Day Two of 49ers Joint Practice With Vikings Gets Chippy

Day two of joint practice between the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings came with a bit more fire as both sides got into a few scrums throughout the day.

The 49ers have been known to play a bit harder than most in practice and the Vikings had enough of it Thursday, with veteran wideout Adam Thielen jawing at DBs. The emotions boiled over during 11-on-11s as Thielen rushed the field after one of his running backs was taken down hard by a 49er. No fights broke out from the altercation but the wideout had to be restrained by his teammates.

Adam Thielen visibly frustrated and things are getting chippy but broken up before any fights. #49ers pic.twitter.com/BckBZrkasM

— Steph Sanchez (@stragosaurus) August 18, 2022

Prior to practice, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he and Vikings’ coach Kevin O’Connell agreed fighting would not be tolerated this week, looking to only sharpen everyone’s skills in a football sense.

“Yeah, that’s a pretty big emphasis. I just have a deal with [Minnesota Vikings head coach] Kevin [O’Connell]. If anyone throws a punch, we’re going to kick him out of practice and we know how important it is to get this practice work right now. And that’s always stressed because we need to practice and if you fight, you’re going to be out of there, so do everything you can to not,” Shanahan said Wednesday.

Thankfully, no fights broke out. We’ll see how the emotions of practice carry over to Saturday’s contest.

Young DBs Bounce Back

Struggling against the pass-catching tandem of Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen Wednesday, the Red & Gold secondary bounced back in a big way, breaking up passes and creating tough contested catches throughout practice.

This play in particular where backup cornerback Deommodore Lenoir knocks ones away from Jefferson is definitely a positive sign.

Deommodore Lenoir knocks one away from Justin Jefferson…. impressive! https://t.co/AdET5Oy5KR

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 18, 2022

The 49ers’ secondary has been able to create turnovers at an elite rate throughout camp, continuing that trend Thursday by nabbing their 19th pick since the start of training camp. The team had 11 by the end of camp last season.

Would-be sack from 49ers Samson Ebukam & Kemoko Turay leads to Qwuantrezz Knight INT pic.twitter.com/bvb5TQYq7f

— Brad (@Graham_SFN) August 18, 2022

Yes, the defensive line would have gotten the sack on this play but it’s good to see young secondary produce takeaways against an opposing team. The 49ers are currently down three key starters in the secondary, including both starting CBs. Thursday’s showing, even though giving up a few plays, impressed the team’s defensive captain, All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner.

“The way they competed with top-tier receivers. Those are some of the best guys in the league. We’re down a bit at the position with a couple starters. … (Minnesota is) going to get theirs, but we got ours,” Warner said Thursday.

Nick Bosa’s Masterclass

Sometimes you forget Nick Bosa is human. I’m being serious.

The 49ers’ All-Pro defensive end put on a performance for the ages on Thursday, registering six-plus sacks according to reports. Just look at what Bosa did against promising left tackle Christian Darrisaw.

Vikings LT Christian Darrisaw is no match for 49ers Nick Bosa as he collects a sack on Kirk Cousins pic.twitter.com/s257SCRLlC

— Brad (@Graham_SFN) August 18, 2022

He ran right through him for the would-be sack on Cousins.

Remember it’s preseason training camp practice so teams are still fine-tuning schemes and playbooks, but from the looks of it, that shouldn’t matter much as the 49ers have a DPOY candidate on their hands. The best part about the Darrisaw play is that it was between another sack and a TFL, all created by, guess who, Nick Bosa.

Run the tape.

Three play sequence where #49ers Nick Bosa had 2 sacks & TFL against #Vikings 👀 pic.twitter.com/IZ0oiQSPmw

— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) August 18, 2022

The defensive end’s dominance raises another question: “Why are the Vikings trying to block Nick Bosa with a tight end?” The world may never know but this should serve as a warning to the other 30 NFL teams.

Lance Gets A Blast From The Past

If you didn’t know, Trey Lance is a native Minnesotan.

Growing up only three hours from the Vikings facility in Marshall, Minn., this week has been a bit of a homecoming for the young QB. Speaking to the media Wednesday, Lance revealed the Vikings would actually bring his high school football team to the facility Thursday, a gesture he’s was incredibly grateful of.

“The Vikings, appreciate them, they actually got some buses for my high school team to come tomorrow. So I get to say what’s up to some high school coaches and some teammates,” Lance said.

And true to their word, high schoolers arrived in busloads Thursday morning, excited to see one of their own at the NFL level.

Appreciate you @Vikings for making this happen ! https://t.co/XwU60LPby6

— Trey Lance (@treylance09) August 18, 2022

Nice one Vikings, it’s good to remember there’s more to the game than just the score at the end.

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