2 min read • May 27, 2022
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Incumbent 49ers’ quarterback Trey Lance surprised the masses during his first media availability at OTAs when he revealed that a preseason finger injury hampered his play and development during his rookie season.
Lance is widely expected to take the helm of Kyle Shanahan’s dominant offense from Jimmy Garoppolo, granted he is traded once he can prove he is recovered from his shoulder surgery.
The ProFootballDocs are surprised that Lance would bring up this injury now when it wasn’t reported or discussed in 2021, as, regardless of the intent, it doesn’t serve any genuine purpose as he enters into a new season.
Based on context clues, it appears Lance suffered the right pointer finger injury, captured in the video below, in the 49ers’ final preseason game on August 29.
He said that the injury forced him to adjust his throwing motion as the finger never fully straightened out. The Docs say that the finger issue could certainly impact his throwing motion and power, depending on whether his grip is pointer-based or middle-finger-based.
San Francisco has historically been exceptionally honest regarding injuries under the current regime.
The only time that Lance is listed on the injury report, however, is from Week 7 to 9, while he was struggling with a knee sprain he picked up in his Week 5 start.
They were forthright about all of Garoppolo’s ailments – his early season calf strain, late season thumb injury, and playoff rotator cuff injury – even when he put on a brave face and played through them.
Having worked in the NFL for decades, ProFootballDoc, Dr. David Chao says, there are countless injuries that go unreported or underreported.
“I took care of Phil Rivers for a majority of his career and can tell you he had many more injuries than hit the injury reports. After all, 85% is a good week in the NFL.”
The 22-year-old dual-threat quarterback said that the offseason gave him time to get healthy, which was his main focus, and that the finger issue is behind him.
This will not be the last bump or bruise that Lance picks up in his (hopefully) long career and, like his predecessor, he will have to learn how to power through in season to get the most out of his abilities.
The bottomline: Welcome to the NFL, Trey Lance.
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