Trey Lance is a rookie. He is bound to make mistakes in his first NFL training camp. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback reportedly made what is described as some questionable throws during practice on Friday. They probably won't be his last.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't sound too concerned about the practice miscues. There is no rush to prepare Lance to get onto the football field for a game. The 49ers have a veteran starter in Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance can make those types of mistakes because he has time to learn from them as his NFL education pushes forward.
Plus, Lance has ended up being his own biggest critic and is self-motivated to perfect his play.
"You don't have to get on him too much," Shanahan told reporters after Friday's practice. "When he doesn't have a good throw, he knows it as much as anyone. I just like that he keeps firing it. I mean, some are going to be good, some are going to be bad, but the more you get reps, the more you get your feet under you and know where you're going, the more consistent that will be."
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Shanahan was impressed with the work that Lance put in during the break between OTAs and training camp. He's even more impressed with the progress the 21-year-old has shown during the 49ers' three practices this week.
"The 40 days Trey was away, the work he put in when we're not there, that's pretty cool because you know how you ended OTAs," Shanahan said. "[The players] get away, and you're not sure how they're going to be when they come back. He's been better coming back, and now it's our job to help him get better throughout training camp."
It helps to have a mentor in Garoppolo, who has vowed to do whatever he can to help Lance learn. The rookie is Garoppolo's eventual successor, but there is no awkwardness between the two. On the contrary, Lance and Garoppolo have forged a great relationship with each other.
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"Those guys get along great," Shanahan said. "When they say that there's no awkwardness, they mean that, and I think the best thing that a starting quarterback can do for a rookie isn't just sitting there and being in his ear all day. It's just to do things the right way, and they get to watch you.
"And that's why I've been real impressed with Jimmy because of how prepared he came into OTAs, how prepared he came into training camp, and that's allowed him to look on things and do stuff the right way from day one. And that's the best thing he can do for Trey.
"The worst thing would be a guy who's had success in this league, and a rookie is watching that guy, and he's not on his stuff. You don't want a guy to think you can be successful in this league without working."