The Sports Xchange

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The game plan is in place and basically all of the key players have at least seen it in action.

The only thing left for the San Francisco 49ers is to get to training camp and get everyone on the field executing what new coach Jim Tomsula proudly labels “our scheme” after taking over from the departed Jim Harbaugh.

“This isn’t the old scheme,” Tomsula assured at the end of the 49ers’ mandatory three-day minicamp on Thursday. “This is our scheme. This is the 49ers’ offensive schematic. It was installed. It’s the 49ers’ defensive schematic, special teams schematic, player-engagement schematic.

“We’ve installed them all and we own it, and we’re moving forward with it.”

Moving forward, presumably, means getting top draft pick Arik Armstead in uniform, and center Daniel Kilgore, defensive end Darnell Dockett, outside linebackers Aldon Smith and Aaron Lynch, and cornerbacks Tramaine Brock, and Shareece Wright and safety Jimmie Ward back on the field.

Those eight missed all or part of the minicamp for a variety of reasons. All are expected to be full participants when training camp kicks off in July.

Everyone except Armstead, a defensive end who was prohibited from attending the minicamp because of NFL rules regarding rookies, and when they could not participate.

Tomsula considered that a positive.

“We’ve come a long way,” he said. “We’ve achieved what we needed to achieve up to this point.”

One of the points of emphasis in the 49ers’ offensive work during their minicamp was throwing the ball downfield.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick took new offensive Geep Chryst’s playbook and ran with it, so to speak.

“He is playing with a lot of confidence,” Chryst said. “I think he’s having fun playing football. I think it’s awful important to him.”

One of the key connections at the minicamp was Kaepernick with one of his former favorite targets, tight end Vernon Davis. Clearly, an effort is being made to reunite the two after an unintended 2014 separation.

Kaepernick’s first pass in 11-on-11 drills of the second day of minicamp, for example, was a 35-yarder down the left side to Davis. It got the session off to an exciting start.