ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- There's a reason why Head Coach Vance Joseph keeps throwing around the word "scrimmage" to describe Saturday's work: He wants to separate it from he rest of the practices to extract something more from his players.
"When you say 'scrimmage,' it should tweak a player to say, 'My best is needed,'" he said. "So that's why you say 'scrimmage' for these guys, so you can get their best."
Think of it, perhaps, as a mid-term examination. The practice comes at a rough midpoint of the summer practice work, with games and joint practices with the 49ers set to break up the routine over the weeks that follow.