SANTA CLARA — Brief skirmishes are inevitable during training camp. The 49ers' first camp dustups happened to line up with the first day of padded practice.
There has been a good amount of healthy chirping between the offense and defense through the first four practices, but there was a heightened intensity with the addition of players wearing pads on Monday.
The conflict started shortly after presumed starting quarterback Brock Purdy found running back Elijah Mitchell on a short pass to the left side of the field, away from the media and fans. There was a clear pop of the pads when the ball carrier was tackled to the ground by linebacker Demetrius Flanagan-Fowles.
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A moment later there was a bit of pushing and shoving between the two sides until nearly the entire team had congregated on the far side of the field. It didn’t take too long before the music was turned off and whistles were being blown by the officials in attendance.
Once players were separated, coach Kyle Shanahan gathered the group for a 30-second huddle before practice resumed.
“It’s football, it’s a physical sport,” defensive tackle Arik Armstead said after practice. “Things like that are going to happen. Guys are going to get into it. The main thing is we all need each other. I can’t win without [Brandon] Aiyuk, and they can’t win without us.
“We all are on this journey together and we are all brothers at the end of the day, so we have to protect each other.”
San Francisco 49ers
Tension ran high on the field a second time when Purdy threw a deep pass attempt to Aiyuk down the left side of the field. The Arizona State product was being covered by both cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and safety Talanoa Hufanga. All three players collided together just prior to the ball arriving.
Officials in the area threw penalty flags on the defense, and there was a decent amount of jawing back and forth. Jauan Jennings immediately was in the vicinity to stand up for his fellow wideout and was seen in the face of Hufanga, which happened more than once during Monday's session.
“It’s football,” Lenoir said after practice. “We all love each other; we are all brothers. We all got one goal. It’s just the first day of pads. Everybody is happy, juiced up with a lot of emotion.”
In 2022, Aiyuk and linebacker Fred Warner shared a healthy rivalry during camp. This year, the early odds are on Hufanga and Jennings taking over those roles.