Day 2 of the San Francisco 49ers training camp is officially over, as head coach Kyle Shanahan conducted a more intense, scrimmage-filled practice after a lighter Day 1 on Wednesday.
Both the offense and the defense had their moments on Day 2, although the quarterbacks struggled, which allowed the defense to dominate more.
After Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead sat out team drills on Wednesday, both of them were present on Thursday and at the forefront of the 49ers' defense. Hargrave earned a sack on a play where Drake Jackson also recorded a pressure, and was a constant force during his reps today.
It was tough to run against the defensive line up the middle today, as the lanes were clogged up there, although it's important to note that there still were no pads on.
Jackson made the standouts list today, as he held his ground against Trent Williams in his second day as the top defensive end, as Nick Bosa remains away from the team. In addition, defensive ends Austin Bryant, who had a sack Wednesday, and Kerry Hyder, both were disruptive at times on Thursday.
The 49ers envision Armstead as a pure defensive tackle, which means that the team may add another edge as opposed to a defensive tackle on the 53-man roster. There are a few early risers in that division.
Linebackers
The linebackers were all over the field today, as Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw both practiced in full, with Oren Burks working as the third linebacker with the first-team defense.
Burks had a nice tackle for loss, bursting in to break up a Tyrion Davis-Price run, while the second-team linebackers made a few plays.
Marcelino McCrary-Ball forced a drop by Davis-Price in the flat while charging in, and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles tipped a near interception off Trey Lance in the intermediate portion of the field. Curtis Robinson, the third linebacker on the second-team defense, also was active, stopping Jordan Mason on a pitch outside for no gain.
Additionally, rookie Jalen Graham was involved in one of the sacks in the day, going untouched on a blitz for a pressure.
Cornerbacks
Cornerback play has continued to look solid for the 49ers through two practices, as the top options, Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, both have respectably held up in coverage, while the backups have made a few plays of their own.
Lenoir was in coverage against Brandon Aiyuk on Brock Purdy's pick-six to Tashaun Gipson early, placing himself in good position to likely intercept the pass had the safety not been there.
Ambry Thomas even rebounded, recording a pass-breakup after getting beaten by Danny Gray on an incomplete deep ball yesterday in a solid day for the corners.
In rotation news, Isaiah Oliver has taken all the first-team snaps at nickelback.
Safeties
Tashaun Gipson practiced in full today, and recorded a pick-six, reading Brock Purdy's eyes and being in a good position to make a play. In addition, Gipson was also seen in the run game and on blitzes, which likely increases with Steve Wilks under the helm.
Ji'Ayir Brown continues to work on the second-team defense with George Odum, while Talanoa Hufagna is the top option to work with Hufanga.
In some on-the-field news, Hufanga beat out Brown as the first player to begin practicing prior to the start of camp, although the rookie safety was a good second place.
While they haven't been seen yet, three-safety sets could be a factor for the 49ers sooner than later in training camp, which could give the first shot of Brown playing with the first-team defense.
Resurgent pass rush, Charvarius Ward lead 49ers defense to dominant showing vs. Seahawks
By Kirk Larrabee
Nov 23
After going through a dry spell in late October, it's safe to say the San Francisco 49ers have righted the ship on defense.
The 49ers went through a brief slump of sorts on defense towards the end of October when they gave up big passing performances to quarterbacks Kirk Cousins (378 yards, two touchdowns) in a Week 7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and Joe Burrow (283 yards, two touchdowns) in a Week 8 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Then, after a bye week in early November, the defense surged to give up just two touchdowns over a three-game span that has seen the 49ers notch one-sided victories over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks.
The latest win came on Thanksgiving night, when the 49ers held the Seahawks to zero first quarter
It wasn't that long ago that everyone was trying to figure out what was wrong with the San Francisco 49ers' defense. Desperately searching for answers, the team even seemed willing to yield to media pressure, relocating defensive coordinator Steve Wilks from the coaching box to the sidelines during games following its bye week.
After struggling through three consecutive losses, the 49ers have won three straight since the adjustment. The defense is playing lights-out football, conceding only 30 total points over the last three games, a notable improvement from the 72 points allowed during its three-game skid.
As of Sunday morning, San Francisco's defense stands as the league's stingiest, permitting a mere 15.5 points per game. This marks a remarkable turnaround
What Kyle Shanahan said the day after 49ers' Week 11 win vs. Buccaneers
By Site Staff
Nov 20
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters via a conference call on Monday, the day after the team's 27-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here is everything he had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Opening comments:
"All right guys, the guys from last night, got confirmed with [S Talanoa] Huff [Hufanga] this morning. He does have a torn ACL. They don't think there was any meniscus or anything, so it was as clean as it could be for just being ACL. [CB] Shemar Jean-Charles still has a shoulder. He will be day-to-day this week. All other injuries, if there are any, will come out later today. It's still a little bit early for us. So, go
49ers Notebook: Nine years later, 49ers get Thanksgiving revenge over Seahawks; Shanahan, Purdy discuss key throws vs. Seahawks; What happened to Christian McCaffrey's helmet?
By Kirk Larrabee
Nov 24
It took nine years, but the San Francisco 49ers finally got some payback on Thursday night for the Seattle Seahawks feasting on turkey after a win at Levi's Stadium in 2014.
The Seahawks' 19-3 win over the 49ers on Thanksgiving in 2014 was the last time either team played on Thanksgiving before Thursday night, and after that game then-Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and cornerback Richard Sherman dug into the postgame turkey at the 50-yard line of Levi's Stadium at a time when the rivalry between the two teams was at a peak. The 49ers flipped the script on Thursday, notching a 31-13 win over the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle that was followed by a slew of 49ers getting their fill of Thanksgiving turkey, courtesy of NBC.
"That was a moment I'll remember
