Lloyd has to fill big shoes

BY DARRELL MOODY

Appeal Staff Writer

SQUAW VALLEY - Terrell Owens is gone. Ditto for Tai Streets. The departure of the 49ers' talented starting wideouts leaves gaping holes at a position that used to be the strength of the team.

Second-year pro Brandon Lloyd has inherited one of the starting spots along with Cedric Wilson, and he knows what awaits him entering summer camp. Lloyd, a fourth-round pick out of Illinois, caught 11 passes for 149 yards and two scores a year ago.

"They are big shoes to fill," said Lloyd, who was at The Resort at Squaw Creek last week as part of the 49er Foundation Celebrity Ski Classic. "I'm excited, but at the same time I don't want to put a lot of pressure on myself," said the 49ers' talented second-year receiver. "There's going to be so much outside pressure. I want to keep having fun and keep learning the game. As long as I keep having fun, things will work out.

"I don't mind pressure, I really don't. I'm just going to keep playing the game. Putting added pressure on myself makes it worse. The pressure is already going to be there."

Players react to pressure differently. Some wilt a bit, and never meet the challenge. Others grasp the opportunity and run with it.

"It's a dual thing," said 49ers offensive coordinator Ted Tollner, who admitted that the Niners could get a receiver in the draft or through free agency. "Obviously it's a real challenge because Brandon and Cedric Wilson are replacing good players. On the other side of it, it's a great opportunity for them.

"We're expecting them to raise the level of their play. That's what you count on when this occurs. Brandon is a gifted, skilled athlete, but there is a certain amount of anxiety because they are not proven starters."

Tollner likes what he saw last year of Lloyd.

"Brandon brings great catching range," Tollner said. "He's flexible and has good jumping ability. If the ball is around him, he'll catch it. He's really skilled, and he has good separation skills."

Getting the ball. That's what matters to Lloyd. Tags like speed guy or possession receiver aren't important to him.

"I have hands like a possession receiver and speed like a playmaker," he said. 'I think I fit both of those categories."

The 49ers want Lloyd, who currently packs only 180 on his 6-foot frame, to beef up by at least 10 pounds.

"He has to get stronger and geared up to play 16 games," Tollner said. "His body has to hold up. Just getting off the football is a challenge, and it takes its toll over the course of the season.

"There's two things we worry about. The need to get stronger and he needs to become experienced."

Lloyd agreed.

"I want to be able to keep that weight on throughout the season," he said. "Toward the end of last season when Terrell was hurt and I had to play the entire game, it was hard. Being out there and running a route or blocking downfield on every running play ... it was difficult."

Lloyd, while exuding quiet confidence, knows he has a long way to go.

"Last season was a whole new game for me," he said. "I didn't play much until late last season. Everything was fast. Everything was up tempo. Every drill we did was at game speed, and it took a lot of adjustment.

"Tory Holt (St. Louis Rams), before the draft, told me you haven't done anything until the third year, and even after the third year you're still learning. I took that advice and use it to make myself better."

One of the things that has helped make Lloyd's adjustment easier is that Illinois ran a pro-style offense.

"That helped me a tremendous amount," Lloyd said. "The terminology is the same which helped me when I came to camp last summer. I didn't have to have my head buried in a playbook. I was able to focus on my technique; getting off the line of scrimmage and learning how to shred a defensive back."

And, if he doesn't have enough pressure getting adjusted to be a starter, he'll have a "new" starting quarterback to get adjusted to, as Tim Rattay has been annointed the No. 1 quarterback with the departure of Pro Bowler Jeff Garcia, who recently signed with the Cleveland Browns after refusing to renogotiate his contract with the 49ers.

"Even if Tim wasn't going to be the starter we'd be hitting it hard (of-season workouts)," Lloyd said. "In the West Coast offense, timing is everything. You have to know what to expect in terms of how the receiver makes his cuts and where he prefers catching the ball.

"Tim has a stronger arm than Jeff, and he's got better accuracy. Tim lets the play work itself out, and he hangs in there (in the pocket) longer."

And, no doubt Rattay will be counting on Lloyd to make some big plays, which will quiet any naysayers.