules “no Seahaw talk.” That’s unsatisfying for me. So I’ll stick to reading more & commenting less unless something grabs my eye.

              2. Ok Mary, but you are an awful lot like him/her. We honestly never knew for sure.

  13. Jack, that’s the first time a man has ever referred to me as “little buddy.” Gawd, you sure know how to wound a woman, I must be losing my touch. No need to worry, I’m not going to show up on your doorstep. This is referred to as harmless flirting.

    1. Grant Help: Boundary Assistance pls. I’m scaring Jack. But he did sort of open the “gate” so to speak!

  14. Rocket I understand your concerns and hear what you’re saying. But I am too old for games like that and would never screw with your emotions. There’s a lot interesting, smart souls here and that’s what attracted me to all of you.

  15. I just want to go on record as the first out out this “Mary” as the little Alien DS otherwise known as BS. Xilicious as it used to call itself.

          1. What did these entities do you to you all? I haven’t asked b/c it doesn’t concern me. And if I don’t have control or influence, I don’t worry about it. So can you briefly explain.

            1. Ahhh, the lore of the blog. In bygone times, during The Hundred Years Alex Smith Wars, DS was a vociferous keyboard warrior/whiner who could turn an ordinary thread into a writhing ball of eels. Argue endlessly and often pointlessly, push people’s buttons and then get offended by the response and holler for Grant to ban someone, and to also by the way Grant please delete his/her last 3 posts because they make his/her look like an idiot.
              In my memory one of the first people to just get completely burnt out on DS and expose it was The Legendary 49erGirl. There were arguements with many before that since DS was a Smither (the term fit in this case), but 49erGirl just scalped DS.
              And so ends another installment of Fractured Fairy Tales.

              1. My first interaction on this blog was with DS. Mostly because of shkler propensity for replying to every single comment posted. Shklee hit me with one of Shkler classic non sequiturs. Truly a WTF moment.

              2. Thanks Tuna. That won’t happen with me since the Hawks are a non-issue. But I won’t deny, I’m a little dramatic and certain people in here just bring out the “devil” in me.

  16. If McDonald can hold on to the freakin’ ball he’s a stud.

    As for Hyde, until the game slows down for him and he’s not overthinking out there, I believe he’ll be dropping a good number of balls. I also think he’ll have a tough time making decisions in pass protection this year. But hopefully he’ll at least take some pressure off Gore as a runner.

    1. Wrong again. The drops were an aberration. If you payed attention, he caught everything that came his way. He’s also already sliding side to side comfortably in pass pro…..

      1. First, what do you mean “again”?

        Second, I’m a big fan of Hyde. But I believe when live bullets are flying it’ll be easier for him to contribute as a runner than as a receiver/pass blocker as a rookie.

    2. Perhaps an over-reaction? VMac was catching everything in practice the other day, even the tough ones. Does that one good session mean all his drops have ended? No, it’s one session. His interview suggested he’s learned to get his head around earlier due to the velocity of CK’s throws. That sounds promising.
      Likewise, Hyde showed good hands in college and in OTAs. Some drops on a TC day are hardly an indictment.
      We have small samples; mole hills.

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