© Stan Szeto | 2021 Jul 28
It’s fair to say Trey Lance has turned some heads.
The rookie quarterback has been receiving praise from all quarters of the press surrounding the 49ers. Just about everyone who’s seen him is swooning.
Count Matt Maiocco, who has been covering the team longer than anyone, among the converted. He told Greg Papa he’s never seen an NFL rookie QB this special.
“No, not even close. Not even close,” Maiocco said on KNBR Wednesday.
“I do want to pump the breaks and let’s not get too carried away with it, because they’ve only practiced in pads two days, but it’s everything,” Maiocco continued. “He just has the right touch. he acts like a seasoned pro. He stands up there at the press conference and he answers your questions and then you go back and look at what he said and you realize ‘Wow, he didn’t say anything,’ which is exactly what a quarterback should be. Look good, speak well, but really don’t say a lot.”
“The way he’s been so deferential to Jimmy Garoppolo, from what I understand, just all the work he’s put in in those 40 days he left the facility. He came back a better football player.”
“He’s throwing the ball accurately. He’s throwing the ball with pace when it needs to be drilled in there, he’s throwing it with a nice touch when it needs to be. Just the last three days where he’s started running, man he just looks the part.”
Lance just looks a step above Jimmy Garoppolo, even if the incumbent has looked fine. The only place that Lance has looked unpolished is with his accuracy, which is common for rookie quarterbacks.
“The only thing we don’t know for sure…he’s not perfect in terms of where the ball should be going. That’s the kind of thing that probably carries more weight. If you’re just watching practice without knowing what the guys are supposed to be doing — which is basically how I watch practice — I mean there’s no question that Trey Lance is the best quarterback or best looking player out on the field, but he still has a lot to learn.”
Listen to the full interview below.