The Good and Not So Good from Day 4 of 49ers Training Camp
Here's who stood out during Day 4 of 49ers training camp.
THE GOOD
1. Linebacker Fred Warner.
There he was, hanging out in the flat minding his own business when Jimmy Garoppolo threw the ball at him. Rude. So Warner intercepted it and returned it for a touchdown. Quite generous of Garoppolo to make his teammate look good.
2. Cornerback Jason Verrett.
He broke up one of Garoppolo's passes and intecepted another. On the intercepition, Verrett had gotten beat deep by Deebo Samuel, but Garoppolo's pass was so badly underthrown that Verrett picked it off easily. You simply cannot put a price on Garoppolo's genorosity. It's infectious.
3. Safety Jimmie Ward.
Gave up zero catches as usual. No one ever tests his coverage, because he's the best cover guy on the team -- even better than Warner and Verrett.
4. Defensive end Arden Key.
Constantly is in the backfield. Granted, he's not facing Trent Williams, but Key is facing everyone else and playing well. Today, he stripped the ball from Trey Lance when Lance was trying to hand it off, then Key recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown. Looks like he will make the team.
5. Defensive tackle Kentavius Street.
Started at defensive tackle in place of Javon Kinlaw, who says he isn't injured, but hasn't participated in team drills yet in training camp. Which is fine, because Street is better than him right now. Street was the reason Lance scrambled so much today, because Street kept beating rookie guard Aaron Banks.
6. Quarterback Nate Sudfeld.
Completed all six of his pass attempts one day after going 0 for 3. Good for Nate. Yesterday, I wrote that he was wasting everyone's time and shouldn't be on the team. Today, he proved me wrong. So if the 49ers trade Garoppolo soon, and they should, they know they'll still have a quality backup quarterback on the roster.
7. Quarterback Josh Rosen.
Threw only three passes, but completed two of them. Rosen has improved incrementally every day in camp. He's another good backup. The 49ers don't need Garoppolo anymore.
THE NOT SO GOOD
1. Wide receiver Mohamed Sanu.
Dropped one pass, then let another one hit him in the back because he didn't turn his head to locate the ball. This guy is one injury away from starting for the 49ers. Scary thought.
2. Wide receiver Jalen Hurd.
Didn't show up to practice for the second day in a row. Yesterday was supposed to be a planned "maintenace day," whatever that freaking means. No word yet on why he missed today's practice. I'm starting to wonder if Hurd is real or just a figment of our imaginations. Have we hallucinated his entire tenure with the 49ers? Is he still on the team? Was he ever on the team?
3. Defensive end Nick Bosa.
Returned to practice after a scheduled maintenance day, but did not participate in 1-on-1 or 11-on-11 team drills. Which means he still hasn't engaged in any physical competition, and we're a third of the way through training camp. Seems like the 49ers will "maintain" Bosa's knee and keep his practice time to the bare minimum this year. Smart decision. Now he just needs to get vaccinated.
4. Tight end George Kittle.
Missed practice with a sheduled maintenance day, which is strange, because I didn't know Kittle was nursing an injury. Trent Williams didn't need a maintenance day this week. Neither did Alex Mack, and they're both older than Kittle. What has Kittle done since he signed his mega contract other than miss time? He needs to do better.
5. Cornerback Ambry Thomas.
Got beaten by River Cracraft during 1 on 1s, gave up two catches to Deebo Samuel during 11 on 11s and committed a defensive pass interference penalty for good measure. So far, Thomas is having a terrible camp.
