The marquee event of the 49ers training camp practices was the series of head-to-head field battles: receivers vs. cornerbacks, tight ends and running backs vs. linebackers and the most striking, offensive line vs. defensive line.
Reporters publicize the sideline to catch the O-line / D-line clashes – in particular, the battle between the 49ers Pro Bowl against Trent Williams and the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, Nick Bosa. Even head coach Kyle Shanahan, who spends his time on the team’s set of practice fields, is caught by the sight.
“Looking at those two together is beautiful,” Shanahan said Monday. “It’s fun to see how they adapt to each other.”
Bosa is recovering from a record-setting season, where he recorded 9.0 sacks, the fourth most by a 49ers rookie since 1982, along with 47 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in 16 games. For Williams, who is returning to the field after missing the entire 2019 campaign, Bosa should be the ideal litmus test for the offensive lineman’s comeback.
Despite the appeal of the display in the trenches, Bosa is of the opinion that it is not the best representation of what you can see on the field on Sunday.
“I think anyone telling you, O-line or D-line, (are 1-on-1 sources) is not the most realistic thing compared to team reps, but it’s definitely a good tool to work on something. that you might have wanted to work on, “Bosa said. “For me, against Trent, try to win what I can. I try not to get caught up in the 1-on-1s, because it can throw your kind for the rest of the practice. If you Losing a couple, you can get angry and not focus the rest of the practice so hard, if you win a few, you can gain confidence after the next period. “
So far, the field battles seem to serve both parties well in practice. As the season progressed, Williams was envious of setting up the now-second-year-old line-up as a “pivotal tool” to help break the deadlock, having not played a game since December 30, 2018. play.
In return, one of the league’s best defensive lines has been able to sharpen its iron against an All-Pro, Pro Bowl talent. On the face of it, there are no signs of rust, as Williams has expressed in his return to football. His knowledge and experience as one of the league’s more elite approaches in the NFL will only continue with the development of Bosa. And the ability to practice one of the best in the league can be a great addition to gamedays.
“You are not going to clean up Trent very often. That getting a clean profit on him is a good feeling,” Bosa said. “It sure seems like he’s feeling great and playing really well. I’m really confident in Jimmy Garoppolo’s left. Not that the rest of the O-line is not great, but having Trent will be an enormous, enormous help for him.
“From what I’ve seen, he’s going to be very helpful to us this year.”
