Maybe we shouldn't expect drastic differences between the plays being called for San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance. Yes, each player has his own unique skill set, and Garoppolo likely has a better grasp of the offense. However, Lance is seen as more athletic and a bigger threat with his legs.
Don't undervalue Garoppolo in that department, though. The veteran quarterback did have a rushing touchdown this past weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders. Although, maybe going head-first into the end zone wasn't the best idea for a quarterback who has had trouble staying on the field during his time in the NFL.
For offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill, nothing changes when Lance comes in for Garoppolo. What each quarterback can do may be different, but the blocking assignments remain the same.
"In your mind, you might think something's up [when Lance enters the game]," Brunskill told reporters after today's practice. "But at the same time, we can run our offense through both of them. Jimmy's run Trey's plays before. Trey, he can run our normal offense. They're just plays. We can run [them when] anybody's in, anybody at any time. It's not too much [of a difference]."
Defenses, on the other hand, may have to change what they do. That was the case with the Raiders, who seemed victimized by 49ers repeatedly substituted Garoppolo and Lance for each other. Each quarterback ended up scoring rushing touchdowns against Las Vegas.
"It just changes the game. And I think it's more for defenses," Brunskill continued. "They've got to look at it as this guy is coming in. They have to change their mindset for us. We're going to run our normal offense. Those plays are in our offense, so you're ready for whatever play is called."
Does Brunskill need to know which quarterback is under center to do his job properly? Are there differences in how things are run depending on if it is Garoppolo or Lance back there?
"No," he responded. "It doesn't change much. You might think when Trey comes in, something's up, but at the same time, Trey can run our normal offense. It really doesn't change anything for us."
However, there is one thing that Lance still needs to work on—his cadence.
"They're definitely different people," Brunskill said. "Jimmy's cadence is more pronounced. He's been in the league a long time, so he's got that real deep voice. He's very loud and straightforward. His cadence, you know it.
"Trey is still working on it. His cadence is a little bit off or different. But we're definitely getting it down. For how much that kid has had on his plate and what he's doing out there, he's doing a great job. He's just going to continue to improve it every time, and as he gets going, it's going to be normal for him."