SANTA CLARA -- The new era of the 49ers dual quarterback scheme has arrived in the Bay Area.
In the 49ers second drive of their preseason finale, Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance shuffled on and off the field with ease while the other 10 players on the field didn’t seem to blink an eye.
Kyle Shanahan has alternated quarterbacks in practice at a slower pace but showed how smooth a transition it could be in a real game situation vs the Las Vegas Raiders. The head coach swapped the man under center from every few plays to every other play.
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The most compelling aspect about the first two offensive drives was that Lance, the quarterback most known for his mobility, did not keep the ball to run himself the entire first drive.
In the 49ers' second drive, Garoppolo was on the field for the first three plays, completing two of his three attempts. Lance came in for two plays, missed Trent Sherfield on his first attempt and handed the ball off to Trey Sermon on the second.
Garoppolo went back in for three plays -- handoff to Sermon, and an incomplete to Mohamed Sanu before connecting with Sherfield. Then the quarterbacks alternated plays for four snaps before Garoppolo ran a quarterback sneak to keep the drive alive.
Garoppolo handed the ball off to Sermon on the first down, and then on second and goal, the rookie faked the handoff to Trey Sermon and ran the ball in himself for the easy touchdown.
It was almost as of the Raiders' defense was lulled into believing that Lance was not going to attempt a run. Shanahan saw the opportunity and pounced.
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San Francisco 49ers
Both Shanahan and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniels mentioned throughout the week that the more the offense practices the quarterback switch, the smoother it will become.
If this is any indication of how the offense could operate during the season, it will be difficult for opposing teams to decipher and defend.