Yesterday was a busy day for the 49ers media as the team completed their fifth day of training camp. The day started off well, with TE George Kittle and S Eric Reid getting upgraded on the injury report, suggesting that they’re closer to returning. The day wasn’t all fun and games, as DeForest Buckner limped off the field with an ankle injury. No news has been released as of writing this, but he stood on the sidelines for the rest of practice, giving some reason for hope that the ailment is minor. Also injured was Ahkello Witherspoon’s pride, as he got hit-stick’d onto his tuchus by Carlos Hyde en route to a short TD. Folks are writing about that hit as the first important play of training camp.
Otherwise, Reuben Foster continues to impress, the offensive line continues to be the worst unit on the team, and the defensive line continues to shine. Not only was DT Earl Mitchell the recipient of some choice praise from Robert Saleh, Ninerswire writer Jerod Brown even praised Tank Carradine, going so far as to hint that he might have a chance to battle Solomon Thomas at big-end. It sounds like he’s back in his 4-3 comfort zone, and performing quite well, which is very welcome news. This is probably his last chance as a 49er, so I’m rooting for the guy. Plus, if this finally is his year, Zgonina’s dream of constant DL rotation is that much closer to a reality.
Out of the interview portion of the day, I thought there was one mildly interesting piece that got some attention - the newly installed defense has roughly 30% of the calls of the previous defense. According to Ahmad Brooks, the players are responsible for roughly 10 calls, a far cry from 2016’s 30+ calls. With such a young defense, the installation of a simple, proactive defense may be beneficial. We’ll see.
On to the links!
Training Camp
Wednesday TC review, Carlos Hyde headlines | Inman, Mercury
Hyde runs over Witherspoon, other TC notes | Maiocco, CSN Bay Area
Wednesday TC notes | Jones, KNBR
Wednesday TC practice report | Barrows, Sac Bee
TC Stock report | Lowder, Ninerswire
Rapid reactions from Wednesday’s practice | Brown, Ninerswire
TC takeaways: Wednesday | Biderman, Ninerswire
Roster/Injuries/CS
Saleh installs a simple defense, Brooks approves | Jones, KNBR
[VIDEO] Saleh on Earl Mitchell | Sac Bee Staff
Saleh defends Ahkello’s toughness | Barrows, Sac Bee
Top 10 youngers on the roster | Barrows, Sac Bee
Buckner leaves practice on injured ankle | Wagoner, ESPN
RT Trent Brown on mistakes as being part of learning | Wagoner, ESPN
Hoyer is no stranger to fighting for the job | Wagoner, ESPN
[TRANSCRIPT] Saleh reviews defense so far | Lowder, Ninerswire
Marquise Goodwin out to prove he’s not just a decoy | Associated Press Staff
Wednesday’s injury report | Biderman, Ninerswire
Miscellaneous
Kaepernick’s jersey in Top 50 for sales | Associated Press Staff
Ray Lewis on Kaepernick | CSN Bay Area Staff
Report: Owners turning down Kaepernick | CSN Bay Area Staff