49ers QBs working through Mack sweat issue, Shanahan says originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The quarterback-center exchange usually goes unnoticed until there's an issue, and two weeks into 49ers training camp, there appears to be a problem.
It's not that offseason acquisition Alex Mack is having timing issues with starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
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It's that the 35-year-old Mack is sweating too much. Yes, he's perspiring too much.
As NBC Sports Bay Area's Jennifer Lee Chan pointed out Saturday, Mack has started to tuck a towel inside his pants to combat sweat that is making the ball hard for Garoppolo grip.
The issue has become so noticeable that Kyle Shanahan, who coached Mack in 2014 with the Cleveland Browns and 2016 with the Atlanta Falcons, was asked about it after practice Sunday, and admitted the veteran center has always dealt with this issue.
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“Yes. Yeah," Shanahan told reporters in Santa Clara. "He works hard out there and has a little bit of a sweating issue. And we need like a beach towel. The quarterbacks are working through that.”
Shanahan revealed that Mack's sweating was so pronounced in Atlanta that Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan took drastic measures to make sure it didn't impact him.
"Honestly it happens with almost all centers," Shanahan said. "Maybe Mack a little worse than others, but no, I mean, [Atlanta Falcons QB] Matt Ryan used to make him change his pants like every period. It doesn't stay dry too long. It’s part of football.”
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The 49ers have a little over a month to figure out a workable solution to this issue before they kick off the 2021 regular season in Detroit on Sept. 12.
