FOXBOROUGH — At the time, Brandon Lloyd had caught 57 NFL passes for 777 yards and eight touchdowns. He had two 1,000-yard receiving seasons at Illinois, where he was twice named All-Big Ten.

Yet there was Lloyd, in his third season with the San Francisco 49ers, walking pass routes in practice, methodically, step by painstaking step. Being told what his stance at the line of scrimmage should be, what foot to plant on, what angle to take when breaking back toward the quarterback, how to catch the ball. Things that he had done — quite successfully — for years.