Singletary’s way: Preparation before practice

<p>Coach Mike Singletary might believe the 49ers are behind a lot of the other teams in the NFC, but he is not rushing to catch up.</p><p>The 49ers were allowed to begin practice Wednesday with rookies, quarterbacks and veterans coming back from injuries.</p><p>Instead, the team spent time in the classroom.</p><p>Today, all the veterans are scheduled to report to training camp. The 49ers are allowed to put on pads and hold their first full-team practice Friday.</p><p>Instead, the 49ers will spend more time in the classroom.</p><p>The team’s first official practice of training camp is scheduled for Saturday morning at the 49ers’ year-round training complex in Santa Clara.</p><p>“When we hit the field, we are going to be ready to go,” Singletary said. “I like things to be spelled out very clearly and I want to make sure that the players understand their roles. I want to make sure the coaches understand their roles. Our practices are going to be challenging.”</p><p>And there are no scheduled planned once the practices begin, either. The 49ers do not have a scheduled day off prior to their Aug. 14 exhibition opener against the Denver Broncos.</p><p>“I can only guess what it’s going to be like,” quarterback Alex Smith said. “I imagine that it’s going to be pretty physical. I think that we’re going to have the pads on a lot and we’re going to be hitting a lot. I kind of imagine a pretty physical and mentally tough camp.”</p><p>Singletary said the 49ers are behind a lot of their competition because they have a first-year head coach, their seventh offensive coordinator in seven years, and unsettled starting jobs at quarterback and wide receiver.</p><p>While Singletary might be eager to get on the field for practice, he first wants to make sure his team is ready to go.</p><p>“There are 31 other teams out there that are going to get a jump on it,” Singletary said. “They are probably trying to get out there (as early as possible), but I guarantee you, we are going to get all the work that we need.”</p><p>Singletary said he does not want to rush into the daily grind of practices at the expense of creating a bond among the 80 players who will attend training camp.</p><p>“I want to make sure each guy knows the guy to his left, the guy to his right, the guy behind him, the guy in front of him,” Singletary said. “I think it’s important for us to really take some time to get to know each other because when we are out here, that is all we have and we are going forward with that.”</p><p>Rarely — if ever in the NFL — has a team had a four-day lag from reporting date to its first practice. But with Singletary’s Hall of Fame credentials as a player, his unique approach is not being questioned.</p><p>“He knows what has to be done to be a great football team,” said 49ers rookie linebacker Scott McKillop. “We’re building a family here, and he knows and understands what we have to do.”</p><h3>EXTRA POINTS</h3> <p>The 49ers placed veteran cornerback Walt Harris on injured reserve, officially ending his season after he sustained a torn knee ligament in practice on May 19. Harris underwent surgery in June.</p><p>Rookie defensive end Ricky Jean-Francois was placed on the non-football illness list after reporting to camp with a stomach illness. He is listed as day-to-day.</p><p>For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at http://blog.press</p><p>democrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco via e-mail at matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com.</p>