Fans of the 49ers won’t know until this fall if their revamped team will be a winner.
But win or lose, it appears the Niners offense will be moving at a faster clip.
In practices this week during the first session of organized team activities (OTAs), the 49ers offensive unit is being pushed by new head coach Jim Tomsula to be quicker between plays.
Several reporters noted that Tomsula has been yelling “Tempo! Tempo!” during drills, to get his offensive players moving as quickly as possible from the huddle to the line of scrimmage and the snap.
“All I was hearing from him was ‘Tempo! Get on the ball! Let’s go!,” wide receiver Quinton Patton told Tyler Emerick of the team’s website. Added rookie running back Mike Davis: “Man, everything is fast, fast, fast.”
Matt Barrows, who covers the 49ers for the Sacramento Bee, noted that the 49ers this week have been getting to the line of scrimmage after huddling with 22 to 23 seconds remaining on the play clock.
That could be a big improvement for the 49ers offense, which over the past two seasons often has operated at a snail’s pace. They’ve had 20 delay-of-game penalties over 2013 and 2014, Barrows noted.
Offensive tackle Joe Staley says clock management has been “pretty miserable,” and that Tomsula is making speed of play an issue this offseason so it becomes second nature during the season.
Tomsula says it’s important for the team to get used to operating at a faster pace because players “have to think in a fast-paced, stressful environment.”
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Thursday’s practice was scheduled for two hours but was completed in 90 minutes, Emerick reported.
