Santa Clara, Calif. ? Less than 48 hours after their teammate collapsed and died, the San Francisco 49ers gathered together, discussed their grief and somehow went back to work.

The team held a light afternoon practice Monday after several hours of meetings and mourning for Thomas Herrion, the popular offensive lineman who died Saturday night after a preseason game in Denver.

Judging by the subdued atmosphere at their training complex, Herrion still was on the players’ minds four days before their next preseason game.

“It was a waste for me,” left tackle Jonas Jennings said of the hour-long workout. “Mentally, I wasn’t there. But you’ve got to be a professional. You’ve got to do what’s expected of you.”

Authorities might not know the cause of Herrion’s death for weeks, but no answer will seem logical to his teammates. His fellow offensive linemen received another sobering reminder of their profession’s risks and the physical extremes required to play it well, though no link has been established between Herrion’s weight – well over 300 pounds – and his death.

“It’s something you don’t like to think about every day,” center Jeremy Newberry said. “I think the life expectancy for offensive linemen isn’t great, but it’s part of your job. … (A player could) try to play at 200 pounds, but that isn’t going to happen.

“I’ve always been big, since I was 9 or 10. I guess I’ll pay more attention to blood-pressure issues.”

There were flower arrangements in the complex’s lobby, and grief counselors were available to the players when they arrived at work. The 49ers, who had a regular day off Sunday, canceled their Monday morning practice and closed their locker room to reporters.

Team physician Barry Bryant briefed the players on what they saw in the locker room in Denver, where Herrion collapsed shortly after the team recited the Lord’s Prayer. The team chaplain and a crisis expert also addressed the players, who still were clearly shaken by Herrion’s death.

“I knew it wasn’t good when it happened,” said guard Justin Smiley, who was kneeling next to Herrion. “It’s definitely scary. Every now and then, something brings you back to reality.”

Herrion played only in the final minutes of the 26-21 loss to Denver. He was on the field for San Francisco’s 14-play, 91-yard drive shortly before the final whistle.

“He reminded me of myself in college – just a raw talent, eager to learn,” Jennings said. “He was really coming into his own. He just had one of the best drives of his life, right before his life was taken.”

Everyone in the organization is expected to attend a private memorial service tonight in nearby Mountain View – but the team also must move forward in the relentless NFL preseason.

The 49ers play host to the Tennessee Titans on Friday night in their third exhibition game. Herrion’s funeral will be held Saturday in his native Fort Worth, Texas, with NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, coach Mike Nolan and team owners John York and Denise DeBartolo York expected to attend.

The 49ers will wear a black decal with Herrion’s No. 72 on the back of their helmets this season, and Herrion’s locker near the door to the practice fields will remain unchanged.

The Denver coroner’s office performed an autopsy Sunday, but a spokesman said no cause of death could be determined until coroners receive the results of toxicology and tissue tests, which usually take about three to six weeks.