ESPN star likens 49ers' QB situation to chess, says 'go figure' black pieces 'always go second'

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The San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback conundrum didn’t exactly get easier over the course of the preseason as rookie Trey Lance made a good case to be the Week 1 starter over Jimmy Garoppolo.

ESPN’s Max Kellerman said on the broadcast’s flagship show "First Take" said Monday that 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan should be cautious about the possibility of rotating quarterbacks during the game and compared to the 49ers’ strategy to a game of chess.

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"I’m not saying it can’t work. You can innovate, but this ain’t the way it’s always been done. And I think you take a risk by innovating, not if you’re in a position where you don’t have the horses, right? You’ve got to do something. You’ve got to have an asymmetrical kind of strategy. Like, if you play chess, and you’re the black pieces – which always go second. Go figure, right?" Kellerman said "If you just do the theoretically strongest move every time, you’re always a step behind the white pieces who start first, so you’ve got to do something asymmetrical. You’ve got to do something to throw off the balance."

San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Trey Lance (5) and Jimmy Garoppolo (10) walk across the field during an NFL football open practice, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron) (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron)

Kellerman added he believed the 49ers may not have to do something like that because they have a Super Bowl roster.

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"So, I get innovating like that if you need to do something. But I look at San Francisco’s roster, and I’m thinking this is a Super Bowl roster. Like, be careful what you do."

San Francisco may not have to make an innovative decision to start the 2021 season. Shanahan told reporters that Lance has a "small chip" in his finger and will be out a week.

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The small injury could hurt his chances of winning the starting job for the first game of the year.