He's just 22 years old. He's only started two NFL games. He's only thrown 71 pass attempts in the league. His only full season as a starter came at the college level in 2019.
There are a lot of excuses available to Trey Lance should the San Francisco 49ers quarterback struggle in his first season as a full-time NFL starter. Lance refuses to use any of them, though. Instead, he plans to attack the 2022 season with complete dedication and won't use his inexperience as a crutch.
San Francisco opens its regular season on Sunday against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Lance will be lined up under center when the offense takes the field. The team's former starter, Jimmy Garoppolo, will be on the sideline, serving as Lance's backup.
The starting quarterback is determined to play well and do what he can to ensure the 49ers come away with a win. And you probably won't hear any of the above excuses come out of his mouth if that doesn't happen.
"I'm holding myself to the highest standard that I possibly can," Lance told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area this week. "I'm not using my inexperience or age or anything like that as an excuse. It doesn't matter when it is, practice rep, game rep, end of the season, beginning of the season. For me, it's coming in every day, continuing to get better, learn as much as I possibly can, and winning games."
Lance hopes to follow in the footsteps of the great 49ers quarterbacks who came before him. Names like Joe Montana and Steve Young. The Hall of Fame talent doesn't stop there. The 49ers are represented at nearly every position.
Maiocco asked Lance if it had sunk in yet that he is the starting quarterback for such a storied franchise.
"I don't know. That's a great question," the often humble Lance responded. "It is incredible, and I know I'm super blessed to be part of this organization. I've said it countless times, but I try not to get too worried about that or caught up in that. What matters is today, so I'm going to take it one day at a time and continue to get better."