1. Quarterback John Beck spent the second half of practice working with the starters after Rex Grossman opened the session with them. Beck again moved well; his passing was another issue. Coach Mike Shanahan did not say whether Beck would start Friday vs. Indianapolis, but it would make sense. After all, it’s an open quarterback competition and Grossman started the opener.
2. LaRon Landry expects to come off the physically unable to perform list Wednesday and play in the third preseason game. Here’s the link.
3. Linebacker London Fletcher did not practice because of a sore groin that also limited him Sunday. Shanahan said Fletcher would have been able to play had there been a game today.
Also, corner Josh Wilson tweaked his groin/left hamstring this morning, preventing him from completing the full practice.
“Hopefully it’s just a little setback,” Shanahan said.
4. Running back Ryan Torain will see a specialist about his left hand Tuesday, not today as Shanahan initially said. Torain underwent surgery to repair his fractured left hand on Aug. 4. Shanahan said he would miss seven to 10 days.
5. Wide receiver Malcolm Kelly and safety Oshiomogho Atogwe also did not practice. There’s still no word on when Atogwe will return. Kelly likely will get more X-rays and another MRI on his bruised right foot.
Each day Kelly misses is a setback.
“It’s hard to make the club when you’re not practicing,” Shanahan said.
6. Finally, a question on running back James Davis. Alas, it had to do with his whereabouts and not anything he did on the field. Anyway, Davis was missing today.
Why?
“I don’t know,” Shanahan said. “If you see him, let me know. I’m wondering where he was at, too. Missing in action.”
Yes, it was an unexcused absence. ESPN980 later reported that Davis was involved in a shouting match with his position coach, Bobby Turner, about playing time — or lack thereof — in Friday’s preseason opener vs. Pittsburgh. Davis was a longshot to make the roster.
7. Keiland Williams said he still feels like a running back who’s playing fullback. At 220 pounds, he’s hardly the prototypical size for a fullback.
“But it’s about the physicalness and the want-to,” he said. “The biggest transition is being a better run blocker.”
Williams also played the role of a third-down back in the preseason opener, as he did for part of 2010.
8. Sentence I never thought I’d type: Here’s a good quote from Rocky McIntosh. He was talking about the effectiveness of the defensive line vs. Pittsburgh. “Those guys up front set the tone,” he said. “Once they set the charge for it, we’re bringing the cavalry right behind.” McIntosh has actually been more quotable this season, for whatever reason. In the past it was hard to get him to talk.
9. Tight end Fred Davis comparing Rex Grossman vs. Beck: “Rex is more comfortable now. He’s been in the offense for so long, you can tell in his poise in the pocket. But Beck does well. He has a strong arm so he can make plays too. Hard decision.”
10. Grossman was a little pumped up about Kyle Shanahan’s aggressive play-calling. With Grossman in the game, Shanahan called passes on 13 of 19 first-down plays. But six of the first nine were runs, setting up the play action and bootlegs that dominate the playbook. They also used several dropback passes.
“That’s the beauty of this offense, we’ve got everything,” Grossman said. “We have the zone running scheme which creates great play-action, with the receiving corps and the line and Tim Hightower and all the running backs we have, we’ve got all the weapons we need. Everything is right there for us.”
