SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Trey Lance rolled to his right Tuesday and cut loose with a high-velocity wobbler that eventually fell harmless to the ground.
Had it been a game or an open practice with fans in attendance, there would have been an audible buzz, because it was one of those moments that was perfect for the kind of overreaction that comes naturally with the most important position in professional sports.
Instead, it was the first day of a mandatory three-day minicamp and the isolated instance came and went. Lance actually had a pretty good day throwing the ball. Even more important, Lance, all of 22 years old, appears to be growing nicely into his role as the face of the 49ers.
Jimmy Garoppolo was excused from participating while he rehabs his surgically repaired shoulder. No one with the organization is willing to come out and say it, but that’s a good thing. The team belongs to Lance, and while coach Kyle Shanahan said he expected to see Garoppolo at practice in training camp when healthy if no trade materializes, surely that’s not the preferred way to go.
Having Lance assume the role of leader, bond with quarterbacks coach Brian Griese and conduct himself through his play and his actions as an NFL quarterback is going to be the biggest factor in his success or failure in 2022. The whole matter of a throwing motion which has been criticized for being too elongated as well as the occasional delivery that doesn’t produce a spiral simply isn’t a big deal.
Questions came up about Lance’s mechanics Tuesday and it was a matter he wanted to address. He seemed almost amused by the scrutiny about his summer sessions with throwing coaches which he said centered on using his lower half for the proper base to throw the ball accurately.
There haven’t been any major changes in the way Lance throws the ball, nor are there expected to be in the future.
“I know everybody talks about the throwing motion and the slow-mo videos and all that, but it wasn’t as much as you guys think,” Lance said. “Everybody has their opinion on it. But for me, it’s about getting the ball out accurately. It’s different working away from the building because you’re working primarily as a thrower and not necessarily as a quarterback.”
Regarding his motion, Lance said, “I don’t feel like it slows me down. Everyone throws differently. I know everyone talks about it . . . it’s not something I’m worried about.”
Likewise, Shanahan isn’t playing an endless loop of Lance’s throwing motion in his head that keeps him awake at night.
Rather, Shananan prefers Lance to simply execute the plays that are called in a methodical fashion as opposed to trying to make something big happen on every snap. Shanahan is more concerned with Lance’s eyes and his footwork.
“It’s about getting reps and going out there and the first couple of days (last week) Trey and everybody else are trying to win the day, which doesn’t mean that much,” Shanahan said. “You’ve got to hone in on getting better. You know the defense, they know the offense, so you can’t really go for the big plays. You play with your fundamentals and improve the plays that you have.”
As for the minutiae of delivering the ball, Shanahan sees it as a constant process over time rather than something dramatic in one offseason.
“Tom Brady has tweaked his throwing motion every year for the last 20 years,” Shanahan said. “That’s why he’s throwing better at 40 than he did at 30. The good ones are obsessed with that and it never stops.”
Lance has spoken with Steve Young this offseason and Young’s message was to be himself. He is working as much on building relationships with his teammates. With Garoppolo around, Lance deferred to the starter. Shanahan wanted it that way when it came to the media as well.
“I think it was in a little bit of a weird spot last year,” Lance said. “You guys wanted to talk to me and I really didn’t have anything to talk about. I wasn’t playing. But that’s how it goes, that was the situation I was in, and I tried to embrace my role and make the most out of it.”
Weird though it might have been, left tackle Trent Williams said the awkwardness of the situation wasn’t evident.
“Seeing him in the locker room now, I don’t really see a difference,” Williams said. “He carries himself extremely well, which is why he’s here, why everyone is so high on him. We all know his attributes as a quarterback. But I think the way he carries himself, the way he holds his head, the way nothing ever rattles him, that’s his key feature and I think that will carry him a long way.”
