SAN FRANCISCO — 49ers fans were ready.
A few thousand of them took off work, threw on their No. 53 NaVorro Bowman jerseys and were anxious to hoot and holler for good plays at legendary Kezar Stadium, right in the heart of San Francisco’s famous Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.
Unfortunately for the dedicated fan base, the 49ers got off buses from Santa Clara and turned in perhaps their sloppiest practice of training camp. Blaine Gabbert was throwing passes out of bounds, while Colin Kaepernick wasn’t on the same page as his receivers and had multiple fumbles on exchange problems with backup center Marcus Martin. Dropped passes were also aplenty, energy seemed to be lacking and fans eventually became restless.
The only time the 49ers got into the end zone was by mistake.
Gabbert threw what looked like an interception right to rookie Rashard Robinson, except the ball ricocheted into the hands of Jerome Simpson for a 35-yard touchdown. A few assistant coaches on the sideline threw up their hands in the air with frustration, and later chuckled about the folly. Watching film from the day trip into the city will likely be a painful afternoon back down at the team facility.
The most concerning portion of the practice happened in the red-zone. Neither Gabbert nor Kaepernick could punch the ball in for a touchdown. One day after Kaepernick looked competent, he took a clear step back in a more ramped up atmosphere. As for Gabbert, the red zone seems to be one of his biggest weaknesses. He doesn’t trust his arm to fit the football into tight spaces. Part of the sloppy play could be the fact that the 49ers huddled some on offense, a rarity for a Chip Kelly offense. Still, with Week 1 right around the corner, the quarterback competition appears even more worrisome than originally anticipated.
Suffice to say, the strength of this team could be both its offensive and defensive lines. We can’t exactly tell how they are performing in the slight-contact nature of training camp. That’s why Friday’s joint practice against the Texans will be a vital measuring stick. Kelly said he won’t even pencil in starters at any position for Sunday’s preseason game vs. Houston until he sees how things go against J.J. Watt and company.
“It’s a great way to gauge yourself,” Kelly said. “I’ve done it in the past a couple times with the Patriots and once with the Ravens. We thought it was quality work in the three years that we did it.”
Kelly can only hope Wednesday’s practice isn’t foreshadowing an episode of the 2016 season. The star of the day, by far, was punter Bradley Pinion, who booted three separate punts of at least 65 yards. The kicks were so high, normally reliable return man Bruce Ellington muffed on his very first chance at catching one.
The good news is that veteran leaders weren’t down despite what was clearly a poor showing on the field. Bowman, Joe Staley and newly-minted tight end Bruce Miller remain upbeat about the direction of the team under Kelly. The optimism about the offense partially stems from the return of right tackle Anthony Davis. On a team full of inexperienced players, Davis adds stability to the offensive line, and his attitude — which was in question after blasting the organization on Twitter in the offseason — has been outstanding since walking through the door.
“I’ve just been very, very impressed with him in everything he’s done since we’ve been back,” Kelly said. “How he’s been in the weight room, how he’s been in the meeting rooms with [offensive line] coach [Pat Flaherty] Flats and what he’s like in walk-thrus, what he’s like on the practice field. He’s all about football.”
But those inexperienced players will have to blossom into solid contributors for the 49ers to sniff .500 this season. Arik Armstead, who was held out of Wednesday’s 11-on-11’s with a sore shoulder, is the name veteran players keep raving about. His emergence could change the identity of the defense.
“He’s amazing,” Staley said. “He’s having a really, really great camp.”
At least the 49ers fans picked another target to vent their frustration. When mentioned by name, Mayor Ed Lee was booed several times by the crowd.