Charles Woodson, the Corridor of Fame defensive again turned analyst who is aware of a factor or two about lacking coaching camp, can think about the affect the return of Trent Williams can have on his 49ers teammates.
“It’s like getting in a battle, and swiftly you look and see your huge brother coming and it’s like, `Oh, man. I really feel a little bit higher now,’ ” Woodson mentioned in a cellphone interview. “I believe that’s what Trent offers for that group.”
Each Williams and huge receiver Brandon Aiyuk are anticipated to be accessible for the 49ers’ first battle towards the New York Jets Monday evening at Levi’s Stadium. Precisely how a lot they’ll play might be decided by what coach Kyle Shanahan sees on the apply subject this week. The intense preparations started Thursday.
Shanahan sounded skeptical earlier than apply Thursday that Aiyuk would leap again into the fray at his ordinary workload of almost one hundred pc of the snaps.
“My expectations are that I’d be shocked with 98 %,” Shanahan mentioned. “However I’ll see how the week goes. We’ve had one apply with him. He threw with Brock (Purdy) over the weekend. We’ve bought one apply with Trent. … We’ll see how they’re these three days after which sort of consider it.”
When Woodson held out all of coaching camp on the franchise tag in 2004 with the Raiders and arrived on Sept. 1, then-coach Norv Turner was doubtful about his defensive star having a full-time function, saying he’d probably play within the nickel protection and be eased again into the lineup.
Then in Week 1 towards Pittsburgh, Woodson performed each snap. He ultimately signed with Inexperienced Bay in free company in 2006 earlier than returning to the Raiders in 2013.
As a lot as Shanahan believes within the significance of apply time, it’s additionally true that particular gamers can do particular issues, and it gained’t shock anybody to see Williams play each snap and Aiyuk to play a significant function even when each could also be a little bit rusty.
With Williams and Aiyuk returning to the identical offensive and defensive programs, Woodson, now an analyst at Fox Sports activities, believes their absence is mitigated to a level.
“When it comes to simply taking part in the sport, you’re employed all offseason so far as your coaching and on the brink of play,” Woodson mentioned. “However you don’t have any recreation reps, any of the true contact that goes together with tackling, taking up blocks, falling down, getting again up. You’ve simply been coaching in your craft, your footwork, conditioning. The most important problem is how your physique goes to have the ability to face up to being again within the recreation.”
Williams carries with him a Woodson credibility issue to the purpose the place teammates might be shocked if he doesn’t merely choose up the place he left off. Williams, 36, has been monitored carefully in latest coaching camps anyway.
Defensive finish Nick Bosa, who partially attributed a sluggish begin a yr in the past to lacking camp throughout a contract holdout, doesn’t imagine the identical factor will occur to Williams.
“We have been texting a little bit bit and I mentioned everytime you present up I’ll provide you with some dwell reps, however I don’t suppose he wants it,” Bosa mentioned. “If anybody can come again and play like they by no means left it’s him.”
Left guard Aaron Banks mentioned on July 29 he was unconcerned about Williams’ holdout as a result of, “When he will get again, he’s nonetheless going to be Trent Williams.”
When reminded of that remark this week, Banks mentioned, “I’m sticking by that.”
Whereas coaching camp isn’t the grind it was once throughout the two-a-days that have been common-place when Woodson performed, he nonetheless believes there’s a freshness issue that may be a bonus within the first recreation.
“I felt coming in I used to be feeling significantly better than the blokes that truly needed to undergo camp,” Woodson mentioned. “The distinction was principally I didn’t have that hand-to-hand fight that they needed to undergo that I’d be getting the primary recreation after that holdout.”
Williams’ return will present a psychological raise for your complete group at a vital time.
“They know what it means when it comes to being a man who’s on the blind facet of the quarterback,” Woodson mentioned. “You realize the significance of a left sort out — and this isn’t simply any left sort out. He’s the most effective within the enterprise, and for them to get again into the hunt, get to the playoffs, get to the Tremendous Bowl, they want all of their guys and so they want the man. Most likely the most effective participant on that group, pound for pound.”
The timing between Purdy and Aiyuk might be one thing to observe carefully, Woodson believes.
“Brock’s needed to throw to totally different guys all by way of camp,” Woodson mentioned. “They’re training now so that they’re getting a few of that again, however now they’re going to enter that first recreation making an attempt to rekindle that timing that that they had as soon as issues go dwell. I don’t suppose it’ll take too lengthy, they’ll determine it out shortly. However simply the preliminary a part of that first recreation, three could also be some miss-throws.”
One other Corridor of Famer, former 49ers quarterback Steve Younger, believes will probably be obvious shortly if Aiyuk and Purdy are on the identical web page. Younger mentioned Aiyuk’s “tremendous energy” is his skill to get open shortly for a quarterback who is determined by quick-time rhythm passing.
“(Brock) is searching for individuals to get open now,” Younger mentioned on KNBR-680. “That’s what Brandon does for him. He ought to be tremendous recent, however did he are available in form sufficient to get to the road of scrimmage and simply depart individuals behind?
“There’s no query in my thoughts Brandon will get there and hopefully it’s not a month later. If he will get open shortly and Brock hits him on the run, it’s like, `All is properly.’ ”
