SANTA CLARA — Trey Lance’s ascension to the 49ers’ beginning quarterback position didn't include the added title of captain.
As a substitute, captainships had been bestowed by teammates upon George Kittle, Trent Williams, Arik Armstead, Fred Warner, Jimmie Ward, and, for the primary time, Nick Bosa.
“Clearly that’s a purpose of mine, however you possibly can’t have a look at any six of these guys and say, ‘That man’s a bozo,’ ” Lance stated. “As a result of all these guys have performed soccer at a really, very excessive stage.
“I voted for each single a kind of guys, so each one deserves it,” Lance added. “It’s positively a purpose of mine shifting ahead. However these guys have all proved it and that’s what this league is all about.”
Kittle’s well being is extra of a priority than any kudos for turning into a five-time captain. He sustained a groin harm in Monday’s observe that stored him out of Wednesday’s session; he’s listed as day-to-day forward of Sunday’s season opener on the Chicago Bears.
Of the 25 groups which have introduced their captains, the one different ones to not embody their quarterback are the Seattle Seahawks and the Cleveland Browns. But to call theirs are the Chiefs, Raiders, Cowboys, Packers, Falcons, Panthers and Ravens, the latter of whom are assigning weekly captains.
“When you look into it that a lot, he was seventh within the voting and I didn’t wish to have seven,” Shanahan stated. “Deebo (Samuel) was eighth.”
Lance’s response upon listening to from reporters about that near-miss, seventh-place vote: “Thanks, I suppose.”
The New York Giants named 10 captains, whereas 9 made the Buffalo Payments’ nods, and eight are listed for the Cardinals, the Chargers, the Commanders and the Vikings.
Shanahan does seek the advice of with a 15-man veteran committee, which he summoned final week to apprise them of Jimmy Garoppolo’s return as Lance’s backup. Garoppolo, was a workforce captain the previous three seasons however not in 2018, which might have been his first full season because the starter had he not sustained a Week 3 knee harm.
Shanahan alluded to how that is Lance’s first season because the beginning quarterback. “I might cheat if I needed to,” Shanahan stated of the vote totals. “I agreed with all their decisions and determined to not take eight of them.”
How does Lance really feel getting into his first season-opening begin, after two fill-in begins final yr rather than Garoppolo?
“I’m excited. it’s actual just like the weeks I began final yr from a preparation standpoint,” Lance stated. “It’s nice to have guys within the (quarterback) room, nice to have Jimmy in there to bounce concepts off of.”
As for Bosa’s entry to captainship, Shanahan famous how the two-time Professional Bowler is turning into extra vocal, and whereas that is probably not in a full-team setting, his ardour for soccer in one-on-one talks makes him “pretty much as good of a frontrunner as I might draw up,” Shanahan stated.
That is Kittle’s team-high fifth straight yr as a captain. Making it for a 3rd straight yr are Armstead, Warner and Williams. Ward, who grew to become a captain for the primary time final yr in his eighth season, will begin this season on short-term injured reserve and miss at the least 4 video games due to a hamstring harm.
Listed here are the 49ers’ captains every season underneath Shanahan:
2017: None (weekly picks)
2018: George Kittle, Joe Staley, DeForest Buckner, Richard Sherman, Robbie Gould
2019: Jimmy Garoppolo, Kittle, Staley, Buckner, Sherman
2020: Garoppolo, Kittle, Sherman, Fred Warner, Trent Williams, Arik Armstead, Mike McGlinchey
2021: Garoppolo, Kittle, Warner, Williams, Armstead, Jimmie Ward, Raheem Mostert
KITTLE INJURY
Kittle’s groin didn't trouble him all through coaching camp, Shanahan stated, and that his harm flared up throughout Monday’s one-hour, non-padded observe. “I hoped he’d be good at present,” Shanahan stated. “He did a little bit Monday. We’ll need to see daily.”
Accidents have impacted Kittle’s availability the previous few seasons, and though he missed simply three video games final season with a calf harm, he was out eight video games in 2020 and two in 2019.
Backup duties lately have fallen on Charlie Woener and Ross Dwelley, and whereas they’re nonetheless on the roster, the 49ers even have veteran Tyler Kroft, who’s extra of a blocking specialist and may very well be fairly helpful in a run-oriented effort rather than Kittle in Chicago.
Kroft, a 2015 third-round select of Rutgers by the Bengals, signed a one-year with the 49ers on Could 23. He performed 4 seasons with the Bengals, then two with the Payments and final yr with the Jets underneath former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.
“We’ve been a fan of Kroft his entire profession. I used to be an actual huge fan of him popping out of faculty,” Shanahan stated. “He’s carried out nicely all over the place he’s been. He had some harm bother final yr and the final couple years. He’s struggled to remain on the market, and that’s one of many causes we had been in a position to get him.”
The 49ers reduce Kroft as they whittled their roster to the 53-man restrict Tuesday, however they re-signed him the following day, as they did with defensive finish Jordan Willis. In addition they claimed offensive lineman Blake Hance that day, so corresponding roster concerned Ward (injured reserve), operating again Trey Sermon (waived), and linebacker Curtis Robinson (injured reserve).
“Kroft, he’s an NFL tight finish. We really feel very lucky to have him right here,” Shanhan stated. “That was one of many arduous selections, whether or not to go heavy at tight finish or operating again. You by no means know what’s going to occur till after somebody will get harm.”
The one different 49ers participant not training Wednesday was Daniel Brunskill, whose hamstring harm has cleared the best way for Jake Brendel to begin at heart, with Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford at guard.
PRACTICE TIMES
The 49ers are actually not beginning observe on the coolest time of day amid a warmth wave (1:48 p.m. Wednesday, 12:58 p.m. Thursday, 12:18 p.m. Friday), nor are they shifting time as much as regulate their physique clocks to Sunday’s 10 a.m. (PT) kickoff.
SERIES HISTORY
That is the fourth time the 49ers and the Bears are opening in opposition to one another, however the first time in Chicago. The 49ers gained at residence in 1962, ’65 and 2003. The 49ers lead the all-time collection 35-32-1 however path 12-18-1 in Chicago.