Two Niners greats in camp for a visit — and a route or two.
How it’s done: Rice, Young return to 49ers headquarters in an attempt to inspire and restore a winning culture reminiscent of former glory days
SANTA CLARA >> Jerry Rice and Steve Young returned to 49ers headquarters Monday to inspire the rebuilding franchise with stories of a long-lost winning culture. Then Rice stuck around to demonstrate it on the practice field.
Rice, 54, ran routes in warmup drills, offered tips to young receivers and danced to the blaring music in his red and gold cleats, with two wristbands covering each forearm on the NFL’s most prolific receiver ever.
That sets up the top three things we saw at training camp Monday:
1. INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKERS >> The 49ers new regime of coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have emphasized from Day 1 how they want to embrace the 49ers’ storied past, and Monday was the best example yet.
“The idea John (Lynch, general manager) said was, ‘We want to embrace our history,’ but he want to hear about it and get a sense of things that were unique and different,” Young said of he and Rice’s morning address in the team meeting.
So, as an example of the 49ers’ dynastydays culture, Young recalled his first impression upon getting traded to the 49ers. “On the first day, Ronnie Lott grabbed my shoulder pads and said, ‘I’ve got your back,’ ” Young recalled. “That’s the star of the team telling you he’s there to support you and how the culture is.”
Young, 55, wore slacks and a collared shirt and had no desire to show off his current fitness like Rice, his fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Rice took selfies with dozens of fans before joining the 49ers wide receiver corps and sharing tips with some, includ-
ing Marquise Goodwin and Kendrick Bourne.
“It’s definitely inspiring and tells you how hard you can push your body,” Bourne said. “He still looked pretty good for being that old.”
Rookie running back Matt Breida was born 30 days after Young and Rice led the 49ers to their last Super Bowl win, Jan. 29, 1994. But Breida still recalls admiring the duo.
“I was a little kid but I watched them as I grew up and I aspired to be those guys,” Breida said.
Arik Armstead’s takeway from the Young-Rice re-emergence: “The biggest thing is wanting to create a winning culture, have accountability and have each other’s back.”
2. ERIC REID’S LEADERSHIP
>> Each practice, Eric Reid shows why he is so highly regarded as a player and leader. Take Monday as a great example.
After another solid practice we’ll detail in a bit, Reid caught reporters up on Colin Kaepernick’s plight as well as their continuing effort to bring racial equality to this country. Reid spoke with the outcast quarterback Sunday and reaffirmed Kaepernick’s “obvious” desire to resume his NFL career, one that no team is willing to accommodate.
Reid also talked at length how it’s “becoming more apparent” how troubled society is becoming regarding race relations, especially after Saturday’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Now, to Reid’s practice impact. One, he’s said his new role at strong safety is ideal, and he looked fantastic in coverage on a couple plays. Second, Reid’s leadership is exemplary, such as when he went to stand by fallen teammate Aaron Lynch while trainers examined Lynch’s ankle injury, the severity of which is unknown.
3. ROOKIES, ROOKIES, ROOKIES >> The theme of this training camp is how well the rookies are progressing, and aside from the obvious kudos to top picks Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster, Monday we heard and saw more about three less-heralded rookies: Breida and defensive backs Adrian Colbert and Lorenzo Jerome.
Breida, who let it be known his name is pronounced “Bree-tah,” interestingly noted that he loves running up the middle more so than outside, contrary to what you’d expect out of his 5-foot-11 frame. “A lot of my longer runs came up the middle,” Breida said of his Georgia Southern days.
Colbert had two interceptions as he transitions from cornerback to free safety, a move made out of necessity because of injured safeties. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said: “I feel he’s got a chance as a free safety to be pretty good.”
Jerome has been pretty darn good himself as he continues to line up as the first-string free safety. He had an interception Monday when C.J. Beathard sailed a pass toward DeAndre Smelter.
More kudos to Jerome came from cornerback Rashard Robinson when asked if he’s concerned about Ward missing all of camp to this point because of a hamstring injury. “I don’t worry about that. Jimmie’s a ballhawk,” Robinson said. “Lorenzo has been playing good ball and looked comfortable. He’s making good plays and communicating.”
The 49ers have lost one rookie safety to injury, waiving injured Chanceller James, who sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament Friday night. He will revert to injured reserve if he goes unclaimed.