Did Shanahan notice that his young quarterback is more comfortable in Year 2?
"We've seen it since OTAs just going against our defense every day," Shanahan told reporters during a brief press conference on Friday. "I think he's got a real good feel for that, a real good feel for our offense. He stepped in this week and had a hell of a week of practice."
What made it a "hell of a week" of practice?
"Just going to the right people, staying in a good rhythm," Shanahan responded. "You know, going through his progressions, making the right reads. You can always see after a play, based on the play calling, the coverages that you're going against, where the ball should go and how many times they get it there. He's been very consistent with that."
The 49ers will be on the road this weekend, but it may not necessarily be a hostile environment. The Southern California media has joked that the Los Angeles Chargers are at a significant disadvantage this season because they are being forced to play 16 road games.
In reality, the Chargers, like all NFL teams, have only eight regular-season road games scheduled. Of course, the StubHub Center in Carson, which is where they play their home games, typically has an overwhelming number of fans of the visiting team. It has created an uncomfortable situation for the home-team Chargers and been a bit of an advantage for opponents.
The StubHub Center is also small by NFL standards. It is a soccer stadium and only seats about 27,000. By comparison, you can squeeze almost 69,000 into Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. Because it is a smaller stadium, noise can still be an issue if the Chargers fans do manage to outnumber the 49ers fans. What does Shanahan expect on Sunday?
"Actually, I'm very curious about it," Shanahan said. "I don't think I've played in a situation like this. Hopefully, it won't be as loud as it was last week (at Arrowhead Stadium) in Kansas City. If it is, we'll have to deal with it."
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers vs. Eagles: Trent Williams 'definitely more confident' about playing in Wild Card game
San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams is among seven players listed as questionable for Sunday's NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The veteran offensive lineman has been working his way back from a hamstring injury suffered in Week 17, which... -
49ers practice and media schedule ahead of Divisional Round playoff matchup vs. Seahawks
The San Francisco 49ers will allow reporters to watch a portion of two practices this week as they prepare for their Divisional Round playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Head coach Kyle Shanahan, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak,... -
49ers practice and media schedule ahead of Wild Card playoff matchup vs. Eagles
The San Francisco 49ers will hold three full practices this week as they prepare for their Wild Card playoff matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Head coach Kyle Shanahan, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, and quarterback Brock Purdy... -
49ers vs. Eagles: Trent Williams and Ricky Pearsall won't practice Wednesday
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy sounded confident this week that left tackle Trent Williams would return for the team's Wild Card playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed more caution, stopping short of...