Golden Nuggets: One week away

Barrows: Trey Lance’s leash, 49ers’ depth chart at tailback and more: Mailbag (paywall)

“Since for the moment, the running backs room is nothing but big boys, do think there’s a chance Shanahan might scheme up a few scatback-style plays with McCloud or one of the other quick guys? — John F.

I’m not allowed to reveal any strategic elements of practice. (But if you could see my face, you’d notice I’m blinking conspicuously).”

Steve Young on Trey Lance/Jimmy Garoppolo situation: “This is hairy stuff”

“In some ways, Jimmy being there, holds your own feet to the fire that can be productive,” Young told Inman in what seemed to be an incessant effort to characterize a possibly leaking glass as half full. “It depends how he takes in in. It seems he takes in productively, and it can be thought in of the positive.”

Trotter: Why 49ers QB Trey Lance won’t have to look over his shoulder

“They should be one of the best defenses in the league this season, and therefore, Kyle Shanahan is not going to have to put a lot of pressure on Trey Lance to go out and quote-unquote win games. You can bet that, early in the year, he will ask him essentially to manage these games, make a couple of plays when they need it to be made, and not get in the way of this defense doing what it does....So I think the situation is perfect for Trey Lance in terms of his development, in terms of this team still being able to win. Also, by the end of the year, we will see a vastly different quarterback than we see in Week 1.”

What Young thinks is Lance’s ‘nearly impossible’ job as starter

“Let’s be honest about it, and it’s been proven by the number of people who have been able to do it effectively,” Young said regarding the team’s past quarterbacks. “You can count on two hands in the last 10 years. This is a nearly impossible job in a nearly impossible city to do it, and that’s a fact.”

Lynch admits 49ers ‘hanging on for dear life’ to keep Poe

“The guys love him ... when he makes a play, everybody, you hear it,” Lynch continued. “Despite the challenges of being a little smaller, when you have hard fight ... he has ability, those guys tend to make it.”