The 49ers and Chargers went through the first of two scheduled joint practices earlier today, and as is usually the case, both teams were happy to be practicing against someone different after facing their teammates for the past few weeks.
The practice seemingly went well for both teams, with some clean but spirited competition along the way. First-year Chargers head coach Brandon Staley tipped his cap to the 49ers after the practice session, saying the competition matched what they can expect to see on gamedays.
"This felt like a pro atmosphere today," Staley told reporters after practice. "That's a really good team over there. There's a lot of good players, a lot of good coaches. I felt like this is a perfect environment for us. I'm thankful to the Niners, to John and Kyle [general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan]. I felt like there was a lot of good competition out there today.
"I thought in all three phases of the game the operation was clean. I felt there was a lot of respect... in some of these competitive settings you want to make sure that everybody respects each other, respects the game, and I thought that was on display too. So I'm proud of that and felt like it was an even match today, and that's what we're after."
Two matchups in particular stand out between these two teams, the first one being a reunion between two friends in Chargers Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen and 49ers cornerback Jason Verrett. Allen and Verrett have carried on a friendship since Verrett's days with the Chargers earlier in his career and continue to workout together in the offseason.
"We work out like four days a week in the weight room," Allen said. "On a good week we might get out on the field two days a week -- usually just once a week on the field. We do some releases, one-on-ones. So we pretty much know our technique. We do it a lot."
Here's a good look at the two of them in action, with Allen getting the better of Verrett on this play.
The best route-runner in the entire world: Keenan Allenpic.twitter.com/Z344Kt96kz
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) August 19, 2021
Like Verrett, Allen has had his share of injury issues during his career, losing a portion of the 2015 season to a kidney injury and most of the 2016 season to a torn ACL. He showed some appreciation for Verrett's ability to regain his old form last season after injuries limited him to just six games from 2016 to 2019.
"Adversity is tough. Injuries are tough," Allen said. "Just be able to battle back, come back to normal, come back to play at a high level like he did is solid."
The second matchup of note was Chargers safety Derwin James against 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle. James, who missed the 2020 season due to a torn meniscus, quickly embraced the matchup with Kittle, wanting to prove himself against one of the league's premier tight ends.
"I was the first one over there," James said. "I was like, 'Hey Kittle, the people want to see me and you go, so we've got to give them what they want.' It was good going against them. He's the best and I feel like I'm the best, so why not go against him?"
James also had a quick but positive comment about 49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance.
"I like Trey Lance. He's going to be a great quarterback in this league," James said.
The comments from Allen and James are indicative of the level of respect for the 49ers that Staley said was present between the two teams. Staley shares the same respect for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
"Part of what makes the NFL special is the respect that you have for other people," Staley said. "I think although we don't know each other, we have a lot of respect for one another. That's why a lot of respect for John Lynch and the way they do things over there. This is a good environment for us where we can really measure ourselves against a quality team."
The 49ers and Chargers have one more joint practice scheduled for Friday (9 a.m. PT) before facing off in a preseason game on Sunday (4:30 p.m. PT).
