The 49ers opened their 2022 home slate with a 27-7 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The win came with a cost as Trey Lance was lost for the season late in the first quarter to a broken ankle
Let’s take a look at what the coaches film shows for the key plays from the win.
Counter Bash
There has been a lot of discussion this week about the use of Trey Lance as a runner. Let’s face it, running is one of the key traits possessed by Lance, and something that drew Kyle Shanahan’s attention.
The expectation was for the 49ers offense to be run heavy during the early weeks while Lance got comfortable. They would then use play action passes to help simplify the reads for Lance.
We saw this play out in week one, and the running portion carried over to week two.
On the second offensive possession against Seattle, Kyle Shanahan twice went with counter bash.
Here is the design of the play:
2nd Quarter, 2nd and 8 at 49ers 26
Trey Lance does not read the defensive end correctly and gives the handoff to Deebo Samuel around the right end. Samuel makes an incredible play out of this, going 51 yards.
Had Lance kept the ball himself and run the correct path there was space for a big gain as well.
2nd Quarter, 2nd and 8 at Seahawks 21
When something works or is open, good play callers will take note and come back to it as often as possible.
Two plays after the big run by Lance, the 49ers offense finds itself in the same down and distance and Kyle Shanahan goes back to counter bash. The only difference this is the play has been flipped.
This time, Trey Lance makes the correct read to keep the ball and run to the right side. The hole is there, but Trent Williams gets hung up by the pile created when Mike McGlinchey drives the Seahawks defender to the ground. This ruins the timing of the play and Trey Lance gets caught up behind Williams. With his momentum slowed, Lance is unable to get to the opening on the right side before hie is hit by the linebacker.
Lance suffers a broken ankle on the play and will be lost for the remainder of the 2022 season. An awful result on an otherwise solid play call.
Big play for Garoppolo and the 49ers offense
2nd Quarter, 1st and 10 at Seahawks 38
Jimmy Garoppolo takes over at quarterback for the next possession, but the formula does not change.
Kyle Shanahan dials up a flood concept off play action. With a flood concept you have a man running a go route combined with a deep out and a route into the flat.
Seattle sends a blitz, and the 49ers offensive line does a solid job of picking up the extra rusher.
Garoppolo sees the Seahawks defender jump Deebo Samuel on the flat route and delivers a strike to Ross Dwelley who has been left alone on the out. Dwelley easily makes the catch and does the rest by getting into the endzone for San Francisco’s first touchdown of the day.
Talanoa Hufanga is a playmaker
2nd Quarter, 2nd and 12 at Seahawks 40
Whether it’s making a stop on the run or breaking up a pass in the secondary, second year safety Talanoa Hufanga has been all over the field for the 49ers defense throughout the first two games of the season.
On this play Hufanga gets matched up with Tyler Lockett. Hufanga is right with Lockett on the break and undercuts the route. He is unable to make the interception, but fellow safety Tashaun Gipson is right there for the interception.
Making something out of nothing
3rd Quarter, 1st and 10 at 49ers 29
We’ve heard repeatedly how quick Jimmy Garoppolo’s release is, but this is ridiculous.
On the opening play offensive play of the second half, Garoppolo runs a naked bootleg and has two Seattle defenders right in his face as he begins to turn. Somehow, he is able to get the ball out to Jauan Jennings who is able to make the most of the play for a gain of three. Seattle is called for a facemask adding 15 yards onto the end of the play.
My TREY LANCE Eulogy!
Hey guys, I was just reminiscing about the anticipation of Trey Lance. Do you guys remember how excited we were this offseason, as we gazed at the stars, trying to imagine Kyle Shanahan is his “laboratory”, cooking up ways to get the most out of Trey Lance? Goosebumps!
Remember how John Lynch told us that Kyle had been drawing up creative ways to utilize Trey Lance’s remarkable skill-set, on the back of cocktail napkins? Man, this wasn’t just going to be another football season, this was going to be an entirely new “experience”! Imagine the creative ways in which Kyle Shanahan could open up his offense with a strong armed, mobile QB like Trey Lance, who was practically a savant when it came to playing the QB position, right? We were link “get your popcorn ready” guys, Kyle Shanahan was about to take his offense to the “next-level”, and the 49ers offense was going to be truly “unstoppable”!
Don’t you guys remember how we were told about Trey Lance’s “high-level” ability to process from the pocket? According to John & Kyle, Trey Lance was truly special as a processor, and practically a “savant” with the way he saw the field! He might not have much experience playing the QB position, but that didn’t matter much to us, because everyone knows how much of a “genius” Kyle Shanahan is. Not only that, Kyle Shanahan has already proven an enormous amount of success with a duel-threat QB in RGIII. And now he’s got a young prospect who might not be as fast of a runner as RGIII was, but from the pocket … Trey Lance was far more evolved than RGIII as a “pocket passer”!
Man, those were the days, weren’t they?
Jax,
Ha! That was a pretty cool eulogy write up.
Reminds me of my old 69 Chevy Malibu coup. Not vintage, but a beautiful car none the less. Well, I wrecked it one day. I felt so bad that I almost shed a tear. But I got it fixed, and I swear it looked and ran better than ever.
I kind of feel the same way about Trey. He said that he will be back better. I happen to believe him, and for that reason I will withhold any eulogy speech.
But hey, your’s was cute and well thought out.
Thanks AES.
BTW, I hope you’re right about Trey Lance. He seems like a terrific young man. So let me revise the name of my post to: My TREY LANCE – 2022 – Eulogy.
Cheers!
everything your talking about is a mirage lol.
Jack, appreciate the videos.
Personally, I don’t expect any let down with Jimmy as the starter. No one is more familiar with Shanahan’ offense than him. Getting Kittle back in the lineup makes the offense more potent and hopefully, softens the blow of the loss of Lance.
TBD.
I understand that the team just signed QB Kurt Benkert who spent a little time with the Packers. I watch some of his college highlights (these are always one sided, of course) and he seemed to have good athleticism and a better than average arm. He may never see the field, but his college video was interesting.
I hope Trey Lance pans out, but I don’t know if he is ever going to pan out at this point, and that’s a problem. In pains me to say it, but if I was a betting man, and I am, I’d bet that he won’t ever be that guy for the 49ers.
More and more people are coming to the conclusion that Kyle Shanahan deserves scrutiny at this point, because he seems to have whiffed at the QB position yet again. Even if Trey Lance eventually learns how to play QB, the fact is, you don’t spend 3 FIRST-ROUND picks on a raw, project of a QB who, despite being in his 2nd NFL season, still can’t run a pro-style offense! You can’t make this kind of mistake when your Super Bowl window is otherwise wide-open!
This is exactly why I have been saying that Jed needs to take the big personnel decision away from Kyle’s job description. Let’s two things straight:
1) Kyle Shanahan shouldn’t be fired!
2) But Kyle Shanahan should absolutely be demoted!
He should remain at HC, but he can no longer be in charge of finding the next franchise QB, because it’s painfully obvious now that Kyle wouldn’t know a good NFL QB prospect if it bit him in the a_s!
49lesions hopefully you stay here. The posters here love you.
Here’s my theory on why Trey Lance was picked.
December 12, 2020
After losing Garoppolo earlier in the season the 49ers are 5-7 soon to be 5-8. Josh Allen absolutely torches a talented 49ers defense for 375 yards and 4 TD’s. Highlight after highlight after highlight..
Who is watching from above? John Lynch and Jed York.
After his second season ending injury as a 49er and a 4th quarter meltdown in the super bowl, Jimmy Garoppolo’s time was up. Besides the 49ers had to pay their young stars (Warner, Deebo, Greenlaw, Bosa). The most successful teams around the league were starting QB’s on rookie deals, Ravens, Cardinals, Chiefs , and Bills
March 26, 2021
The 49ers move up to the number 3 pick in the draft knowing they could have their pick at 3 out of the top 5 prospects. I give them credit for making that move. After the trade the experts clearly identify Mac Jones as Kyle Shanahan’s QB. The fact that Kyle passed on elite level QB’s like Watson and Mahomes made fans and radio hosts question his ability to evaluate talent. The idea that he was racist was even brought up.
Meanwhile Kyle is watching Mac Jones and narrowing in on his guy. Jones was the exact type of player Kyle wanted to be his QB. He could slide in as a rookie and perform at the next level after winning a national championship with Alabama. Additionally he would be on a rookie contract and allow John Lynch to keep its young stock of talent (mentioned above).
That is when the fans and radio hosts began to make their way into Jed York and John Lynch’s head. How? Twitter!!! We know John Lynch spends too much time on Twitter he even does it at church. Don’t forget Jed York was also all over Twitter in the week leading up to the draft. A couple days before the draft it was obvious Lawrence would go to JAX and Steve Young was linking NYJ to Zac Wilson. Then it came out that the 49ers were divided between Jones and Lance.
It was finally time for the front office to come together and make their pick. Don’t forget the press conference with John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan. This was weird right? Kyle was disgruntled and it was unheard of for the HC to be at pre draft press conferences.
So here is my theory. Kyle wanted Jones and everyone else (Jed, Lynch, Peters) felt it best to go with the upside of Lance. Kyle clearly was not the best talent evaluator since he passed on Mahomes and Watson. Besides Lynch and Jed were looking out for Kyle. They didn’t want him and the 49ers organization being the laughing stock of the NFL for trading up for a QB that appeared to be from a dying bread at the position.
Knowing he was outnumbered and on the outside, Shanahan was sold on the idea of Trey Lance. They told Kyle how great of an offensive mind he was and how he could turn Lance into the next Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, or Lamar Jackson. When Kyle fought back, they told him, that he could have a year to groom him and it might actually work out to Lance getting some developmental playing time in 2021 because a Jimmy was always hurt.
April 29th 2021
Kyle has one last gasp! Reports come out that Rodgers to the 49ers is close to a done deal. He even goes behind his buddies back to sneak a trade for Rodgers because he was being forced into drafting a guy he really was not excited to lead his football team. This never got enough attention. Just another reason Lance was not Kyle’s guy.
Kyle was sold on Trey Lance. He simply wanted Mac Jones, the guy with the vanilla style of play that with a ceiling of Kirk Cousins or Matt Ryan.
And I suppose you do. Lmao
Jax,
Whoever has been in charge of the draft rounds 4-7 and in charge of signing UDFA’s should keep that responsibility. I don’t know maybe thats KS but they should replace whoever is pulling the trigger on rounds 1-3 of the draft. I don’t know maybe thats JL.
Its obviously the same people and i certainly don’t understand you continual harping on this when this team has gone to the NFC championship 2 of the last 3 years. Apparently they are making better decisions than just about everyone else.
I read the whole article! That was such amazing information. Please check my website
Here is Trey Lance getting sacked against the Bears. The 1st is extremely sketchy as he gets twisted around spun to the ground by his shoulder pad. The 2nd he gets completely dog piled. I can’t remember the last time I seen a guy get dog piled.
https://www.chicagobears.com/video/roquan-smith-dominique-robinson-swarm-trey-lance-for-red-zone-sack
https://www.chicagobears.com/video/roquan-smith-dominique-robinson-swarm-trey-lance-for-red-zone-sack
JF,
It was quite the pile-on. But two things stood out for me.
1. Trey got up without an injury.
2. Loved the massive block that Burford put on the Bears defender who had released from McGlinchey.
I agree with your points! Burford has been a pleasant surprise!
I think for Lance it just looks awkward when taking hits. That year off in 2019 was no bueno, his LB mentality was also no bueno, and his experience against lesser competition has created a tremendous mountain to climb.
JF,
Here’s a somewhat crazy comparison, Lance reminds me of a young Terry Bradshaw (yeah, I go that far back) who also came into the league with a LBs mentality.
It took Bradshaw about 3 years to become a true QB in the pros. He also had a cannon for an arm that eventually developed good touch over time. When his passing became a great weapon, he didn’t have to run as much.
If Trey can become an effective passer, I don’t believe that he will be running as much.
Remember, that Kaepernick had similar running ability, but he never developed as a passing QB.
Remember Steve young? Early in his career he mostly ran until he learned to be a great pocket passer. Trey is 22. He’ll learn and maybe become a great passer.
Felix,
+1.
Lance’s best days are ahead of him, we’ll just have to wait a little while longer to see it realized.
I don’t like Steve Young as an example. The NFL has evolved so much. Defenses are prepared with how to defend rushing QB’s. Eventually you have to make plays form the pocket if you want to win it all.
James, I hope you know that I didn’t mean to be disrespectful to you. I got a little heated when you wrote “ya stupid”, but actually I’ve been called worse. Anyways, I know you’ve been on this blog for a while, and you are certainly a knowledgeable fan. But you didn’t answer my two-part question on the previous thread, so I figured I’d ask you again:
Question #1) Do you know which offensive position has by far the shortest lifespan in terms of their NFL careers?
Answer: RB
Question #2) On the flip side, can you tell me which offensive position has the longest lifespan in terms of their NFL Careers?
Answer: QB
I challenge you, and all of the other posters who feel the same way you do, to answer why this is … why do RB’s get injured at a much higher rate, and subsequently have much shorter careers, than QB’s?
Personally, I don’t this is a particularly difficult thing to figure out. For starters, most RB’s spend their careers learning how to protect their body’s while attempting to gain positive yardage, while often breaking through the opposing DL, right? I think we can all agree to this being a fact. On the other hand, most QB’s are spend their careers learning how to protect themselves, mostly from inside the pocket. For instance, if you watch the way Trey Lance runs the football compared to, say, Elijah Mitchell, it’s easy to see how much more upright Trey Lance runs, while Mitchell basically runs behind his shoulder pads. And that’s not a technique that NFL RB’s like Elijah Mitchell are born with. It’s something they learn as they develop. They learn that running with a low pad level creates two advantages compared to running upright like Trey Lance does. The first advantage is leverage. And creating leverage does a couple different things for a RB. One thing it does it helps them use their pads to absorb the impact. Another thing it does is it allows the RB to use his momentum more efficiently, which in turn allows the RB to run with more power while delivering more energy than they receive upon impact, which helps lower the frequency in which they get folded up like a pretzel. And let’s be honest, without trying to be disrespectful, Trey Lance got folded up like a pretzel (or a cheap suit, cardboard box, etc). And the fact is, both of these factors help protect the health of a RB.
The same premise works for a QB. Quarterbacks learn early on how to protect themselves within the pocket, as they develop, because that’s mostly where they make a living. Every QB learns early on that, if you want to make it in the NFL, you have to be able to win from the pocket. QB’s spend most of their time developing their pocket skills, and their pocket awareness </strong, which both buys them more time to go through their progressions, and helps them protect their bodies as the pocket collapses.
My point is, it's simply not logical to suggest that QB's can just as easily get hurt standing in the pocket, as they can running into the teeth of a stout DL. That’s not the way the law of averages work. If it did work the way you have suggested, the difference in career longevity between a RB and a QB, wouldn’t be on the opposite end of the spectrum. Just because QB’s can get hurt standing in the pocket, just as they can running the football, that doesn’t mean they are just as likely to get hurt standing in the pocket, as they are running the football, especially running like Trey Lance was – upright, and in-between the tackles (A and B gaps)!
Cheers!
BTW guys, just to bring attention to the fact that I am fair & balanced, well …. fair at least, I am fully prepared to admit that I was wrong about the 49ers interior OL, as well as the Safety position.
It’s obviously too early to know for certain, as we are only 2 games into the season, but I was very encouraged by what I saw from the OL vs Seattle, and Talanoa Hufanga …. I mean, in a word – SPECTACULAR! This guy might actually have alien technology, because he’s everywhere on the football field, all at the same time. It’s like he has the ability to teleport. Hufanga is proving something that I have been preaching all my life …. that instincts absolutely trump physical attributes, when it comes to Safety and off-ball Linebacker!
Obviously Seattle doesn’t have much in terms of a pass rushers, but they certainly have beef on the interior of their DL. Spencer Burford doesn’t look like a rookie to me, and that in itself is impressive. But it was Aaron Banks that stole the show on the interior OL for me. He rebuilt his body during the offseason, and it shows. He’s no longer just a big dude who leans on his behemoth size. He actually has the strength to his game now, and I am especially impressed with his agility for a man who goes at least 330 lbs! Jake Brendel is still the weak link, but the question is, is he at least a legitimate NFL starter? The jury is still out on this question, and I can’t help but wonder considering he’s basically a first time starter at the age of 30, but I am no longer as concerned about OC as I was going into week 1, and I think there’s a chance that Brendel can prove me wrong as well, and that’s absolutely a big deal if he does, because as you guys know, I am rarely wrong!
Jax,
Good observation.
Our young players are going to get even better as the season progresses.
Fangs came out of USC with a ball-hawk reputation and it looks like his game has translated very well at the pro level.
All and all, Lynch and Shanahan has set the foundation for the team to have sustainability for years to come.
Jaxson appreciate your talking points dude. I also was questioning the offensive line, but they have impressed!
I knew Hufanga was going to be a playmaker but I too had questions about his coverage abilities. I still think teams will expose him as he plays with tremendous instinct. Once there is some more film on this defense teams will scheme up plays to counter his aggressive style of play.
But I love what I see so far!
Oops, I left you another post above before I saw this. I think I meant to direct the question to another poster, so sorry about that.
Anyways, thanks James Foster, and back at you. By the way, I have a good friend named James Foster from Stockton, and it’s a good, strong name. You definitely know your 49ers football, so it’s good to interact with you. I get a little long-winded sometimes, so I need to work on that.
But Cheers to you, and Go Niners.
Hey Jax.
What’s up bud? I saw this very same comment on the Inspired 49ers Blog under the name of Anonymous.
Just come clean, and go by the moniker we all know and love… 49Reasons. No need to go undercover 😎 lol!
Really good stuff on the film breakdown Jack. I appreciate all the work that requires. What did you think of that back shoulder throw to Aiyuk that he dropped? That was a beautiful play. Perfect throw from Jimmy G. Unfortunate it was a drop but I really like that play design. Leaves Aiyuk 1 on 1 downfield. I’d like to see the 49ers incorporate more of that specific play in the arsenal and then let Aiyuk use his skill set a little more to take the pressure off Deebo.
I also really like to see the fight Jauan Jennings brings to blocking. He got the highlight when things got heated but watch him on other plays. He acts like those defenders are stealing food from his kids. I love it. Watch Aiyuk downfield on some plays. He Ole’s a lot more on his blocking than I care to see.
I thought this was great news. Even if Lance doesn’t come back this year he can work and throw and concentrate on footwork & mechanics in a relatively short time after such a gruesome injury….
Foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Kenneth Jung, a consultant to the Los Angeles Rams, believes Lance could be fully healed within 10 to 12 weeks. Assuming the lengthier estimated recovery time, that might make him available after Week 14. However, the shorter estimate could mean Lance is healthy after Week 12.
“There could be a lot of non-medical factors that are playing a part in shutting him down — protecting their investment in the future,” Jung told Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “But usually, this injury is about 10 to 12 weeks.”
The 49ers announced that Lance’s surgery to repair a fibula fracture and ligament disruption was successful.
“The ligament damage, Jung said, was probably caused by a dislocation, with bones shifting out of joint,” wrote Branch. “The torn ligaments are likely in the syndesmosis, the complex of ligaments involved in high ankle sprains.
“Jung said Lance’s fibula was probably stabilized with a plate and screws. That hardware will likely remain during Lance’s career, as it involves another operation to remove, and the bone can be weaker without it.”
Pat,
So lets say Lance is ready to come back by Dec. Jimmy G has the 9ers at 8-4 and gets hurt. Do the 9ers turn to Purdy or do they bring Lance back for the remainder of the season and playoffs
I’d sit Trey the rest of the year no matter what. Don’t rush him back. Let him heal.
Per David Bonilla… 49erswebzone.
“There has been some chatter that Trey Lance might return this season after foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Kenneth Jung told the San Francisco Chronicle that the quarterback could fully recover within 10 to 12 weeks.
Kyle Shanahan shut that speculation down on Wednesday. The head coach was asked if Lance might return sooner than the 49ers initially anticipated, as indicated by the article from the San Francisco Chronicle.
“No, he’ll be out until next year,” Shanahan responded.
A reporter asked if he meant next season, as “next year” could mean the playoffs.
“Next season,” Shanahan added. “Thank you. That’s what years mean to me.”
We won’t see Lance in a 49ers jersey likely until 2023 training camp. But, I get a sense that Trey will be healthy enough to start throwing passes to someone before then.
I don’t know much about recently signed QB Kurt Benkert, but I like the guy already.
If have a little time, check out his response re Mike Florio, who I consider a total hack.
Just an aside, there is some colorful language involved.
https://youtu.be/9yHGQ3k1KJY