There has been a significant difference in reporting about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance between the national and local media. The national side pushes a narrative of doubt among the 49ers' ranks—even inside the locker room—when it comes to the second-year player.
A recent example is former NFL linebacker turned FOX Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho, who shared this week why he lacks confidence in Lance.
"Trey Lance, from everything I've heard from people within the locker room, people outside the locker room, he just ain't it," Acho said on his show, Speak For Yourself. "... There's a reason they call him 'One-play Trey,' and there's a reason he only started [two games] last year ... because he's just not like that."
Local reporters, the people who watch Lance play and practice more regularly, have been less critical. There has been no talk of doubt because that isn't what coaches, executives, and players are saying. They are saying the opposite, in fact.
"He's always been humble, always been a hard worker, eager to learn, eager to continue to grow, and that's what you need," linebacker Fred Warner said this week. "That's the foundation to be able to set yourself up for success. ... I think he's got a really, really bright future. He has everything you'd want in a franchise quarterback."
So why is the national media's stance on Lance continually negative? One national reporter, Albert Breer of The MMQB, weighed in on that question during his weekly mailbag column.
"I think the variance in opinion on Trey Lance is based much on the unknown—It's really hard to project a guy who didn't play, or throw, that much on the college level, and whose playing time as a rookie was scarce," wrote Breer.
The respected national reporter then compared Lance's experience to the quarterback selected two spots ahead of him, Trevor Lawrence. Since high school, the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback has started 53 games and thrown 1,740 passes, including his rookie NFL campaign. On the other hand, Lance has started just 17 games and thrown 389 passes during the same timeframe.
"That is a massive gap (more than three times as many starts, and four times as many throws), without even considering that Lawrence's starts came in the ACC and NFL, and all of Lance's came in the Missouri Valley Conference," Breer explained. "Or that Lance, even when he was starting (and starring) for NDSU through a national championship season in 2019 was averaging just 18 attempts a game, as the Bison ran over and blew out opponents."
That's a big difference in experience, and the 49ers knew that when they targeted Lance in the draft. The team was in a unique situation, though. San Francisco was more talented than the injury-plagued six-win campaign it was coming off indicated. Lance was seen as a prospect with a high ceiling which needed time to develop, and the talented 49ers could afford to give him that time.
"The good news is Lance has a great head on his shoulders, is smart as a whip, has freakish athletic gifts, and will work his tail off to get where he needs to go," Breer added. "But he also came into the league raw, wasn't the most natural thrower to begin with, and had significant ups and downs as a rookie.
"I think the best bet here is that Kyle Shanahan will have to adjust his offense some to make it work for Lance in 2021, and that Shanahan will be able to showcase the best of what Lance is at this stage as he grows in other areas."