The Minnesota Vikings finished last season with the NFL's top-ranked defense. The offense upgraded the quarterback position during the offseason with the signing of quarterback Kirk Cousins. The roster has very few holes, and the team is seen as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Despite all of that, the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Vikings by only eight points on Sunday.
Count former 49ers, Denver Broncos, and Oakland Raiders linebacker Bill Romanowski, who joined KNBR on Wednesday night, among those who do not want to hear the excuses for the loss, especially in defense of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
"That was not the guy we saw the last six games last year," Romanowski said of the 49ers' signal caller. "You can say, 'Oh, it was a great team, tough environment.' Hey, let me get a violin out and let me start playing the violin. I don't give a you-know-what."
Romanowski's message to Garoppolo was clear. He expects the quarterback to do a whole lot better than the three-interception performance witnessed on Sunday.
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"Hey, Jimmy Garoppolo, get your ass in gear and go out there and fireball down the field, and don't throw it to the other team," Romanowski continued. "That's how I feel, and if I'm Kyle Shanahan, that's what I'm saying. He lost the game for them. When you're playing a really good football team, you cannot turn the ball over, and that is the difference in that football game.
"A big game like that, that can sometimes lose you another game or two. You hope they turn it around and bounce right back, and Jimmy Garoppolo, hopefully, doesn't throw any INTs this next week and they go out and kick serious you-know-what."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Romanowski, which mainly focuses on the Oakland Raiders' loss to the Los Angeles Rams, below. The conversation shifted over to San Francisco at about the 12:55 mark.
