Former NFL GM doubles down on his harsh criticisms against the 49ers QB Trey Lance despite backlash

Trey Lance and Sam Darnold will battle for the QB2 spot in San Francisco.

Former NFL GM doubles down on his harsh criticisms against the 49ers QB Trey Lance despite backlash

Michael Lombardi (L - via VSiN) and Trey Lance (R - via Yahoo Sports)

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback issues are like a soap opera. There is a new episode everyday. Brock Purdy is expected to start for the 49ers in week 1, but the majority of the headlines revolve around Trey Lance and whether he will be able to hold onto that QB2 spot.

Former 49ers executive, Michael Lombardi, had some strong opinions about the young QB after his disappointing preseason performance against the Las Vegas Raiders. On his podcast, The GM Shuffle, Lombardi said, “When his mom lifted him up from the crib, he didn’t have that QB instinct. He won’t win the backup QB spot based on what I’ve seen and heard.” These are some harsh comments which resulted in a lot of backlash on social media.

YouTube video

Lombardi doubled down on his ‘crib’ comments while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show. “There are certain players that have the crib thing. You can’t explain to anybody why Michael Jordan did what he did on the court or what Barry Sanders did or what Peyton Manning saw. It’s just an innate instinctive thing,” he said.

FS Video

He continued,“What I said about Trey Lance was he just doesn’t possess instinctively how to play the position. I stand by what I said about Lance, I watched the tape, I’ve seen him play, it doesn’t come”

The criticism might be harsh, but Lance’s performance in the 49ers’ first preseason game wasn’t great. Lance was drafted third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, but since then he has failed to make the starting QB position his own.

The 49ers open their season on September 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They will hope to see some progress in Lance in their remaining preseason games.

Related: Dallas Cowboys Schedule NFL 2023

Kurt Warner has positive views on Trey Lance’s preseason performance

Trey Lance (L) and Kurt Warner (R)
Trey Lance (L – via Sky Sports) and Kurt Warner (R – via SBNation.com)

Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, while appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, had positive things to say about the 49ers QB, Trey Lance. Warner saw growth in Lance and said that the performance “wasn’t as bad as people were talking about.”

“There were some times, you know, that I want to see him just process a little bit faster with the information. But overall, I actually didn’t think it was bad. I thought it was progress over what I saw a year ago, and I think we always have to remember, I know he was drafted high, but he hasn’t played a lot of football, he hasn’t had a lot of experience.” Warner said.

Trey Lance will hope to win that QB2 spot on the roster. He will be in action against the Denver Broncos in the 49ers’ next preseason game on Sunday.

In case you missed it:

Do follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter