Shanahan appreciates Young's influence, work with Lance

Share

SANTA CLARA — Kyle Shanahan and Steve Young are on the same page when it comes to 49ers quarterback Trey Lance. 

The Hall of Fame quarterback and the head coach both see the young signal-caller's ability to process what is happening on the field as a huge attribute as he heads into his second season in the league - his first as the starting quarterback for the team. 

Shanahan recognized Lance’s processing abilities when going through the pre-draft process of studying film of the young quarterback while he was at North Dakota State. 

“That was one of the things we liked about him the most in college,” Shanahan said at the opening of training camp. “They didn’t do a ton of it just cause of how good of a team they were and how much they ran it. But when he did do it, you could see that he had the skillset to do it and was good at it.”

Shanahan knows that Lance’s ability to understand and react to what a defense is doing is immensely imortant in the NFL compared to college. It still gives the 21-year-old a leg up on what’s to come in his first season as the team's starter. 

“Completely different speed of the game compared to where he was playing then and now and to get it into those pockets, it’s totally different,” Shanahan said. “But you don’t always get to see it in college quarterbacks, and it’s not always their fault, sometimes their offenses don’t ask them to, but that’s one thing I did like about studying Trey.”  

Lance’s ability to react quickly to what is happening on the field has already been noticed by most of his defensive teammates. While he has faced some adversity on the practice field, he is going up against one of the more stout defenses in the league. 

RELATED: Bosa enjoying training camp, not having to rehab in offseason

While there undoubtedly will be both ups and downs in Lance’s first full season as a starter, it appears that he has all the tools to help him be successful — including the ability to see a play unfold and react to elements as needed. 

As far as Young spending time with Lance, as the sophomore quarterback adjusts and prepares for the season ahead, Shanahan is all for it. 

“Man, I hope they talk all the time,” Shanahan said. “Steve Young's one of my favorite players of all-time, one of my favorite people of all-time. And if you ever go back and watch his film, and you watch it now it's like, ‘holy cow, he's better than I even realized.’ 

“And he's also one of the smartest people I've ever met in my life, so anytime that guy wants to talk to any of our players, please do it.”  

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

Contact Us