The San Francisco 49ers are in Colorado facing the Denver Broncos in some joint practices, and the chance to face a great offense and defense could do big things for the 49ers. In particular, facing Peyton Manning and that Broncos offensive attack is a huge deal for the team's new-look defense. There are a lot of talented players on the 49ers defense, but they are learning a new system with Eric Mangini, and many of them are getting their first big opportunities.
Veteran defensive tackle Darnell Dockett seems to recognize the value of the joint practices. He posted the tweet above Tuesday evening after arriving in Denver. I could be wrong on the term MAILBOX, but I am pretty sure he is talking about Manning. That led to someone sending along this tweet.
@NinersNation @ddockett I present to you, Manningbox. pic.twitter.com/TNhUIWlACn
— Louis (@spartancsi) August 26, 2015
The 49ers faced the Broncos in a preseason game last year, but it was just the game, with no additional practices. I've seen some NFL folks suggest joint practices offer more value than preseason games. Teams can work on specific drills, such as a 2-minute drill, or a goal line drill, or just about anything else, without having to hope it comes up in a game. For a relatively new-look 49ers team, this strikes me as a huge boon.