The noise around the 49ers quarterback position and when Trey Lance will take over has been answered by head coach Kyle Shanahan a number of times since the draft.
Today the coach was asked if Lance will play more in the second half of the season.
“It depends how our season goes.” Shanahan responded. “I’ve said the same answers with that since the beginning. So, I don’t know how many different ways I can say.”
Shanahan was then asked what he meant because there are packages built in for Lance every game.
“Yeah, so you guys know that answer. Right? Every time he’s up, there’ll be packages for him, and he’ll always be an option to play.”
The follow up was that Shanahan had answered, ‘we’ll see how the season goes.’
“Because I thought his question was, ‘is he ever going to become the guy?’ And that’s how I have to see how the season goes,” said Shanahan. “When he’s ready when our team’s ready. Obviously, there’s nothing to play for, you make that decision for a lot of guys trying to prepare guys for the next year and stuff like that.”
There you have it. As previously reported here on a number of occasions, Trey Lance will become the starting quarterback once the 49ers are eliminated from the playoff race.
In other news from 49ers practice today, the 49ers announced that they have waived WR Jalen Hurd. Hurd, a promising scheme fit due to his size and ability was drafted by the team in the third round in 2019 but exits having never played a snap. Hurd had a history of injury during his time in college, and those followed him to the NFL and ultimately kept him off the field.
In addition to the release of Hurd, the team signed OL Corbin Kaufusi and CB Saivion Smith to the team’s practice squad. Kaufusi in not new to the 49ers, having been with the club during training camp.
The following players did not participate in practice on Thursday as the team began preparations for their contest Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams: RB JaMycal Hasty (ankle), DL Maurice Hurst (calf), CB Dre Kirkpatrick (ankle), C Alex Mack (not injury related – resting player), WR Mohamed Sanu (knee), DB Jimmie Ward (quadricep), T Trent Williams (not injury related – resting player), S Tavon Wilson (foot).
In addition, DL Arik Armstead (neck), TE George Kittle (calf), RB Elijah Mitchell (rib), CB Emmanuel Moseley (neck), CB Josh Norman (rib) were limited participants.
I agree with Kyle on this. The goal of the season is to reach the playoffs. If that goal becomes impossible you move to the next goal which is to develop Trey Lance. Right now Jimmy G is a better option than Lance so you play Jimmy. Kyle is right on this.
Interesting to me how Kyle has evolved apparently. When Kapernick was an issue he said that it was sooo difficult to have different types of QBs in his system. Just not a good way to go. That was at the time that he had hand-picked his future system guy CJ. But now we have Kapernick v2.0 and, oh yeah, we have different packages. KS may or may not be a “genius” OC or even a good HC but he’s definitely evolved into a pretty good politician.
I don’t really agree with this at all. Your entire premise relies on an assumption that Colin Kaepernick and Trey Lance are the same QB with the same skill sets. Just because both guys are mobile doesn’t mean their skill sets are the same. I see them as very, very different QBs. I think CK was more mobile than Lance but he wasn’t as good at reading defenses or in the play action pass game as what Shanahan believes Lance can become. Also, Shanahan had several years of NFL tape to judge Colin Kaepernick’s ceiling and floor. Obviously, Kyle didn’t like Colin as a QB in his system so he let him walk. He thinks Trey Lance can be good in his system so he drafted him. It’s not as if Kyle changed anything. He sees different skill sets in Trey Lance and Colin Kaepernick and he likes what Lance brings to the table. And if you think Kyle drafted CJ Beathard as his hand-picked future system guy then you let coach speak in a post draft press conference fool you. There is absolutely no doubt CJ Beathard was drafted with being a backup in mind.
My point was that Kyle claimed at the time that it was unwise in his opinion to have two very different type quarterbacks to train at the same time. Your nitpicking on the specific differences between Kap and Lance is irrelevant. The fact that they were different was proved by the fact that Kyle now admits that he is preparing differently for the two different style QBs. Now you are trying to claim that his system has always provided for more than one type of QB but it just wasn’t Kap. BTW I am not a Kap fan The bottom line is that Kyle does not like QBs who are do not fit into his system until it is a different QB than Kap who doesn’t fit into his system. And that’s not the way he described it to us at the time. He wanted CJ as a backup “because he fit into his system” and he didn’t want Kap because he just didn’t want Kap. IOW I stand by my claim the he is, at the end of the day, a politician making as a HC.
Ok, I see what your saying I don’t totally disagree with you. Yet, I don’t think it’s nitpicking to say Trey is good in the play action game. Kyle can substantially keep the same offense as he has with jimmy G and add a package of QB runs. With Colin he was stuck with really only a read option offense without being able to run the 21 personnel play action offense Kyle prefers. With Colin it was a totally different offense whereas with Trey it’s much of the same offense as he runs with Jimmy with some added packages.
It would be nice if the Niners could build a solid lead in some games so Lance could get into the game. It’s probably not going to happen this week. It sounds as if Shanahan is getting tired of the Lance question since it’s been asked a 100 times and the answer is always the same. But I understand that’s what everyone is interested in and each week in a new week.
@Jack:
What do you make of Lynch calling out Fred Warner for “not having the season so far that he expects or that we expect.”
I’m not @Jack (but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night). Just kidding. I think Lynch is just saying what we all can see. And based on Jack’s comments on YouTube with the guy we cannot name (hint: initials GC) I think Jack agrees with Lynch.
Cubus,
I think it’s an accurate statement from Lynch, but probably something that doesn’t need to get outside of the building.