The San Francisco 49ers had just come off of a 33-10 drubbing against the Philadelphia Eagles to fall to 0-8. Starting quarterback C.J. Beathard, who was pressured on 60-percent of his dropbacks in the game, came out battered after being under consistent attack by the Philadelphia defense.
Things were not looking good for the young 49ers team, which had already made a quarterback change from Brian Hoyer to the rookie, Beathard. San Francisco would not win its first game of the season for another two weeks. Something needed to be done to rejuvenate the 49ers squad and the fanbase, which had already given up on the dreadful season.
The next day, something was done. It was a bold and unexpected move by general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, who traded away a second-round pick to the New England Patriots for their franchise quarterback of the future – Jimmy Garoppolo. Excitement among the fans was now higher than it had been since the hiring of Lynch and Shanahan. The future looked bright, and the 49ers finally had a piece to build the team around.
49ers play-by-play radio announcer, Ted Robinson, remembers what it was like leading up to the trade for Garoppolo. He joined the 49ers Webzone "No Huddle" podcast this week, which you can listen to below, and described the atmosphere following the game in Philadelphia.
"I think, the plane ride back from Philadelphia was the low point," Robinson told hosts, Al Sacco and Zain Naqvi. "That flight felt like it was 10 hours long and the game was miserable, the injuries were miserable. That was the low point and 24 hours later, Garoppolo, he's in San Francisco. I joke with Shanahan and Lynch that they will look back someday and they will remember those 24 hours. That's what turned this thing, because it was.
"That Philadelphia game, as you all know, when you're watching backup guards playing tackle and C.J. Beathard was just punished, it was the first time in my 49er career that I was concerned for the health of the quarterback. The beating he was taking in that game was merciless.
"24 hours later, they had Garoppolo come in, and it was the accelerant to the rebuild. We all know this is a rebuild and everyone's been patient, and it's going to take time. Six-year contracts allow you to view it that way. But with Garoppolo, it's kind of when you're trying to start the fire on your grill, and you have to squirt a little extra juice on the coals to get the fire going, that's what Garoppolo was."
You can also listen to the "No Huddle" podcast on our dedicated podcast page, iTunes, Google Play, or SoundCloud.