As the 49ers wrapped up minicamp Thursday, Colin Kaepernick stretched on the Levi’s Sideline sideline and laughed out loud with offensive coordinator Geep Chryst.

The franchise quarterback is definitely happy to still have around Chryst, who was elevated from quarterbacks coach while Jim Tomsula patiently compiled his staff after Jim Harbaugh and many assistants departed.

Glimpses of Chryst’s offensive philosophies have come to light in recent weeks of practices. One aspect is unmistakable: maximizing Kaepernick’s dual-threat talent.

“You start with the quarterback, right? That’s pretty simple,” Chryst said. “Having been around Kap, maybe that put us a little further ahead of where we were.”

Thursday marked the first time Chryst and all other assistants spoke to the media since their hiring back in January and February.

“I know making us available now makes it feel late,” Chryst said, “but it feels good that we’ve got our work done first, instead of talking about what we may or may not do.”

Tomsula’s staff is incorporating an up-tempo approach with new schemes, or at least blending in new strategies to complement the ones that worked under Jim Harbaugh’s regime.

“This is one of the best offseasons we’ve had since I’ve been here,” ninth-year lineman Joe Staley said. “Everybody is very focused and excited. New coaching staff, new energy, new ideas -- I think that has something to do with it as well.”

Defensive players have raved about how aggressive and unpredicatable they’ll be under Eric Mangini, who was an offensive assistant the past two years before replacing defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

“I couldn’t say it is going to be highly aggressive, or categorize it,” said Mangini, a former head coach of the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets. “We’re trying to build in flexibility. As a play caller, I’ve blitzed 30 times and I’ve blitzed three times. It’ll be week to week on that.”

The offense has been the 49ers’ weak link in recent years, however. Chryst’s job is to fix that.

Thus, the 49ers hope to recharge their rushing attack with the help of a zone-blocking scheme (without altogether ditching other blocking sets), and they’ve worked tirelessly on improving the passing game with deep threats, including newcomers Torrey Smith and Jerome Simpson.

Running back Kendall Hunter said of Chryst: “He’s been around and knows the players. We trust him.”

Another goal is to bring tight end Vernon Davis back into a play-making fold. “The first two weeks of practice, I was kind of surprised,” Davis said. “It’s been a while since I caught that many balls in practice. But it’s been like that the entire camp.”

Kaepernick’s importance is not understated. Chryst is moving him around in the pocket more, because: “That plays to Kap’s advantage. He’s always been good throwing both to his left and to his right.”

Kaepernick, however, got sacked a franchise-record 52 times last season, and Chryst attributed that to multiple factors.

“You always want to stay healthy on the offensive line for cohesiveness, and maybe for the first couple years, we weren’t,” Chryst said. “And you have to want to get the ball out. If you’re vulnerable, the defense will make you cry uncle. … Yeah, we’re trying to play to Kap’s strengths.”

Tomsula said of Chryst: "He’s done a tremendous job."

While Chryst will call plays from up in the coaches’ box, Mangini hasn’t decided if he also will, having typically run defenses from the sideline. The question on many minds is whether Mangini has enough defenders to run his ideal system, considering the departures of seven players who started last season, including the retirement of mainstays Justin Smith and Patrick Willis.

“We’ve got quite a few players that were here, some really talented guys,” countered Mangini. Among the first names Mangini listed off were Aldon Smith (“He can cause problems for anybody at any time”) and NaVorro Bowman (“He’s so much fun to watch when he plays”).

Tomsula seemed genuinely pleased with how his staff has come together, months after he scrambled to make hires. “We wanted to get the right people and I feel great about that right now,” Tomsula said.

Here are some other snippets from the coaching round table (all assistants sat at round tables, one or two coaches each, for an hour long session):

-- Running backs coach Tom Rathman walked into the media session invoking Marshawn Lynch's Super Bowl line: "I'm just here so I don't get fined." Rathman was joking; he's been one of the most gregarious and friendly (and astute) assistants over the years.

-- Defensive line coach Scott Brown doesn't think it will be a major issue that first-round pick Arik Armstead hasn't been part of the offseason program, aside from the rookie minicamp. League rules prevented Armstead from joining the 49ers until Friday because of Oregon's academic calendar.

"We've got to let him grow, develop and learn," Brown said. "He'll get through the process and we're not trying to put unrealistic expectations on him."

Brown spent the past three years as a 49ers scout, including the past two in the Big Ten region. He did not scout Armstead's two seasons at Oregon, and that work instead was done by Reggie Cobb, Ethan Waugh and general manager Trent Baalke.

"He has all the traits you're looking for," Brown said of Armstead. "Certainly for a man his height (6-foot-7), he's got unique flexibility. We see him as an instinctive player and he uses his hands well."

-- Wide receivers coach Adam Henry has been putting his corps through what he called "unique" drills, all in an effort to keep their hips low for leverage purposes. That should help them get off the line of scrimmage and create separation, which has been lacking in recent years. Helping Henry and fellow assistant Ronald Curry are veterans Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith.

"Having the two vets like Boldin and Smith to learn from, if I'm a young guy, I'm happy," said Henry, noting that the receivers all need thick skin because "we love to critique each other."