The 49ers finished their second and final joint practice against the Minnesotas Thursday morning. It seemed like a much slower news day compared to Wednesday as far as the action that happened.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was asked how he felt about joint practices. His answer didn’t disappoint:
“Eh, it was good work. Going against somebody different. Different environment. I ain’t like it too much. I felt like it was a waste of time, personally. It was boring for sure.”
That sounds like a receiver who didn’t feel like he was challenged much after two days of practice. Aiyuk said he only touched the ball three times in two days, so that explains part of the reason he was bored.
There weren’t many reports on Trey Lance. Depending on who you ask, the Niners quarterback finished 13-for-19 with an interception that was tipped.
The most notable news item about Lance was how his high school alma mater’s football team greeted him after practice concluded:
The Vikings arranged for a few buses to shuttle the players from Marshall High School, a three-hour drive, to come see Lance.
We’ll take a break from Lance today and focus on one of the best players on the team.
If Wednesday’s practice was a day of explosive plays for the 49ers’ offense, Thursday was a reminder that Nick Bosa is unblockable. Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw, a second-year first-round pick, had his hands full against one of the best pass rushers in the league.
The ground Bosa can cover within his first three steps will always impress. By the time Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins is done taking his drop, Bosa is in his face. That seemed to be the theme during Thursday’s practice.
It didn’t matter if the Vikings used an offensive lineman or tackle; they couldn’t stay in front of 97:
Bosa had multiple sacks and tackles for loss during the day. He’s the type of player that can single-handedly win you a game. Bosa’s presence on the field cannot be understated. Even when he’s not winning, he draws the attention of the rest of the offense, freeing up someone else on the defense to make a play.
DeMeco Ryans spoke about the pass rush after practice:
It’s January 14th, 2012. We’re at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. With 14 seconds to play, down three, and facing a third down, the 49ers need a score to keep their playoff hopes alive – without needing to roll the dice in overtime. The Saints meanwhile can end this here with a takeaway and head to the NFC Championship Game themselves. To understand how we got here and to appreciate everything this moment represents, we need to rewind.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he and Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke before practice and agreed to throw anyone out who threw a punch: “We all know how important it is to get this practice work right now, and that’s what we stress.”
The 49ers defense, linebackers, specifically, got chippy with the Vikings’ offense. Fortunately, there were no fights. Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans explained after practice how Minnesota wasn’t used to the aggressive style of the Niners:
“It’s a different style. We attack. We’re gonna practice hard. Our guys are gonna be physical. And that’s how we practice each and every day. We have a standard in which we work every day. And that’s what you saw today. We just work to our standard.”
I would bet a smile comes to Ryans’ face when he sees his defense in the attack mode.
