Torrey Smith and Colin Kaepernick have a little over four months under their built working together in the passing game. Kap has always had a cannon of an arm, but his only significant deep presence the last couple years has been Vernon Davis, and brief stretches of Randy Moss in 2012. Davis was a non-factor last year, and while he might bounce back, his age does not provide the greatest of optimism.
And so, the San Francisco 49ers signed Torrey Smith this offseason. The former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver brings a speed element to the wide receiver corps that has been mostly absent in recent years. Smith has had some drops issues, but he also does a great job drawing pass interference calls deep down the field. This makes a speed threat that much more valuable since picking up big chunks of yards is great no matter how it actually happens.
Kap and Smith have had the offseason workout program and a week of training camp to work on getting on the same page. Smith chatted with the media on Saturday, and had a chance to talk about his developing chemistry with Kap. Grant Cohn has the full transcript. Smith was asked if he and Kap watch any film together:
Yeah, we're definitely still getting stuff together. When there's a play that happens I always go over to him and say, "Hey, what were you thinking on this?" so we can get on the same page about certain things. It's not that I feel like I'm a speed demon or the fastest man in the world or anything, but sometimes I feel like, "I can run, Bro - you can throw it out there, I'm going to go get it for you." It's just little things that you have to be comfortable with. Learning each other's body language is another big thing, him learning how I move because it's our first year working together. But he's doing a great job. It's on us to make it all happen.
I can't imagine Smith is the first fast receiver to tell his quarterback, "Hey, just get it out there and I'll track it down." But for the 49ers, he does bring some speed that could prove pivotal for developing this offense into a more consistent machine. Of course, this will depend in part on the offensive line giving Kap some time, and the running game creating a viable alternate threat. But if the 49ers can get these two some time, we could see some seriously big plays that Steve Logan and Geep Chryst have discussed this offseason.