What 49ers reporters said about Cam Ward and the Titans after a chaotic joint practice in Santa Clara
Joint Practices offer us a glimpse into the world of another team’s training camp. It also affords that opportunity to the other team, looking in at what we’re used to on the other side of the coin. Here’s what the Niners folks said about the Titans:
The Tennessee Titans met the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara on Tuesday for their first and only joint practice this week, ahead of Thursday night’s preseason game between the two clubs. Joint practices are always fascinating because they create a battle of perspectives. You have reporters embedded with their respective teams for nearly six weeks during training camp, and then they get a brief yet fresh look at another team in the context of their squad’s practice for a day.
If you’re a Titans fan, you’re surely paying attention to your Tennessee outlets of choice to keep up with what the regulars on the Titans side of the aisle are saying. But what about the Niners’ side of the ledger? What did their reporters and content creators have to say about the day and about the Titans? That was the question I had, so I followed every 49ers beat writer and content creator I could find on social media throughout the day in real time to see what their perspective was. Here’s what they said:
Fights, ejections, and a chaotic start
Out of the gates, fights were flying left and right. So many broke out that it was genuinely hard to keep track of everything happening. We heard about two in the first 10 minutes, and then that became three, then four, then five. 49ers defensive back Renardo Green popped Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate, and that caused teams to get into it. Wan’Dale Robinson got hit by Hodge on the left sideline, resulting in a benches-clearing brawl.
A handful of offensive line battles ended with two Titans tackles, Austin Deculus and Dan Moore Jr., getting kicked out of practice by the appointed sheriff of the day Brian Daboll. A chorus of 49ers and Titans reporters alike were talking about four or five fights already after roughly 10 minutes of scrimmaging. It was a largely unproductive and feisty beginning to the day.
On a lighter note, one thing 49ers reporters were remarking on positively for Titans fans (though it doesn’t matter much to the actual football team) is that they really liked Tennessee’s new uniforms up close, a sentiment most Titans fans share.
It was also worth noting that the Titans were made to practice on the field nearest the substation when the groups split up. The 49ers claim they aren’t scared of the big, scary, looming substation, and yet they put their guests right up against it. Interesting!
49ers defense finds its footing after rocky start
One big focus of the day, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, was the 49ers’ defensive backs continuing to say this offseason how much better things are under new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris than under former coordinator Robert Saleh, now the Titans’ head coach. Vic Tafur was asking aloud whether San Francisco’s secondary would keep up their improved play when facing their former coordinator.
The initial reaction was that Tennessee found some success outside the numbers, but after the fighting ended and team periods settled in, the 49ers started trending in the right direction. NBC’s Matt Maiocco noted the embarrassment that was the start to practice for the San Francisco defense, saying they hadn’t made a play and were instigating scuffles after nearly every whistle.
After those first couple of minutes, though, they settled in and took over.
The red zone is where the spigot really opened for San Francisco. Cam Inman, the 49ers reporter for the Bay Area News Group, channeled his best Greg Papa with an update noting touchdown passes from Brock Purdy to multiple receivers, Mac Jones finding Deebo Samuel and rookie De’Zhaun Stribling, and a Herbert rushing score mixed in.
The 49ers were racking up points against the Titans defense, which by all accounts on both sides of the aisle looked pretty shaky in the red zone.
Cam Ward’s day draws mixed reviews
Ted Nguyen, a senior writer for The Athletic who was on site, said he thought Cam Ward was having a nice day finding completions and rhythm early on.
But other 49ers reporters, including Lombardi, said Ward’s accuracy was very inconsistent.
A lowlight was a Ji’Ayir Brown pick-six that Ward threw after losing his second defensive tackle of the day, and there were a handful of misses and miscommunications. The general vibe from the San Francisco side was that Ward’s day was more down than up.
Several 49ers reporters, including Antonio Gonzalez and Lombardi, remarked on the fact that Ward was jawing back and forth with top San Francisco defenders during the fighting, including linebacker Fred Warner. Warner said at the podium afterwards, “It’s all fun and good competition. Cam is one of the few quarterbacks who will get into that verbal back and forth.”
Warner did emphasize that Ward has to channel that jawing into positive play and that the jury is still out on whether the verbal sparring is good news or bad news for the young Titans quarterback.
Looking ahead to Thursday’s preseason game
The overall takeaway from the 49ers side seemed to be that there was a bullying vibe early from the San Francisco defense, and Tennessee took exception. 49ers reporters seemed to think it was somewhat intentional, maybe even a little rage-baity, with the tone-setting physicality getting under the Titans’ skin.
Kyle Shanahan said at his podium that most starters will not play in Thursday’s preseason game, with those who will be announced at a later date. Meanwhile, Titans coach Robert Saleh said he plans for everyone to play Thursday and for it to be more than one series. That means you’ll get at least some Titans starters against 49ers backups, which may be illuminating for Tennessee if they aren’t able to hold their own. Thursday will be the final episode of the Titans’ trip out west before heading back to get ready for the rest of the preseason on the home front.
