San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance has been under a microscope over the last few weeks. Every video of him throwing has been analyzed and dissected, with some concluding that the second-year player's throwing mechanics have not yet improved enough.
"Mainly, quarterbacks work on that stuff away from their coach," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Tuesday. "That's like little, little things. But when they're with us, it's about playing the game. It's about how to get the ball out on time, how to not take a sack, how to move coverages, where to look with your eyes, things like that. But those are things real detailed quarterbacks never stop doing."
Lance isn't too concerned with outside analysis. The quarterback spent his time away from the team between Southern California and Atlanta, working with several quarterback coaches, like John Beck and Quincy Avery.
"I spent most of my time in SoCal this offseason," Lance shared with reporters, "just cleaning stuff up, using my lower half. ... But I know everyone talks about the throwing motion, and your slow-mo videos and all that. It really wasn't as much as you guys think. I know you guys, everyone has their opinion on it, but for me, it's about getting the ball out, accuracy.
"Like I said, it's a lot different working down there, or working away from the building because you're working primarily as a thrower, not necessarily as a quarterback. So there's little things that you change when you get back here, just from a timing standpoint, from an eyes standpoint, little things like that. But it wasn't no major changes for me."
Lance admits that he changed his grip on the football a little bit. The quarterback was dealing with a thumb injury for much of last season, which forced him to compensate during throws. Now, he can focus less on that and get back to being a better quarterback on the field.
"If I'm throwing to a good spot, I'm throwing to a good spot," Lance added. "I know the receivers love to catch it, and I love, obviously, when it comes out great. ... Everyone throws different. I know everyone talks about ... I don't want to get into the details of it too much, but for me, it's not really something that I worry about as long as I'm playing on time."
One 49ers veteran has noticed Lance's growth from year one to two.
"His command," tackle Trent Williams responded when asked if he's noticed anything different about the young quarterback in practice. "He's a lot more comfortable. You can tell he's worked on his mechanics. You can tell by his release. You see his balls. He's taking huge steps in the offseason. I can't wait to see how he looks when the live bullets get flying."
