Despite what Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields might think, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan believes Trey Lance did a good job protecting himself in Sunday’s Week 1 loss.
Moments after Fields told reporters on Wednesday that he witnessed Lance take “too many hits” in the game, both Shanahan and Lance gave their takes on how they thought the young QB did.
"Quarterbacks, you have to pick and choose,” Shanahan said on Wednesday, regarding Lance as a physical runner. “Sliding is the best deal, but sometimes there's ways to go down forward without taking the hits, and I think Trey's done a pretty good job of that. [He] did a lot better in this game, too."
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Lance thought he did a good job too, and maintained, contrary to Fields, that he won’t slide as a defender approaches him.
“On Sunday, I feel like I protected myself pretty well. [I] felt good for the most part,” Lance said, confidently. “When I’m running between tackles and stuff or running on third down, I’m not ever going to slide and just give up on the play and send our defense on the field if it’s a situation like that.”
Lance admitted that defenders are much “bigger, faster and stronger” than him and can catch up to him quickly. He understands the importance of learning to protect himself and staying healthy in his new role as the starter under center.
Still, he refuses to go down that way. And that's something Shanahan and his young dual-threat quarterback are working on.
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"He's got to play football still, too," Shanahan said. "And so I just compare it to all the quarterbacks in the league who could run, and there's times to slide, there's time to take edges and dive. There's ways for receivers who get tackled going forward, splitting two people where they're getting hit on the sides of their shoulders that you don't feel. You have to get down when you have people in certain areas that are vulnerable, but there's going to be some that he gets hit on. There's going to be some that he can protect himself. And that's just for him and us to work through."
On Sunday, Lance led the team with 54 yards rushing on 13 carries, while Deebo Samuel had 52 yards on eight carries with a touchdown.
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The 49ers converted 47 percent of their third-down attempts, going 8-for-17. Lance utilized his dual-threat ability and was able to move the chains -- five times with his legs and three times with his arm.
While Lance seems to be OK with how he took on defenders, he could be receiving a call from his buddy Fields if the hits continue in the 49ers' Week 2 matchup vs. the Seattle Seahawks.