This may not be Jimmy Garoppolo's first training camp, but it's his first as an NFL team's starting quarterback and his first with San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. But for Garoppolo, it is business as usual.
"I've gone into every training camp having the same mindset, and I'll do it here too," Garoppolo told NFL Network's Steve Wyche on Thursday. "You want to be a good leader for your team, be the best quarterback you can be to help your team be successful."
The on-the-field competitiveness naturally elevates during training camp when compared to OTAs and minicamps. Garoppolo, however, feels that the 49ers are always competitive. That competition only increases with the addition of a particular veteran All-Pro cornerback who was limited during the offseason as he recovered from injury.
"It's always competitive, even when it's not ones versus ones," Garoppolo said. "You know, when we're doing scout team stuff. That's just kind of the atmosphere we have around here, and it's exciting. Having [Richard Sherman] out here just gives you one more thing to think about as a quarterback. What he's going to do, how he's playing you, how he's reading you. It's one of those cat-and-mouse-type games."
After signing Garoppolo to a then-NFL-record five-year deal in February, the 49ers started working on bringing in weapons to complement their new gunslinger. They added a versatile running back in Jerick McKinnon, who on Thursday shared his thoughts on what makes Garoppolo so special.
"I would just say his leadership and the leadership he takes amongst himself," McKinnon told reporters. "Not just the coaches. I've been on teams where the coaches have to fix something and then players put their input. Whereas Jimmy, he doesn't wait for the coaches to put their input first. If he sees something or wants something corrected or a certain way, he's going to voice that opinion.
"Everybody respects him and his game, so I think that's what makes him a great quarterback."
The 49ers may not have that big-name wide receiver for Garoppolo to target in red-zone situations, but the quarterback feels the group doesn't receive enough credit.
"I think it's a very underrated group on this team," Garoppolo said. "It's a hard-working group. They're one of the last groups out here off the field every day. It shows on the practice field when those guys go out there and perform.
"We rotate those guys a lot so you're getting a bunch of different looks from guys and you don't really know who you are throwing to at times. But they're all so consistent. It makes my job easy."