The San Francisco 49ers have cancelled their mandatory minicamp next week. Head coach Kyle Shanahan explained the decision as a reward for 100-percent attendance at OTAs, but it may actually reveal that the Niners are doomed even before the season has begun.
Reporters who follow the team closely are a bit wary of the ostensible reason Shanahan gave for cancelling the minicamp. Matt Barrows of The Athletic theorized it may have to do with San Francisco's brutal travel schedule this season, and he and Tim Kawakami also discussed the impact of the World Cup being played at Levi’s Stadium on his decision.
While there were likely multiple factors at play, the main one probably has to do with how arduous a season this figures to be for the 49ers from a travel perspective. They have to go to Australia for Week 1 and then Mexico City later in the year, so they’re going to have to traverse the globe over the course of 17 games.
For a roster that is already old and prone to injury, this seems like a potential disaster waiting to happen. Shanahan seems to be realizing that and is trying to preemptively give the squad a little bit of rest before the season gets going.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this schedule, which Shanahan has seemingly taken issue with whenever given the opportunity, affects the Niners throughout the season, not just during games but in practice. San Francisco is known for going hard in practice during the week, harder than most NFL teams.
Some have theorized the bruising practices are part of the reason the Niners have experienced more injuries over the years, but one could also argue it’s the reason they are often better prepared for games than their opponents.
Will San Francisco even be able to go as hard in practice this season because of the schedule? If not, how is that going to affect its preparedness?
Ironically, that may have to do with injuries. If the 49ers veterans can stay fairly healthy, then any changes in practice intensity shouldn’t be felt too much. Guys like linebacker Fred Warner and running back Christian McCaffrey are probably going to be good to go even with light practice during the week.
But if veterans start going down and they get replaced by younger, more inexperienced players, then the Niners may have to ramp practice up again to try to get them ready, but maybe in the process, that leads to more injuries.
Who knows? Maybe the tough travel schedule won’t impact the group all that much, but the fact Shanahan is already cancelling minicamp shows he is going to have a tough time trying to balance keeping his team ready and prepared versus keeping his players fresh.
Add us as a preferred source on Google