The San Francisco 49ers are required to grant media access to a portion of their offseason practices. That included two sessions during organized team activities (OTAs) and both practices of this week's mandatory minicamp. Reporters will also have significant access to training camp, which begins in late July.
If it were entirely up to head coach Kyle Shanahan, he might prefer to limit media availability even further. On Tuesday, Shanahan discussed the challenge of having reporters observe practices, particularly how it impacts his quarterbacks' development.
Some media members closely track and even compile stats from these sessions, treating them as if they were live-game situations. Shanahan believes that it paints a misleading picture of a player's actual progress and could even disrupt their development, especially if the players themselves start buying into those public narratives.
Take Brock Purdy, for example. During last year's training camp, the 49ers quarterback threw seven interceptions across two practices, fueling media speculation and concern about his performance. Shanahan emphasized that such mistakes are a normal part of the process and vital to a quarterback's growth.
That isn't always easy when every throw is meticulously dissected.
"Trying to get them to trust what they do and let it rip," Shanahan explained. "That's all I want in practice. You go through all these practices, and [if] you never throw a pick, you're probably not getting better. I think that's one of the biggest challenges having you guys around—no offense to you guys. But they used to not report people's stats every day, and say who's ahead, who's back, who's whatever. You could just practice. And when guys play to practice that way, they don't get better at anything, especially a quarterback."
Shanahan stressed that mistakes made in a safe practice setting are the only way players can reach their potential before being expected to perform at a higher level on game days.
"I mean, it's hard when you get in that stadium and things like that," Shanahan continued. "Not only are you getting hit for the first time, but now, all that stuff counts, and if you don't let it rip and go through all that in practice, you're not going to get any better in the games. And then, it's usually a matter of time before someone passes you up."
That process is essential for a quarterback like Mac Jones, who has reportedly struggled in the limited practices open to the media. While the media perception might sometimes be critical, Shanahan views these growing pains as part of the development plan.
Three of Purdy's throws were picked off during Tuesday's minicamp practice. Naturally, the media pointed them out in their analysis.
Last year, when questioned about his consecutive multi-interception practices, Purdy acknowledged how challenging it can be to walk that fine line between seeking perfection and testing your limits.
"In the game and in the season, it comes down to protecting the ball every snap, every play, so you can't necessarily try those things out," Purdy said. "Right now, we can, and so my mindset right now is protect the ball, but let's be aggressive. Let's try this out. Let's figure it out.
"And so, obviously, I want to go through my reads, check the ball down, and work on that as well because that's real, that's football. But there's a time and a place where I'm like, 'Hey, you know what? This is practice, and I'm going to drop back and try this out.' And then you figure out [whether] it could be a part of your game or not for the season."
