49ers State of the Franchise event recap and analysis

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CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 03: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the sidelines in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Quarter 3: Coaches (Kyle Shanahan, Robert Saleh, Richard Hightower)

Continuing the trend of being a close-knit group, Kyle Shanahan immediately emphasized in the beginning of the coaches’ quarter that these three have been working together for a long time.

Updating fans on players, Shanahan said quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has worked incredibly hard this offseason, which got me pumped. If Garoppolo was able to have all that success with limited experience with the playbook and chemistry with his receivers, what will the results of a full offseason of QB1 working hard look like?

Let me give you a hint. It’ll look pretty damn good.

Robert Saleh (whose head is shiny even in real life) expects second-year defensive end Solomon Thomas to improve in his sophomore season, describing the common bumps that rookie defensive linemen go through in their first year at the professional level. I expect Thomas to considerably improve in his second year, as I saw Thomas’s stature and performance on the field in the Week 16 game versus Jacksonville to be already much better than it was Week 1 versus Carolina.

These coaches have high expectations for their players. You could really hear the excitement in their voices tonight.