Golden Nuggets: Who’s been the most underrated player on defense?

Thompson: In Dre Greenlaw’s quest for perfection, the 49ers linebacker found his fuel (paywall)

“I get anxiety watching film,” he said. “High anxiety. Just because I’m the type, I want to be perfect every time.”

Talanoa Hufanga, the second-year safety whose locker is next to Greenlaw, nods in agreement as he ties his shoes.

But once play is pressed, and the evidence shines in high definition, anxiety recedes, focus takes over, and the perfectionist locks in. He’s watching his technique, his positioning, the meticulousness of his execution. He’s watching for what’s missing, the plays that didn’t happen because he wasn’t exactly perfect, the mistake that didn’t happen because he was. Sometimes this process is as encouraging as it can be torturous.”

San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo advising Trey Lance to try to stay positive as he recovers from season-ending injury

“I heard [defensive end Nick] Bosa’s presser the other day and he worded it pretty well because there is a moment where you feel like your life is over and you feel like you can never get back to where I was,” Garoppolo said. “But that passes and you’ve got to hit a point where it does pass and you mentally move on from that. There will be hurdles for him to overcome but I’ve been around Trey for a couple years now. He’s a tough dude, so he’ll be all right.”

Steve Young criticizes ‘goofball questions’ about Shanahan’s usage of Trey Lance

“My point is maybe going forward when Trey gets back on the field, now we realize it might not be the thing that really he’s comfortable doing because we’re all finding this out. We don’t have a lot of tape on him running quarterback runs… So that’s what’s hard,” Young said. “But isn’t that part of the deal we made with Trey is that we believed he was a guy that could do that?”

John Lynch explains why criticisms of 49ers’ Trey Lance usage are ‘flawed’

“We felt like he’s a bigger guy who could endure some hits. You don’t want to make a living out of it, but he could endure some hits. You can get hurt running the football at that position. You can get hurt throwing the ball. ... It’s something we all sign up for. It doesn’t get any easier when it does happen. Most of all, I just feel for the young man.”

Improving Aaron Banks will play pivotal role in 49ers’ success

“Banks according to Pro Football Focus hasn’t allowed a pressure yet this season. His 75.5 overall PFF grade is the highest among San Francisco’s offensive linemen. His 82.2 pass blocking grade is the second-highest on the club.”

Branch: 49ers’ injuries could lead to Deebo Samuel doing even more in backfield (paywall)

“The 49ers are close to running out of viable non-Samuel options. They do have Jeff Wilson, their No. 2 back who had 84 yards on 18 carries against Seattle. Behind Wilson? Undrafted rookie Jordan Mason, who has played only on special teams in the first two games, and Marlon Mack, who was elevated to 53-man roster Wednesday after joining the practice squad last week.”