San Francisco 49ers safety Jimmie Ward has gone against several rookie quarterbacks over his career, and he's done it from several positions on defense. He knows the difference between going against a rookie and a seasoned veteran.
Coaches tend to keep things simple for younger players trying to transition to the pro level. That means a lot of plays are designed to get the football out of their hands quickly. Often, the game plan also involves playing it safe.
"I don't know too many [young] quarterbacks that will go for a deep ball on third-and-one and third-and-two," Ward said Wednesday on 95.7 The Game's Damon, Ratto & Kolsky show. "Most likely, they're going to play it safe and try to run some kind of quick-game route to get the first."
Ward added that some rookie quarterbacks only look for their first and second reads before throwing the football or panicking.
What about the 49ers' rookie quarterback? What does Ward see from Trey Lance that makes the veteran defender believe that the young passer was worthy of the No. 3 overall pick?
"Just his ability to make a play and just trust himself," Ward shared. "One thing about him that I notice is he throws a lot of deep balls. I don't really see too many rookie quarterbacks — or any quarterbacks that's new on a team — that actually tries to throw deep. Normally, it's just the safe route. It's checkdown, checkdown, checkdown.
"But with Trey, it's not. He trusts his arm, and he trusts his players, I guess. Shout out to him because they've been training all summer together, once he knew he was a Forty-Niner, and they built that trust."
Ward was also asked about Lance's flaws. What does he see from the young player that reminds him that Lance is still an inexperienced quarterback with a lot to learn?
"I don't want to say too much [about that]," Ward said while laughing.
That makes sense. Lance could start his first NFL game this weekend, a Week 5 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. It's probably best not to reveal too many secrets. You never know who might be listening.
"I don't want to give away too much," Ward added. "They've got to figure that out."
You can listen to the entire discussion with Ward below.