The San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday begin Phase 3 of their offseason program, which is an important step in their pre-season preparations.
Phase 3 is the final portion of offseason workouts. It’s also the first set of practices with offense vs. defense on-field work permitted. Phase 1 is limited to rehab, meetings and conditioning. Phase 2 includes individual on-field work and no offense vs. defense.
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Here’s how the NFL describes Phase 3:
Phase Three consists of the next four weeks of the program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or “OTAs”. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.
Article 22 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that clubs may hold one mandatory minicamp for veteran players. This minicamp, noted below, must occur during Phase Three of the offseason program.
There are limitations to what coaches will be able to see and learn in OTAs. For veterans the sessions are more for getting back in shape and knocking the rust off after a few months away. For rookies they’re learning the playbook and starting to learn their role on their new club.
What matters most is how the players adjust in their time between the end of the offseason program in mid-June and the start of training camp in late July. Head coach Kyle Shanahan consistently talks about how much the time away matters for players, and how they handle that time can often set them up for success or failure once camp kicks off.
The final phase of the offseason program gives coaches and players a baseline for where they’re at going into camp. If players (specifically those battling for starting jobs or roster spots) come back for camp in better shape and more prepared to compete when the reps are real, they’ll put themselves in position to win a starting job or roster spot. If they come back for camp at or below the baseline they set in OTAs and mandatory minicamp, it could spell trouble for their hopes of maximizing their performance in camp.
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San Francisco’s third phase practices are slated to take place May 27-28, May 30, June 2-3 and June 5. Mandatory minicamp is scheduled for June 10-11.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: San Francisco 49ers news: Why Phase 3 of offseason program matters
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