Last week, Michael Lewis was a 49er.
This week, the veteran strong safety is an afterthought, compliments of rookie Taylor Mays.
Mays, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound second-round pick, scored a
touchdown on a recovered blocked punt in the end zone and had a team-high 11
tackles in his first career start Sunday. On Monday, the Niners granted Lewis
his release.
Mike Singletary was fairly effusive in his praise of Mays
on Wednesday, terming him a “tremendous asset” and saying the three-time All-American
at USC has answered many of the questions the Niners had about his skill set.
Mays devoted much of his time in the spring and summer to watching film – and his
study appeared to pay off against the Falcons. Singletary said Mays had perhaps
one mental error in the game.
“I just think since he’s been here, he’s continued to
blossom,” Singletary said. “There are things that when we drafted him, we hoped
that he could do. We were not sure if he could do, but he has surpassed our
expectations in terms of what he can and cannot do.”
Mays is freakishly athletic. Still, due to his size,
there were concerns about his flexibility, coverage skills and ability to stay
with speedsters. Mays played well behind the line of scrimmage in college –
anywhere from 13 to 24 yards – and had just one interception as a senior.
Singletary conceded there were questions about Mays’ ability to move closer to
the line of scrimmage and cover.
“Well in all honesty, I think when you’re a safety and
particularly, as big a safety as he is, it was really important for us to see
if he could really get into the box and cover. Do some of the things that some of
the smaller, quicker-twitch safeties can do,” Singletary said. “And he indeed
can do that. He can play in the box, he can play post, I mean, he can do
anything that any other safety can do. Now it’s just a matter of continuing to
zone in on the finer points of the technique that he has to use. But he has the
speed to help us, he has the ability to run and change directions. He can play
low, for a big guy, he can bend. So that’s extremely important. So I just think
that we were really fortunate to get him.”
For his part, Mays is hardly getting carried away with
his defensive debut, saying he was discouraged when he watched the film.
“Just with technique, just with tackling, just with
playing fast,” Mays said. “I don’t feel like I have to play like a rookie. I
feel like I can play a lot better than what I showed on film. I did some things
right, but I feel like I can do a lot more things better.”
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