49ers assistant head coach Anthony Lynn spoke with Justin Ross of The Detroit News this week after joining San Francisco’s coaching staff and gave his evaluation of projected starting quarterback Trey Lance, who figures to be working in lockstep with Lynn in 2022:
“Just watching him in college, he’s big, strong, he’s intelligent and he extends plays. In this league right now, I’ve said if you’re not Tom Brady or Peyton Manning — a guy that can stand back there and pick you apart, know where you’re going with the football before the ball is even snapped — you better have someone that can move around a little bit and get away from these 4.4 defensive ends. These guys are not 300 pounds running 5.0 flat anymore. These guys are like the Von Millers of the world. You need a quarterback that can create a little bit in those situations. It’s big-time like that to have a guy like that on your team.”
Jimmy Garoppolo’s strength was knowing where to go with the football and getting the ball out on time against the blitz. However, we did see enough plays where Jimmy would hold onto the ball for too long, which would lead to him taking hits or sacks that Garoppolo had no business taking.
Lance will create more plays off schedule and likely bail out Kyle Shanahan with his legs if the initial play isn’t there. Lance’s athleticism will be relied on early and often as he learns the ropes of what it takes to be a successful quarterback in this league.
The more the injuries piled up for Jimmy, the more stationary he became. Eventually, he turned into a sitting duck in the pocket. I don’t envision that being a problem for Lance.
The sample size is small, but Lance was sacked 5.3% of the time this past season compared to Garoppolo’s 6.2%. As you know, sacks are drive killers, and Trey turning a 2nd and 13 into a 2nd & 9 could turn out to be the difference in a first down or a punt.
I wonder if Lynn was brought in to help with the quarterback running game or if there’s another strength he has that directly affects Lance. We’ll see if those wrinkles show themselves during training camp.
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