The expectations for the 49ers’ first-year starting quarterback Trey Lance are sky high.
Analysts, teammates, and fans alike are hoping for a breakout campaign from the 22-year-old, while others simply hope to see growth from Lance as he takes over the San Francisco offense.
The young signal-caller himself knows his first season under center full time will be better than the limited action he saw as Jimmy Garoppolo’s backup last year, as he recently detailed to The MMQB’s Albert Breer.
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“I’m going to be a lot better than I was last year,” Lance told Breer. “Everything’s slower. Some of [the tape] is tough to watch because you see some of the dumb mistakes. But that’s part of it. That’s part of playing the position, that’s part of being in my first year.
“There’s going to be mistakes again this year, and for me, it’s about how I respond. It’ll be easy to turn the page. And for the frustrating moments? I had them today, I have them every day. But I think how we respond, how I respond personally, is what’s most important.”
Lance made a stellar impression in his first game as QB1 last Friday, hurling a 76-yard touchdown to receiver Danny Gray in the 49ers’ preseason victory over the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium.
But going against San Francisco’s top-ranked defense at practice has been difficult for Lance at times this summer -- something that has prepared him for the inevitable bumps in the road that lies ahead.
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“They bring it every single day,” Lance told Breer of the defense. “We know they’re going to do that. I know if I’m not on it or we’re not on it, they’re going to make us look really, really bad. So I just know I need to be prepared to go every single day. They don’t take any days off at all, and you can see the intensity, you can feel it every single day.
“There’s nothing more I could ask for, in that sense, going against the best defense in the league every day.”
Lance told Breer that the locker room’s confidence in him is all he needs at the end of the day, whether he threw a pick in practice or not. It’s the organization's belief in him that allows him to turn the page after a mistake, he said.
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Lance is expected to play in the 49ers’ preseason finale against the Houston Texans on Thursday at NRG Stadium after he didn’t dress for Saturday’s win over the Minnesota Vikings.
As proclamations of a Lance “supernova” season and “Super Bowl or bust” predictions for the 49ers roll in ahead of Week 1, it’s evident the 2021 first-round pick is focused on getting better with every rep.
Exactly how far those improvements will take Lance and the rest of the team remains to be seen.