Former San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello went against his old team for the first time. Although, it was only a joint practice. Still, the new Denver Broncos offensive coordinator was impressed with the energy of the 49ers defense during Friday's practice. He sounded less impressed with his offense.
"I thought it was very choppy, and I thought it felt like they got after us up front a little bit," Scangarello told reporters after the practice.
The 49ers defense was loud on Friday, and several in attendance felt the unit outperformed its counterparts, at least in intensity.
Scangarello was asked what his message to the offense was after the practice.
"My message is we've got to meet their intensity," he responded. "Obviously, part of it is, I think, they're playing a different style than they've played in the past, and they're doing a good job of it, and it's different for us. You're not game-planning necessarily for the practice, so we have to adapt and adjust."
One coach who was excited about the defense's intensity was 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who was proud of the tone his unit set during practice.
"You know what, I'm pumped for our guys because they came out with the intent to continue with the message that we've been delivering with, that relentless pursuit, being violent, but obviously being clean," Saleh said. "They came out here today, and they didn't skip a beat being on the road. Felt good, felt their energy out there, so it was good. It was a good day."
Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco also noticed the intensity of the 49ers defense.
"I think they brought a lot of energy, so I think it was good for our team to kind of go up against that," Flacco told reporters. "I think we could definitely do a better job than we did today, but that's what this is all about. It's about getting some good work against some high-intensity guys, and some different looks that we haven't seen in a while, and things like that."
Flacco noted that defenses are often the most intense, even in games. It's up to the offense to play well, set the pace, and calm the defense down.
"I think we've just got to learn how to do that a little bit," Flacco added.
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner was a standout on the 49ers defense last season after racking up a career-high 12 sacks and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. The 25-year old fourth-year player was also one of the standouts from Friday's joint practice.
"He's probably one of the best three or four interior players in this league," Scangarello said of Buckner. "He's always going to be tough to block, and if you're not planning around him, he's going to cause problems."
The 49ers and Broncos have one more joint practice scheduled for Saturday morning at 9:15 a.m. MT (8:15 a.m. PT). The two teams will play a preseason game against each other at Mile High Stadium on Monday night.
