NFC Notes: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

49ers DE Nick Bosa said he’s “trending toward” being fully recovered from his torn ACL injury in time for Week 1. 

“I looked at the schedule, but I knew when it was an early injury [last year], for the most part, I would probably be ready to go for Week 1,” Bosa said, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN. “And everything right now is trending towards that. So I’m hoping to ramp it up as I go and be ready to give it all I got Week 1.”

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan praised Bosa’s performance in the offseason program thus far and will take their time on his recovery. 

“Nick takes care of himself and better than anyone I’ve ever been around,” Shanahan said. “The guy has got a one-track mind and it’s awesome. So, you knew he’d come in great. And now it’s just about, you’ve got to know how much time it’s been since the injury. Him moving and looking like the player is, isn’t an issue. It’s just about building it up the right way. … We’ll take our time with him and be smart.”

Rams

Rams’ QB Matthew Stafford is with a new team for the first time in his career and says it is a brand new feeling, similar to being a rookie.

“It’s brand new,” said Stafford, via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN. “I’m walking around trying to learn everybody’s name and who does what and all that kind of stuff. So trying to perform at a high level in that atmosphere is a challenge but I’m loving it. The best part for me is that when I step into that huddle, I call that play, I got 10 other guys that are going to do their job so as long as I can do my job. We’re going to be where we want to be, and that’s a lucky feeling for me as a quarterback just knowing that I’ve got guys with great accountability, great experience in the huddle with me.”

Rams’ HC Sean McVay knows that there are still things that Stafford needs to get used to, but adds that he appears to be comfortable in Los Angeles.

“It seems like he feels very comfortable out here,” McVay said. “There’s a lot of little nuances and we’re just still getting things figured out … but he definitely has great command, and I think we could all feel that.”

Seahawks

Seahawks’ DB Marquise Blair is excited to showcase his versatility in 2021 after returning from a torn ACL.

“They’ve got me everywhere,’’ Blair said this week, via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. “I’ll do whatever. I think I can play anything on defense. I think I can play any position. I mean it was tough the first couple of days. But I’d already had an ACL (tear) in college so I just knew how to recover from it. I feel faster, smarter, stronger — everything.”

Seahawks’ HC Pete Carroll appears to have no concerns about Blair returning healthy and performing at a high level.

“I don’t have any reservation in saying he can do all of the things we need him to do,’’ Carroll said. “He’s just got to learn what we are doing and figure it out and make sure he can be really tight with all of his assignments and responsibilities, and that’s going to take some time. That takes some time before we trust him because we have guys that we do trust. The time that he can take advantage of right now when Jamal’s not there really helps him get more reps and show us where he fits in. Exciting football player for us.’’