"I think this last month with Trey has been his best consecutive four weeks of practice since we've had him," Shanahan said this week. "He's had a number of good days, and he's had some bad days like most guys do. But as far as his consistency and stuff, I feel this last month has been his best."
Lance is the team's quarterback of the future. The transition date from Jimmy Garoppolo to Lance might have been moved up due to the former dealing with a thumb injury.
Star linebacker Fred Warner recently revealed that Lance's progress has been noticeable and that the rookie quarterback has been "dicing us up" on the practice field. Maybe Warner played a part in that improvement.
The All-Pro linebacker sat down with team reporter Keiana Martin, who asked Warner if he's noticed Lance's improvement on the practice field.
"Yeah, absolutely," Warner responded.
But there was one piece of advice that may have helped accelerate Lance's growth.
"I'll say there was a time when he maybe wanted to not make mistakes out there against us," Warner explained to Martin. "He would hold onto the football, and he just likes to run and stuff. So I had to kind of pull him to the side and be like, 'Hey, Trey, listen. This is your time to make mistakes and to try to fit balls into tight areas, kind of just make it hard for yourself, go out there and just see what you can do. Because out here [on the practice field], it doesn't matter. You're not trying to win a game. You're trying to get better as a player.'"
Warner believes that's when things turned around for the 21-year-old.
"I think the moment that kind of clicked for him is when we started seeing him just diming different balls in different places, things that he probably didn't even know he was capable of," Warner continued. "That's where I really started to see the growth in his game."
Lance's last in-game throw came on October 10 against the Arizona Cardinals. It was his only career start. His second might arrive on Sunday. Warner, like his teammates, has a lot of confidence in the rookie and knows he could turn out to be a special player.
"He has continued to get better and better as we all anticipated," Warner added. "It's just a confidence thing. He's always had the talent, and he's only going to continue to get better with more reps."
Related News
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
Rapoport shares concerning update on 49ers LB Fred Warner's potential return
The San Francisco 49ers ruled out linebacker Fred Warner for Saturday night's playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, a move that came as little surprise. While the team opened the All-Pro's practice window this week, Warner is still working his way back just three months... -
Fred Warner reacts to 49ers potentially losing Robert Saleh: 'It would suck a lot'
Fred Warner was thrilled last year when Robert Saleh returned to the San Francisco 49ers as defensive coordinator, reuniting the All-Pro linebacker with his first—and safe to assume, favorite—defensive coach in the NFL. Unfortunately, Warner appeared in just six games... -
Fred Warner reflects on 49ers loss to Seahawks and missed opportunity
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner will now have additional time to fully recover from the dislocated and fractured right ankle he suffered just three months ago. There had been optimism that Warner could return as soon as next week if the 49ers advanced to the NFC... -
Kyle Shanahan reveals postgame message to 49ers after playoff loss to Seahawks
What do you tell a team after a blowout playoff loss to a division rival? San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan faced that question following his team's humbling Divisional Round defeat against the Seattle Seahawks. Plagued by injuries throughout the season, the 49ers...