Vic Fangio says he would be disappointed if Eric Reid is not starting at some point this season

The 49ers had media availability following their morning practice, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio addressed the media. The most notable comment of the day was when he said that he would be disappointed if Eric Reid was not starting at some point this season.

I don't think this is a particularly shocking statement, but it's still been interesting to see Vic Fangio get behind the rookie more and more with each passing press conference. Back in June, he had his first chance to speak about Reid with the media. He was asked how Reid was coming along, and he said:

"He's coming along fine, like most rookies are. He's in the struggles of learning what to do. The first step in a rookie's got to learn what to do to where he can actually tell you what he's supposed to do. And then he's got to be able to show you he knows how to do it. And then he's got to be able to make the adjustments on the run that come within those different assignments and techniques. And right now, I think he knows what to do. He doesn't always know how to do it. And he doesn't always know the proper adjustments. And I think you make a mistake to evaluate any rookie at this point. They're all learning right now. This is the learning stage of how to play. And the true evaluation won't come until the middle of training camp and into the preseason games."

Last week, Fangio addressed Reid again, and indicated that the mental side of things would not be an issue. He felt that Reid was still figuring out the speed of the game, recognizing offensive concepts and reacting as needed, but he felt the mental side of things was a "plus" for him.

For now, Fangio indicated the team will continue rotating their safeties in practice. Craig Dahl got the initial snaps with the first team defense before being replaced by C.J. Spillman on Sunday and today. It sounds like Spillman had a bit of a rough day, so we'll see if Reid moves into the starting lineup for Wednesday's practice. More than anything, we'll be keeping our eye on the starting lineup for next week's preseason opener. While multiple safeties could get first half playing time next week, I imagine we'll quickly latch on to which safety gets the "starting" nod.

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