Fans were probably a little nervous hearing that the San Francisco 49ers' franchise quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, was out there catching passes on trick plays (okay, it was just one play) during practice on Friday.
Team CEO Jed York felt the same way.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Saturday joined "Inside Training Camp Live" on NFL Network and shared an exchange he had with York.
"That was the only play where after practice, Jed, our owner, said to me, 'I really like that play that you had Jimmy cut back into the defense and get hit,'" Shanahan shared.
Of course, York was being sarcastic.
"Probably taking that [play] out," Shanahan continued. "I speak sarcasm well. I understood what he was saying, and you probably won't see that one again."
And no, Garoppolo was not actually hit on the play. The defenders closed in but stopped short of contact with the quarterback. He is, after all, off-limits.
Shanahan said that his quarterbacks better be able to catch a football when they are wide open. After all, his six-year-old daughter can do it.
"We were messing around, doing a little bit of a trick play," Shanahan said.
Shanahan feels good about where his quarterback is right now.
"I think the exciting thing is the difference between now and OTAs," he added. "During OTAs, he was allowed to do 7-on-7 for all the practices. No one was coming at his legs or anything. He wasn't running around. It takes time to get your timing back, even when you're healthy and stuff. I think it can be easier for a quarterback than a receiver, a running back, or something like that. But when you're out for that long, it takes a while to get your rhythm.
"The difference between now and OTAs is night and day. I think he's getting that rust off, and it helps having a rush in there because you don't have much of a choice. You've got to react and move around. We'll get him some time in some of these preseason games, and expect him to be ready for Week 1."
