COSTA MESA -- Joey Bosa could not help himself.
After all, strip-sacks are in his nature -- in his family’s nature, for that matter.
When the 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers met Thursday morning in the first of two practices between the teams, the ground rules called for the quarterbacks to be completely off-limits to the opposition’s defense.
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But Bosa, the Chargers’ star defensive end, broke that rule during a two-minute drill when he swatted the ball away from 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as he looked downfield on a third-and-12 play.
“He said, ‘Sorry,’ as he passed me,” Garoppolo said. “Yeah, he sounds just like Nick. It was kind of funny. You’re upset at the time, then you hear him say, ‘Sorry, Jim,’ at the same time.
“It’s just a Bosa thing, I guess.”
Joey Bosa, a three-time Pro Bowl player, has 47.5 sacks in his 63-game career over five seasons.
San Francisco 49ers
Meanwhile, 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, Joey’s younger brother, continues to rehab on the side as he points to a Week 1 return after sustaining a torn ACL in his left knee in Week 2 of last season.
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Coach Kyle Shanahan quipped that Nick Bosa, who did not practice, followed the rules of practice while Joey Bosa did not.
“Our Bosa didn’t hit their ball today, so I don’t know why he did that,” Shanahan said.
Nick Bosa registered nine sacks in the 2019 regular season, and added four more in the postseason while winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.