The San Francisco 49ers concluded their seventh training camp practice on Thursday, with all quarterbacks collectively looking their best thus far on a lighter day where several key players rested.
Of course, much of the eyes are on the quarterbacks, as Brock Purdy is returning to practice, while Trey Lance and Sam Darnold are competing for the top backup spot, but there's much more that goes on than meets the eye.
With that said, what are some of my random observations on Day 7 of training camp?
Play-action heavy
The 49ers have been implementing several different packages on both sides of the ball, running plays out of the pistol, shotgun, and under center, with different quarterbacks seeing more reps than others in certain scenarios.
Working alongside Last Second Sports's Jessie Naylor, we've noticed a slight disparity with Trey Lance, who appears to take more snaps out of the shotgun, while Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold both work under center more, which may be the 49ers' way of utilizing their dual-threat quarterback in a way to their advantage without actually implementing the zone-read and read-option plays.
Perhaps that could set up for an interesting "Lance" package during the season, or just be merely a package they want to test their defense with.
Additionally, Day 7 was a play-action-heavy day, as the quarterbacks were consistently seen rolling to either side, looking for quick hitters to the flats or the shot plays towards the intermediate/deep side of the field, be it crossing patterns or routes sitting in the middle of zones.
I charted at least eight play-action passes on a total of 25 dropbacks, with the potential for even more, which is a fairly high rate, indicating the 49ers really wanted to rep those types of plays Thursday.
Move-the-ball decisions
There were a few decisions that were questionable by the 49ers' quarterbacks that had some thinking behind the thought process for certain throws, specifically throws that ended each player's drive.
Speaking with Last Second Sports's Jessie Naylor and Niners Nation's Jordan Elliott, it was an intriguing way for each player to end their drives, as Purdy aired out a 30-yard deep shot to Deebo Samuel that was left a little short, allowing cornerback Samuel Womack to record a pass breakup on the play, despite it being 1st & 10 at around the opposing 45-yard line.
Instead of looking to continue the drive with a shorter array of passes, Purdy was given one play on first down, as he was pulled off the field following the first play, potentially meaning that he was told by coaches that there weren't many opportunities left in the sequence, consequently changing his thought process to be more aggressive.
Again, with situations like these, it's tough to truly evaluate the level of play, because onlookers aren't privy to the situation, what the coaches are asking for, and all those details.
Darnold faced a similar situation, as he had carried the offense to the redzone, where he faced a 1st & 10 at the 17-yard line. However, Darnold looked immediately for the endzone, pushing the ball in a tight window to Brayden Willis in the back of the endzone on an overthrow, with Dee Winters and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles in coverage. Additionally, I had noticed the 'X' receiver was running a route towards the endzone as well, potentially meaning the play was designed for an endzone push, as the quarterback was taken off the field after first down.
Normally, you'd expect a variety of plays in the redzone to eventually score, but Darnold got just the one opportunity on first down before being taken off the field.
Lance's case was interesting, as it was clear the 49ers were looking to end practice after his set of plays, immediately buzzing the horn after Lance had a throwaway to avoid a sack on a three-and-out, potentially sending the message that he didn't have as many plays to push the ball downfield, causing him to be more aggressive and seek out the deeper shots, which led to an interception on his first throw on a bad decision.
Again, much of this is speculation, but it begs into question what exactly the coaches are asking for and what situation the quarterbacks are told about, which can change their mentality for that given drive, while reporters won't be privy to that information. Just another random observation of mine.