Introducing the 49ers Virtual Offseason

The 49ers’ virtual offseason began last week.

In a real offseason, the 49ers would meet on the field for OTAs and minicamp. But they can’t meet in person this spring -- not during the current Covid 19 outbreak. So the 49ers have virtual, voluntary meetings from home on video conferences instead.

“We do most of our meetings through Zoom,” left guard Laken Tomlinson told Bay Area reporters. “It has been working out really well. I’m sure the coaches have rehearsed the meetings. They have the installs for that day, and they bring the guys in. We get to see all the guys’ faces, which is really nice. We get to talk to each other. So it has been really good, just going over the installs we usually do during OTAs. Just going more in depth with some of the plays and techniques that we use on the field. It has been really informative.”

The 49ers have made the best out of a bad situation. The coaches are allowed to meet with players online two hours every day for three weeks. During this time, the coaches install the offensive and defensive schemes for the players.

In a normal offseason, coaches would install their systems both in the classroom and on the field. Meaning this year, installation will be more difficult. But every NFL team has the same restrictions, and the 49ers believe they have an advantage over everyone else, because 18 of their 22 starters have returned from 2019. So most 49ers went through the same installations last season.

“It’s really important to have that continuity right now in these times,” Tomlinson said. “Having everything the same for the veteran guys, the guys who were a part of the offense, the defense, the special teams last year -- all those installs are going to be mostly the same. Coaches can really focus on coaching the rookies coming in and making sure they’re on the same page. The veterans can help with the learning process in that. Having the majority of the team coming back will be a winning edge for this team in this phase.”

The 49ers currently have the virtual upper hand. Does that mean they’ll win the Super Bowl next season and have a real-life parade? Will there even be a Super Bowl next year? Or parades, for that matter?

Time will tell.

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