The San Francisco 49ers' 2018 season did not go as hoped. A lot was riding on franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who went down with a season-ending ACL injury during a Week 3 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs.
A 4-12 season can unravel a locker room, and coaches can often find themselves losing their players in the process. That did not happen to the 49ers. The team remained focused through the 14 weeks that followed Garoppolo's injury and maintained a "next man up" mentality through every injury that followed.
The injured quarterback was forced to play the role of an observer again, but the team's unity didn't go unnoticed.
"There's a lot of fight. A lot of fight," Garoppolo told reporters on Monday. "We've got a good locker room. Guys stayed locked in, stayed together. Going through a season like we just went through, it's tough. You get a lot of guys who start pointing fingers and things like that, but whether it was offense, defense, or special teams, everyone stayed locked in and stayed the course. It's good to see that."
Garoppolo spent his first month with the 49ers last year studying with quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello and observing from the sidelines before being thrown in as the starter. Injury has forced Garoppolo to do the same this season. He doesn't see it as a wasted opportunity, though.
"I tried to take advantage of my time off as much as I could," Garoppolo continued. "Not being able to go on the field, you have extra time in the film room and stuff. It's little things like that, that I try to take advantage of throughout this whole season and mentally get locked in."
Garoppolo will be the 49ers' starting quarterback when the team kicks off the regular season in 2019, assuming there are no setbacks in his rehab. He is over three months removed from his injury and underwent ACL surgery on October 3. Garoppolo was seen this past Friday doing light work on a side field as his teammates practiced in preparation for the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has repeatedly stated that he hopes Garoppolo can begin throwing when the team starts organized team activities in late May and early June.
How does the quarterback feel his recovery is progressing?
"It feels good," Garoppolo said. "Obviously, there's some things that we're limited with. The side-to-side lateral stuff is still questionable, but I'm happy where I'm at right now. We've just got to keep it going. It's nice having Jet (running back Jerick McKinnon) there. We kind of go through it together type of thing."
Garoppolo and McKinnon are in as many team meeting as possible. Of course, they have a rehab schedule which sometimes gets in the way. McKinnon suffered the same injury just 22 days before Garoppolo, during a Saturday practice that followed the team's final exhibition game.
Because they have similar rehab schedules, Garoppolo and McKinnon have been able to do their own studying together.
"We've recently gotten to watching film together and stuff like that," Garoppolo said. "He sees it as I see it and I see it as he sees it. It's good when we're both thinking the same way. It's been a good process, but we're looking forward to getting back out there."
