The 49ers approach their final preseason game with training camp winding down and a mix of injuries causing missed days but no long-term losses of core players. Practice intensity and energy have risen, aided by young players and the steady presence of veteran leaders. Tight end George Kittle and linebacker Fred Warner have driven the camp tone through relentless practice habits and consistent performance. Key veterans such as Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams are on managed schedules to remain fresh. Quarterback Brock Purdy leads with a reserved, analytical style while Deommodore Lenoir is pushing the secondary.
Despite the mix and match nature of practice, the 49ers have come a long way in terms of energy and intensity. Coach Kyle Shanahan volunteered that it's all the young faces that have given the rest of the team a youthful enthusiasm. Our guys go as hard as they can. But vets are vets, Shanahan said Tuesday. It's a little more fake and false enthusiasm than anything else. They're not really excited about camp.
Shanahan watches practice much closer than I do, but the tone for this camp has been driven by two veterans, and there has been nothing fake or false about tight end George Kittle and linebacker Fred Warner. They are the walking embodiment of the year's favorite term among the assistant coaching staff. They stack practices. Play after play, day after day. They are the centrifugal force around which the rest of the team has revolved since late July.
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