Niners Nation
The preseason is about growth. Reps are critical for improving, especially when it pertains to rookies or inexperienced players. San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh discussed how the loss of practice time can impact player development, and used rookie Upton Stout and veteran Chase Lucas as examples:
Any time, especially for these young rookies, these reps are gold. Especially these game reps from all the different situations because you could even see it from Chase, who’s a veteran, who is playing much better football than he was when he first got into camp. You know, just recognizing runs, formations, and indicators, and you can’t get better without reps. That stands for rookies and veterans.
Saleh had previously spoken about how comfortable Stout looked and how encouraging his progress was at nickel. But you can’t help the club from the tub.
Another rookie whom the 49ers will rely on at some point is linebacker Nick Martin, who had a preseason debut to forget. Martin missed a few tackles, got mixed up in coverage, and looked like…a rookie. The good news is that it’s August, and the preseason is for mistakes and learning.
Martin looked more sure of himself in Week 2 of the preseason, which led to him making more plays and being around the ball. He’s still a tad reckless, but that’s who Martin is, and that aggression shouldn’t be harnessed. Saleh spoke about that violence and assessed what he’s seen from Martin to date:
Much better. Nick’s got all the talent in the world. He’s got the speed. He’s got tremendous violence. His reactionary skills are incredible. The game’s got to slow down for him. And again, that’s reps for him. He can regurgitate the information like a lot of rookies can, but when you’re on the field and the ball snaps and it’s moving as fast as it does, it’s going to take him some time from a repetition standpoint. But, what was encouraging is that he maintained his confidence. He came out last week, had a very productive day and the expectation for him is to continue to get better in that regard.
The last time Martin spoke to the media, he gushed about how patient Saleh is as a coach and how that benefits him as a player. At the end of the day, Saleh understands that these are kids, and, eventually, they’ll figure out their struggles through reps. Saleh highlighted the numerous distractions players deal with today, and how that means you have to be even more patient with rookies:
You’ve got to be patient with them. Back in the day, there’d be yelling and screaming if a kid they’re trying, they’re not trying to make mistakes. So, the most important thing we can do is just teach in those moments. As long as the kid, the young man, has the wherewithal or the internal drive to continually try to get better, which you can see, then as a coach you...
