placeholder image

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports


49ers’ Trey Lance gets past ‘mental hump’ by studying Patrick Mahomes

May 19, 2023 at 8:49 AM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The San Francisco 49ers, and several other teams, could have had Patrick Mahomes in 2017. Instead, the Niners opted to go in a different direction. Who knows how the franchise's fortunes might have differed had they selected the star quarterback over defensive lineman Solomon Thomas?

Mahomes has gone on the win two Super Bowls, being named the MVP in each game. Four years later, the 49ers traded a haul of draft picks to move up to select Trey Lance, who, since 2021, has started only four NFL games.

Mahomes may now be unknowingly helping the 49ers. Lance has been doing his homework on the All-Pro quarterback with the help of Jeff Christensen, the private quarterbacks coach who worked with him this offseason. Christensen used Mahomes, another of his clients, as an example of how to throw the football.

"I said, 'Watch this. Watch what he does here,'" Christensen said in a conversation with Matt Barrows of The Athletic. "It was something I was telling him to do that he wasn't quite doing. And then he saw Patrick apply it perfectly. And I think that visual buy-in, that mental buy-in, helped him past that mental hump."

Christensen added, "And to his credit, he just kept getting better. (Over) the last seven days, every day was a substantial jump."

Lance entered last season as the 49ers' starting quarterback. However, his 2022 campaign was cut short by an ankle injury in Week 2.

That wasn't his first setback, though. During Lance's rookie year, he broke his right index finger during a preseason game. That affected him through the season and into the following offseason. It changed how he delivered the football, which needed correcting once the finger was healed.

And then there was the drama surrounding Lance's arm fatigue, a hot topic last offseason. Lance reportedly needed time to rest after multiple days of throwing, something that isn't common with most pro-level quarterbacks.

That was also addressed. Christensen helped Lance retool his throwing motion to address the arm soreness that would occur after about three days of intense work, requiring a day off. The efforts have seemingly eliminated the issue. After some intense work this offseason with Christensen in Dallas, involving about 150 passes, Lance, returning to the Bay Area, was sure he would be in pain the next day.

"And I called him in 'Frisco on Saturday at noon," Christensen said. "And he thought for sure his arm would be killing him. And I said, 'OK, how's your arm?' He said, 'I cannot believe I woke up and it was not sore at all.'"

In fact, Lance has experienced "zero" arm fatigue issues since the 49ers started their offseason program in April, says Christensen. That's good news for the quarterback, who is competing with veteran Sam Darnold to start Week 1 if Brock Purdy is not recovered from his March surgery. San Francisco begins organized team activities (OTAs) next week.

Arm soreness isn't the only issue that has been corrected. Christensen told Barrows that he worked with Lance on his throwing motion, accuracy, spin on the ball, and delivery time. All have seen significant improvements.

As for Lance and Mahomes briefly working together this offseason under Christensen's supervision...

"He really fit right in," Christensen said. "Pat really thinks the world of him. He's just a really good person, conscientious. He wants to be great. And he's one of the few kids whose actions match his words. He backs it up. He shows up every day, and he wants to learn. And that's why I teach him."

Head to The Athletic to read about Barrows' entire conversation with Christensen.

Related News





LISTEN

Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

Deebo Samuel trolls Patrick Peterson during 49ers-Steelers: "I thought he had all the tells"

By David Bonilla
Sep 13

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson predicted an interception against San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. "There is some tell signs out there that tells us what plays we're gonna get from those guys in certain situations," Peterson shared before the Week 1 contest. "When I get my pick Sunday, we'll talk about it." Things didn't turn out how he foretold. Not only did the Steelers defense fail to come away with a Purdy-thrown pass, Peterson was beaten for two touchdowns to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. On Tuesday, "Inside the NFL" shared some mic'd up footage from the 49ers-Steelers clash (h/t


placeholder image

Kyle Shanahan provides injury updates on Brandon Aiyuk, others after 49ers beat Rams

By David Bonilla
Sep 17

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters after the team's 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. He provided injury updates from the game. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was in and out of the game due to a left shoulder injury. A reporter asked if the coach was concerned that the injury could be serious. "I wouldn't think so," Shanahan responded. "I mean, I know he was hurting a little bit, but he was able to play through it, so I think I'll be all right." The coach mentioned two other players in his post-game injury report. "[CB Ambry] Thomas, he had a knee," Shanahan said. "He was in and out. After that, [CB Deommodore


placeholder image

Three quick takeaways from 49ers' 30-23 win over Rams

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Sep 17

The San Francisco 49ers are starting off 2-0 after a 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams on the road, where they pulled away in the second half to secure a victory. The two sides were engaged in a feisty battle throughout the first half, entering halftime with a 17-17 tie, but the 49ers delivered a strong second half performance to pull away for a comfortable win. Here are three quick takeaways from San Francisco's 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Kyle Shanahan cooking For the second consecutive game, I've been impressed with Kyle Shanahan's


placeholder image

49ers' Nick Bosa: I needed a couple of games to get back into football shape

By David Bonilla
Sep 17

Nick Bosa hasn't reached an opposing quarterback yet this season after recording an NFL-leading 18.5 sacks last season. Some of that may be the San Francisco defensive end getting warmed up. Bosa missed all of training camp and the preseason while holding out for a new contract. He finally returned to the 49ers after a six-week absence and just days before the team's Week 1 matchup. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year has recorded two tackles and two assists in two games. The 49ers enter a short week. They host the New York Giants at Levi's Stadium on Thursday, the team's home opener. Is the 49ers pass rusher worried about the quick turnaround? "I'm not too concerned about it," Bosa told reporters after the


Featured

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone