Trey Lance: 4 ambitious goals for 49ers QB in 2022

Goal No. 2: Trey Lance must throw some interceptions… if they’re good ones

On the surface, this sounds like a bad plan for Trey Lance, right? Seriously, how are interceptions a goal, and what exactly are “good” interceptions?

Let’s take Niners Nation’s Kyle Posey’s analysis on this for a second. And to set the context, remember, Lance didn’t toss a single interception during his full year as a starter at North Dakota State, 2019, and he only threw one in the one-game season that followed for the Bison in 2021.

Here’s what Posey had to say about all that:

"In college, one of my biggest issues was, and when people say, “he didn’t throw any interceptions in college,” to me, that’s not a good thing. That’s telling me he’s being too cautious with the football, and he’s being too careful and not letting it rip."

This actually jives with what linebacker Fred Warner apparently told Lance during practice late in the year a season ago, transcribed by NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan:

"First of all, we weren’t getting the work that we needed to defend balls down the field. That’s why you saw that on game day. For his sake, I’m like, “Listen, this is your opportunity to take chances and develop in that part of your game. Take a chance. See if you can fit the ball into tight spaces. Or, can you throw on the run and make a pass down the field?”"

Yes, an interception or two here and there can be a good thing, particularly if Lance is banking on the upside of potentially hitting a target deep down the field. Or, at the very least, giving his receiver an opportunity of making a play on a 50-50 ball.

As anyone who has watched the game can attest, not all interceptions are solely on the quarterback.

In Lance’s case, being aggressive and finding success will offset whatever picks he might throw.