Charles Woodson, the Hall of Fame defensive back turned analyst who knows a thing or two about missing training camp, can imagine the impact the return of Trent Williams will have on his 49ers teammates.
“It’s like getting in a fight, and all of a sudden you look and see your big brother coming and it’s like, `Oh, man. I feel a little better now,’ ” Woodson said in a phone interview. “I think that’s what Trent provides for that team.”
Both Williams and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk are expected to be available for the 49ers’ first fight against the New York Jets Monday night at Levi’s Stadium. Exactly how much they’ll play will be determined by what coach Kyle Shanahan sees on the practice field this week. The serious preparations began Thursday.
Shanahan sounded skeptical before practice Thursday that Aiyuk would jump back into the fray at his usual workload of nearly 100 percent of the snaps.
“My expectations are that I’d be surprised with 98 percent,” Shanahan said. “But I’ll see how the week goes. We’ve had one practice with him. He threw with Brock (Purdy) over the weekend. We’ve got one practice with Trent. … We’ll see how they are these three days and then kind of evaluate it.”
When Woodson held out all of training camp on the franchise tag in 2004 with the Raiders and arrived on Sept. 1, then-coach Norv Turner was dubious about his defensive star having a full-time role, saying he’d likely play in the nickel defense and be eased back into the lineup.
Then in Week 1 against Pittsburgh, Woodson played every snap. He eventually signed with Green Bay in free agency in 2006 before returning to the Raiders in 2013.
Former Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson sat out of training camp in 2004 and played every snap in Week 1 of the regular season. Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group
As much as Shanahan believes in the importance of practice time, it’s also true that special players can do special things, and it won’t surprise anyone to see Williams play every snap and Aiyuk to play a major role even if both may be a little rusty.
With Williams and Aiyuk returning to the same offensive and defensive systems, Woodson, now an analyst at Fox Sports, believes their absence is mitigated to a degree.
“In terms of just playing the game, you work all offseason as far as your training and getting ready to play,” Woodson said. “But you don’t have any game reps, any of the real contact that goes along with tackling, taking on blocks, falling down, getting back up. You’ve just been training on your craft, your footwork, conditioning. The biggest challenge is how your body is going to be able to withstand being back in the game.”
Williams carries with him a Woodson credibility factor to the point where teammates will be surprised if he doesn’t simply pick up where he left off. Williams, 36, has been monitored closely in recent training camps anyway.
Defensive end Nick Bosa, who partially attributed a slow start a year ago to missing camp during a contract holdout, doesn’t believe the same thing will happen to Williams.
“We were texting a little bit and I said whenever you show up I’ll give you some live reps, but I don’t think he needs it,” Bosa said. “If anyone can come back and play like they never left it’s him.”
Left guard Aaron Banks said on July 29 he was unconcerned about Williams’ holdout because, “When he gets back, he’s still going to be Trent Williams.”
When reminded of that comment this week, Banks said, “I’m sticking by that.”
While training camp isn’t the grind it used to be during the two-a-days that were common-place when Woodson played, he still believes there’s a freshness factor that can be an advantage in the first game.
“I felt coming in I was feeling much better than the guys that actually had to go through camp,” Woodson said. “The difference was basically I didn’t have that hand-to-hand combat that they had to go through that I would be getting the first game after that holdout.”
Brandon Aiyuk (11) is working on getting his rhythm back with quarterback Brock Purdy in advance of the opener on Monday night. Dai Saguno/Bay Area News Group
Williams’ return will provide a mental lift for the entire team at a crucial time.
“They know what it means in terms of being a guy who’s on the blind side of the quarterback,” Woodson said. “You know the importance of a left tackle — and this isn’t just any left tackle. He’s the best in the business, and for them to get back into the hunt, get to the playoffs, get to the Super Bowl, they need all of their guys and they need the guy. Probably the best player on that team, pound for pound.”
The timing between Purdy and Aiyuk will be something to watch closely, Woodson believes.
“Brock’s had to throw to different guys all through camp,” Woodson said. “They’re practicing now so they’re getting some of that back, but now they’re going to go into that first game trying to rekindle that timing that they had once things go live. I don’t think it will take too long, they’ll figure it out quickly. But just the initial part of that first game, three may be some miss-throws.”
Another Hall of Famer, former 49ers quarterback Steve Young, believes it will be apparent quickly if Aiyuk and Purdy are on the same page. Young said Aiyuk’s “super power” is his ability to get open quickly for a quarterback who depends on quick-time rhythm passing.
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“(Brock) is looking for people to get open now,” Young said on KNBR-680. “That’s what Brandon does for him. He should be super fresh, but did he come in shape enough to get to the line of scrimmage and just leave people behind?
“There’s no question in my mind Brandon will get there and hopefully it’s not a month later. If he gets open quickly and Brock hits him on the run, it’s like, `All is well.’ ”
