Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday after the 49ers’ first training camp practice said something really important that we should all keep in mind during the early portion of camp.
Shanahan was asked about the 49ers’ defensive ends and how the players are performing in expanded roles with Nick Bosa holding out for a new contract. Here’s the last part of what he said, emphasis mine:
“So they all did a good job improving and stuff and getting in shape and OTAs, and now we’ll see where they’re at out here over the next few days. Nothing really counts ’til we get the pads on and start doing a little more football.”
The first five days of camp are a mandatory acclimation period where players aren’t allowed to wear pads or make contact. That makes any sort of in-depth analysis extremely difficult, and Shanahan’s words should be heeded as we pore over various training camp videos and reports.
Reacting is fun and we’ve been so starved for actual football that even a nice play in a one-on-one drill feels monumental. There are no conclusions to draw though, and it’s hard to imagine on a sliding scale where players’ stocks are rising and falling that there’s a ton of movement in this first handful of practices.
There are certainly trends developing during this time period, and these practices do mark the first stirring of the proverbial pot that will ultimately hold the team’s roster. Keeping an eye on things to make note of once the “real” sessions begin is probably the correct thing to do.
But when the pads come on the speed and intensity of practices gets ramped up. That’s when assessments and evaluations can really start, especially when the team practices against the Raiders for two days leading up to their preseason opener.
For now though it’s just a padless practice. Minds shouldn’t change and opinions shouldn’t be further entrenched based on what we see in these first few days. Save that for when the situations are more realistic, because “nothing really counts ’til we get the pads on and start doing a little more football.”