Kyle Shanahan touts 49ers' new vibe. Here's what threatens those good feelings
Maybe, at least when it comes to training camp vibes, to hear Kyle Shanahan tell it.
'Last year, you lose a Super Bowl like that in overtime and everything, and you're bringing back a lot of your team and that's all anyone can think about,' Shanahan said. 'You're obsessive about it. That's a different vibe at camp.
'(This year) is definitely different energy.'
Shanahan can be brutally honest, particularly for an NFL head coach. And as the 49ers season unraveled last year, he — in a moment of unvarnished truth — noted that he had been uneasy about the state of the team from training camp onward.
'I just knew we weren't where I wanted to be,' Shanahan said toward the end of the season, adding that things had felt off, 'from the beginning to the end, the way we started out, the way we felt in training camp, throughout the whole year.'
'I love the way we're going, I love the way we're working,' he said. 'Obviously, the number of injuries we've had, I'm not always enjoying that. But it's such a different deal than last year.'
Shanahan pointed out that this is a very different year. The 49ers knew they were turning over a lot of the team, through free agency and the draft. Not only is the Super Bowl heartbreak now a year further removed, most of the players never experienced it.
With youth comes a different energy.
'It's not like I get on our veterans to do more in practice — they go as hard as they can,' he said. 'But vets are vets. It's a little more fake and false enthusiasm than anything else. They're not really excited about camp. So we have young guys out there making plays … they're the loud ones. Those are the ones who inspire the vets. That's what I've been a lot more excited about this year.'
But excitement and youthful energy in training camp doesn't necessarily add up to wins. And, even with the page turned from last year's 6-11 misery, the 49ers have plenty to be concerned about. Particularly the rash of injuries that Shanahan is not enjoying for a second straight season; they have put a dent in the good vibes surrounding camp and created concerns about roster depth.
Shanahan ran through his weekly triage list. Running back Patrick Taylor Jr. fractured his shoulder and is lost for the season. Offensive lineman Dominick Puni may miss the opener due to a sprained knee. Backup quarterback Mac Jones hurt his knee and the team signed former 49er Nate Sudfield to fill in. Top draft pick Mykel Williams is still out with a knee. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings is also still out, nursing a calf and perhaps a contract issue.
The injury list is deep, particularly at defensive end, a position the 49ers desperately need to shore up to keep Nick Bosa from being triple-teamed. Many of the injured players are newcomers, who are missing critical reps in the evaluation and preparation process.
All that youthful energy will melt away if the young players aren't ready to play.
'People need to practice,' Shanahan said. 'They need to get ready to play an NFL season or you end up getting hurt. … The less you practice football, the harder it is to play football throughout the year.'
The extensive injuries also muddle the 49ers' process in making roster cuts, with just two days of practice and one final exhibition game remaining for evaluation.
'It's a really complicated thing that we can't talk about enough because it's always changing each day,' Shanahan said. 'And it will be all the way up to when we make that decision.'
Despite the injury cloud hanging over training camp the 49ers have plenty to feel good about. Their star players are so far (knock wood) healthy. The return of Robert Saleh not only brings all that Saleh energy but solves the defensive coordinator headache that has plagued Shanahan for two years.
The ugly 6-11 finish bequeathed them the easiest schedule (on paper) in football. And it also freed them from obsessing over a brutal Super Bowl — or any kind of playoff — loss. That put some pep in their step.
Does Shanahan really feel great about the way things are going in camp? In five months, we'll find out.
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