San Francisco 49ers fans are excited to see quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. An injury to rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard set the stage for Garoppolo's first start since joining the 49ers via a trade on October 30 and his third career NFL start.
What can fans expect to see from Garoppolo on Sunday? 49ers general manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Thursday night to answer that question and discussed the team's new starting quarterback.
"I keep going back to, 'Hey, this has to be a collective effort,'" Lynch said on the "Tolbert & Lund" show. "It can't be that everyone is sitting there going, 'Hey, we got Jimmy. Everything's going to turn around now.' Everyone's got to turn this thing around. As I've mentioned, I think Kyle and his staff have done a tremendous job of kind of finding a plan that he can handle given the time he's been here, and he's done an extraordinary job getting better each week. And like I've said, now with the reps, you can really see that he's starting to take ownership and really feel comfortable.
"And I think (we'll) continue to tailor that plan right down until Sunday and get something he's really comfortable (with). I've got no doubt. He is a talented dude. We saw it the other day, and they're just little snapshots, but we see it out here every day.
"He's going to make some plays, so I think, really, what I want to see is everyone work together because I've got a lot of confidence, when everyone's doing their job, he's going to put them in position to make great plays and make great plays himself."
What happens when Beathard is finally healthy? Do Lynch and the 49ers want to see Garoppolo continue to start over the rookie?
"Absolutely. There's no doubt," Lynch said when asked the question. "That would mean he's playing well, which I fully expect. Now, he's got to go show it. He's got to go do it, and we've got to do it with him. But absolutely, that would be the hope, the wish, because that would mean things are going well and we're getting better each week."
You can listen to the entire interview with Lynch below.
Since being drafted with the 62nd overall pick by the New England Patriots, Garoppolo has appeared in 18 games, but, as mentioned, Sunday will be just his third start. Over his four-year career, he has completed 67.7-percent of his passes for 708 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Sunday's game will also be a homecoming for Garoppolo. Soldier Field, where the 49ers and Bears will play, is located about 30 miles from his hometown of Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Chicago is currently listed as a three-point favorite over the visiting 49ers.
