49ers' Trey Lance: 'I'm holding myself to the highest standard' amid scrutiny

All things being equal, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance may be the most scrutinized 22-year-old in the entire NFL ahead of the club's regular-season opener at the Chicago Bears on Sunday. 

Public doubts about Lance's abilities to lead the 2022 49ers popped up as far back as February, and multiple reports throughout the spring and summer months posed questions about "the fitness of his arm" and about his supposed "arm fatigue" issues. 

Veteran signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo then remained with the 49ers via a pay cut that was signed before teammates didn't vote Lance a captain. These latest developments have some analysts and even a Hall of Famer wondering if San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan will have a quick hook for Lance and go back to Garoppolo if the second-year pro struggles this month. 

Lance attempted only 71 passes during his first pro regular season and completed 11-of-16 throws for 141 yards and a touchdown in a pair of August exhibition matchups. Per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone, Lance recently suggested during a conversation with Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area that he'll be his harshest critic starting with this Sunday afternoon.  

"I'm holding myself to the highest standard that I possibly can," Lance said. "I'm not using my inexperience or age or anything like that as an excuse. It doesn't matter when it is, practice rep, game rep, end of the season, beginning of the season. For me, it's coming in every day, continuing to get better, learn as much as I possibly can, and winning games."

That's all well and good, but Lance should realize more than a few fans will be calling for Garoppolo to get the nod for the Week 2 contest versus the Seattle Seahawks if the 49ers are 0-1 on Monday morning.