Playbook doesn’t allow for a break
Garoppolo spends hs day off watching film
SANTA CLARA >> How did Jimmy Garoppolo spend the 49ers’ scheduled day off from training camp? By heading to the facility to watch film, of course.
“Oh, yeah. You have to,” the quarterback said. “We’re in camp mode right now.”
Garoppolo and the rest of the team officially returned to practice Sunday, when the quarterback explained why there’s no time to rest. A midseason acquisition a year ago, this training camp marks his first true chance to get immersed in Coach Kyle Shanahan’s system. And it’s not easy to keep up. “He gets on a roll sometimes,” Garoppolo said. “One thing will lead into the next. You start talking about Play A and the next thing you know you’re on Play M and N. It’s just crazy. His mind just works so fast, it’s incredible.”
Tight end George Kittle on Sunday recounted that during the OTAs in spring, Shanahan summoned the quarterbacks and tight ends into a meeting room in order to spent 45 minutes on a single play.
It seems that the route in
question is run differently whether the defense is aligned in man-to-man coverage, a Cover-2, a Cover-3 or a Cover-4. It’s also run differently depending whether the offense is in a two-receiver set or a three-receiver set.
“So we watched one play 100 different times for 45 minutes,” Kittle said. “And then (Shanahan) broke down every single way from your stance, to the release, to how to attack the guy, to whether he’s playing under you, over you, outside of you in every single one of those scenarios.” Other highlights from Sunday’s practice:
• Cornerback Richard Sherman will be out “at least a week” with a hamstring injury, Shanahan said. That means the fourtime Pro Bowl selection will miss the preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday at Levi’s Stadium.
Sherman left practice Friday with what turned out to be a Grade 1 hamstring strain. “We don’t think it should be long term,” Shanahan said.
• Joshua Garnett will also get the week off. In his third practice of training camp, the right guard banged the right knee that required surgery a year ago. “It’s bothering him,” Shanahan said. “He’s gotten some other opinions. We’re going to give him a week, let him continue to get treatment and then reassess.”
• Backup quarterback C.J. Beathard pulled off an incredible comeback Sunday, making it to the 10:15 a.m. practice despite spending Saturday night in Canton, Ohio, where his grandfather was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bobby Beathard was a longtime executive for Washington and San Diego.
Shanahan was under the impression that Beathard would arrive later in the day, but the passer found an early dawn flight.
“He surprised the heck out of me,” Shanahan said. “I was in the middle of calling
a play and he was just staring at me. It’s shocking. I didn’t have time to ask him how he got here.”
• Cornerback K’Waun Williams rolled his left ankle during practice. Shanahan was optimistic about a quick return but had yet to hear if it was a more serious high-ankle sprain.
• Receiver Trent Taylor (back) is still being eased into action after starting camp on the PUP list. His two reps in one-onone drills Sunday marked his first action with a defender in front of him since the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 31. Garoppolo is happy to have him back. “He finds that soft spot in the zone and gives you an easy throw on third down,’’ the QB said.
• Pierre Garcon was a frequent target Sunday and looks like the player who had 40 catches for 500 yards last season before missing half the season with a neck injury.
“I’m not worried too much about Pierre,” Shanahan said. “We know who Pierre is and we know what he brings to the table.”
• The 49ers signed offensive lineman Chris Gonzalez, an undrafted free agent out of San Jose State who was waived by the Vikings on July 28. The 49ers needed practice field depth along the offensiv line without Garnett (knee) and because Alan Knott was absent because of the death of his father.
Gonzalez’s first act was to help hype the crowd, and he did so by leading The Wave — which would no doubt please his fellow San Jose State alum, Krazy George.
• The 49ers’ defensive backs had a good day. Tyvis Powell, a third-year player out of Ohio State, jumped a route in front of Garrett Celek to pick off a Beathard pass. Tavarius Moore and Eli Harold also made interceptions as the result of playing terrific stride-for-stride coverage.
•After practice, members 49ers offensive line met with several charity groups that assist single mothers. The organizations included Heritage Home, House of Grace, Next Door Solutions, Help a Mother Out, Wanda and Oakland Elizabeth House.