Despite trading three first-round draft picks in order to move up to draft him, Trey Lance will be trying to emulate Rodgers in practice. Will he get the chance to play like Rodgers during the Niners game against the Packers? Jimmy Garoppolo is being asked to practice how one of the most talented and statistically accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history plays, unless he gives out in the middle of the game.
Kyle said he only wants Lance to play more aggressively. "We need to be very aggressive, let it rip," said Shanahan yesterday. If he makes some mistakes in practice, our defense will catch him and make him pay. We need him to be aggressive in everything he does because he doesn't miss many opportunities when presented to him. This makes sense. Lance has a large arm. Asking Lance to take deep shots in practice is more manageable than asking him to be Rodgers because it is one of his biggest strengths.
Lance has been asked to mimic other quarterbacks several times during the regular season. Lance has done this before and he claims he has benefited from it. I appreciate it when I can play off-schedule, because our D-line is really good. There are things that I gain from emulating a quarterback that doesn't move a lot and doesn't play off-schedule. I like to make different throws that I don't see myself doing. It is good to get those reps. Being forced into situations where Lance is asked to throw when he normally wouldn't has helped him develop his accuracy.
Lance isn't actually wanted to play like Rodgers, but to make more risky throws to see if the 49ers' defense is capable of defending those types of throws. This would be impossible for the North Dakota State graduate. How in the world is he supposed to be Rodgers if the 49ers don't trust him to play better than Jimmy? Even if he shows he can play as well as Rodgers, his team will still go with a quarterback who has been dealing with injuries in his throwing hand and shoulder.
Regardless of how prepared the 49ers are, Rodgers is going to be a difficult opponent. Fred Warner said it best when he told reporters, "It's one of those situations where you don't really feel a man until you play him." You can watch all the tapes you want. You have to get into the flow of things to get things going. If the 49ers had their way, they would have drafted Mr. Discount Double Check first in 2005 instead of Alex Smith.
Rodgers is 0-6 against the 49ers in the playoffs. In his 12 career games against the team he grew up rooting for, Rodgers has completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 3,358 yards, 25 touchdown, and five interceptions. His passer rating of 104.7 is the highest ever for an opposing quarterback when they play the 49ers.
This is going to be different than any other game Rodgers has played against the 49ers in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if Lance can prepare the 49ers. I am sure he will do a good job if he doesn't start threatening to leave the 49ers in order to host a show.
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