Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco 49ers starting offense has gone three-and-out in each of their opening drives through two preseason games. Against the Houston Texans, the drive to open the game featured two incomplete passes by
Blaine Gabbert and a
Carlos Hyde run for one yard.
Against the Denver Broncos, the 49ers won the coin toss and opted to start on defense. The Broncos offense took the field and marched 86 yards in 10 plays to score a touchdown on the opening drive. How did the 49ers respond? The result was a run for a loss and one completion in two pass attempts for four yards as the team went three-and-out again.
The 49ers would end up with 400 or more total yards of offense in each of the two games, so things obviously ended up fine in the end. Are these slow starts something that the 49ers are concerned with?
"Well, that's something we've addressed," said offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins on Tuesday. "I would say it was probably more an execution deal. We had a couple breakdowns to start off the game. The good thing is that we were able to address that and we were able to fix it and the guys came out and responded. We'll continue to work on that and we'll continue to stress it, but I thought they responded to that pretty good."
Modkins was asked to assess Gabbert through two games. "Blaine's done a good job," said Modkins. "I was pleased with what he did. I like to see how he started and he responded. He got the team moving. So, I think Blaine's done a good job. He's been accurate with the ball. All our quarterbacks have, and I think Blaine's been good."
Gabbert has gone 10 of 19 for 132 yards and a touchdown during his two preseason starts. That's a passer rating of 92.4. The important statistic is that he has been careful with the ball and not been responsible for a turnover. However, during opening drives, Gabbert has been just 1 of 4 passing for four yards.
The 49ers hope to get their first look at
Colin Kaepernick on Friday against the Green Bay Packers, a team that he has had a lot of success against in the past. If he starts, it will be interesting to see if he can get the 49ers offense off to a faster start than Gabbert has.
The 49ers' second drive against the Texans ended with a Hyde fumble, turnover, and return for a touchdown. Fumbling has been an issue for the offense through two preseason games. 49ers running backs have been responsible for four fumbles during preseason, which all resulted in turnovers.
"Obviously, that's got to improve," said Modkins. "You can't win many games in this league turning the ball over three times. But, coach Rathman, I think he's been coaching 19 years or so, his backs are number one as far as turning the ball over, fewest amount. So, he knows what he's doing. We've just got to continue to emphasize it, not only with that position, but all our players."
Peter King of NBC Sports was the first to report that San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch would be in attendance for the second pro days of both Justin Fields of Ohio State and Trey Lance of North Dakota State.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media confirmed that report this morning.
#OSU QB Justin Fields has his second Pro Day on Wednesday and
Justin Fields of Ohio State will hold a second pro day workout on Wednesday. Five days later, Trey Lance of North Dakota State will take part in his second. Both are trying to ensure that they are selected ahead of Mac Jones of Alabama.
Trevor Lawrence of Clemson is expected to be drafted No. 1 overall. The New York Jets are expected to select Zach Wilson of BYU at No. 2. Assuming San Francisco targets a quarterback, that leaves Jones, Fields, and Lance as San Francisco's choices at No. 3.
Jones is the overwhelming favorite to be the pick if you ask members of the national media. Fans would much prefer the more athletic and higher ceilinged prospects in Fields or Lance.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch chose to attend Jones'
Dan Patrick shared some insight into what the San Francisco 49ers are planning to do with the No. 3 overall pick after trading some hefty draft capital last week to move into that spot. Many analysts are projecting Alabama quarterback Mac Jones to be the pick, but others feel he could have been had with a later selection.
Would Jones have made it all the way down to No. 12, the 49ers' original spot? Maybe not. But selecting him at No. 3 is viewed by many as a massive reach.
With Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Zach Wilson of BYU expected to be off the board by the 49ers' selection, both Justin Fields of Ohio State and Trey Lance of North Dakota State are widely seen as passers with higher ceilings compared to Jones. So, what is Patrick hearing?
"Yeah,
It's been a while since we've had a report of disparity between general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. We were probably overdue. Michael Lombardi of The Athletic is the latest to claim the two San Francisco 49ers decision-makers can't agree. This time, the difference of opinions surrounds what to do with the No. 3 overall pick. More specifically, it has to do with which quarterback to select—since we all know that is the plan.
"Someone told me yesterday—not an NFL head coach—but someone told me that there is a conversation in the building that Kyle wants X and maybe Lynch wants Y," Lombardi said during an interview on SiriusXM's The Rap with Patrick Meagher. "Look, I'm going to be very clear here—Kyle is going to make this pick. ...
