The San Francisco 49ers recently wrapped up veteran minicamp and are now taking time off to get ready and recharged for training camp. According to many, the team’s offseason program was a rewarding experience which enabled the players to gain understanding of the playbook while getting prepared for the upcoming season. Find out how the offseason workouts went for backup quarterback
Q: What was the best aspect of having an entire offseason with Jim Harbaugh and his staff?
A: It’s been awesome. It’s crazy that last year at this time I was still working out on my own as well as all the other rookies and all the other guys. I think you realize the value of a true offseason and how much ground you can cover in a short amount of time. The bottom line I get from Coach Harbaugh is that every day counts. His words of advice are, “Always try to get one percent better each day,” and over the long haul that’s going to be the difference. So that’s the kind of mentality I try to take every day.
Q: What was your favorite drill of the offseason program and how did it improve your game?
A: There’s always something. Especially being a quarterback – with Coach playing more than 10 years in the league – he’s always got new things he’s trying out with footwork or fundamentals. It’s invaluable for all of us coming from a guy like him.
Q: Is there a particular teammate that you really clicked with this offseason?
A: I don’t know if I could single out one guy. We’ve got a whole new rookie class and guys who were brought in after the season and even guys that are on the defense that I really didn’t know last year. Over time, just going through all these workouts and practices with them, you get closer with them. Coach also brought the whole team out to dinner recently and I got to know someone that I otherwise wouldn’t have. That stuff, over time, is a big deal when a team comes closer together. Now you’re not just playing for yourself or your coaches, you’re playing for that guy that you got to know at the team dinner.
Q: How are you approaching training camp?
A: It’s an important time. There’s no way around it. I was once told that you get more reps during fall camp in practice than you’ll get over an entire season. That right there tells you how important camp is. It’s not supposed to be easy. The teams that are the ones standing at the end of the season are probably the ones that had the hardest training camps, too. It’s important. It’s not always fun, but it’s not always supposed to be.
Q: What do you like to do in the Bay Area when you’re not playing football?
A: I’ve been to a few Giants games lately. In the past two months, I’ve pretty much been able to see a game during every homestand. I’m a Cubs fan so I saw them play up here a couple of weeks ago. I went in assuming that the Cubs were going to lose and they got swept. But it’s a great atmosphere and a great ballpark; a great place to be on the weekends.
