SANTA CLARA — Jim Tomsula patrolled the 49ers practice field Thursday as an orderly head coach, rather than an affable defensive-line boss.

Noticeable changes went beyond him in a black sweatsuit instead of Jim Harbaugh’s preferred khaki pants. Tomsula hollered for perfection when back-to-back passes were dropped, and he supervised from different vantage points, often behind the offense.

Most evident, he emphasized a fast-paced approach as the first week of organized team activities came to a close. Players on offense and defense raved about that up-tempo emphasis.

“All I hear from him is, ‘Tempo. Tempo. Get on the ball. Let’s go!’ ” wide receiver Quinton Patton said.

“He doesn’t smile as much as he used to, and he does a little more yelling now,” nose tackle Ian Williams added. “But, nah, he’s doing a good job so far. He’s switched up a lot of things and tried to cut a lot of fat in how practices and meetings are.”

Tomsula served the past eight seasons as defensive line coach, working under Mike Nolan, Mike Singletary and Harbaugh. This is Tomsula’s first go-round as an NFL head coach, aside from his interim term at the end of 2010 and his NFL Europe stint with the 2006 Rhein Fire.

“I think it’s going good,” said Tomsula, deflecting credit to his “great” locker room and coaching staff. “It’s been enjoyable. But it’s a lot of work.”

The 49ers are seven weeks into their voluntary offseason workouts, with two weeks of OTAs remaining until the mandatory minicamp (June 9-11) before summer break.

Williams, a fifth-year veteran, says he can tell that Tomsula is “having fun” in his supervisorial role. Players are enjoying the transition, too.

“I love him, man,” safety Antoine Bethea said. “He’s charismatic. He’s one with the players. It’s going to be a good deal for us.”

What wasn’t so good the past few years was the 49ers’ clock management. Left tackle Joe Staley is pleased at how that is being resolved by what he calls a cohesive coaching staff.

“There’s a definite emphasis on operating faster, substituting faster, getting the play calls out, getting lined up,” Staley said. “During game situations, we’d like to break that huddle at 22 or 24 seconds, so we have time to operate at the line of scrimmage.”

Tomsula’s intentions, he says, are to improve not only conditioning but how players handle stressful, fast-pace environments.

To describe Tomsula in a complimentary tone, Staley chose to paraphrase a quote Justin Smith said shortly after Smith retired Monday.

“The perception might be like he’s a meathead D-line coach, but he’s not that at all,” Staley said of Tomsula. “He’s a very knowledgeable coach. He’s very involved. He knows what he’s talking about. And guys respect him, too.”

Linebacker NaVorro Bowman took a routine day off Thursday to rest his surgically repaired knee after back-to-back days of practice. “It’s been awesome watching Bow,” Tomsula said. “He’s doing really, really well.”

Running back Mike Davis downplayed a left-thumb injury he suffered Wednesday from a Colin Kaepernick pass. “I didn’t know he could throw the ball that fast,” Davis said. “I still caught it. … It’s sore a little bit, but I’m fine now.”

Running back Carlos Hyde didn’t practice because of a minor leg injury. He watched the afternoon session and afterward said: “I’m good.”

Reggie Bush, along with Australian import Jarryd Hayne, fielded punts while Bruce Ellington remained out with a hamstring strain. Bush also said he’s developing a “really good relationship” on pass routes with Kaepernick, who declined to comment. “I was a 49ers fan growing up as a kid, so to play here is pretty surreal,” said Bush, a 10th-year veteran.

Kendall Hunter lined up as the first-string running back and looked smooth after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament 10 months ago.

Still absent from the voluntary workouts were wide receiver Anquan Boldin, fullback Bruce Miller, offensive linemen Alex Boone and Anthony Davis, punter Andy Lee and kicker Phil Dawson. All are conditioning on their own.

Play of the day: Patton caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Kaepernick after splitting safeties Eric Reid and Bethea. “He hit me in stride,” Patton said. “Perfect throw, perfect catch, perfect touchdown.”

Tight end Derek Carrier’s right foot is in an orthopedic boot, but tests revealed no fracture, Tomsula said. Carrier missed last season’s final five games with a foot injury.

Seeking a replacement for Mike Iupati, the 49ers had Andrew Tiller line up at left guard with the first string, and Brandon Thomas with the second string. Erik Pears was the first-team right guard.