NFL quarterback turned CBS analyst, Tony Romo, is taking part in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament this week. Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group caught up with the former Dallas Cowboys star and asked about the expectations surrounding the San Francisco 49ers this year.
Romo sounds eager to see if the 49ers can finally put together a winning season following a disastrous four-win campaign last year.
"The 49ers defensive line looks to be outstanding," Romo told Inman.
The team added veteran Dee Ford and rookie Nick Bosa to bolster its inept pass rush — outside of Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. The defensive front looks much-improved on paper. Now it's time for the unit to put it all together.
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Then you have the expectations surrounding the 49ers' star quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo. While he is considered a veteran because of his six seasons in the NFL, Garoppolo has just ten starts under his belt — not even a full season's worth of games. Expectations were high heading into 2019, but fans' hopes were dashed when the quarterback went down in Week 3 with a torn ACL.
Everyone, including Romo, is still waiting to see what the 49ers have in Garoppolo and if he can take head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense to the next level.
"And so if Jimmy's able to play a full season, which I think everyone's excited about seeing, if that happens, hopefully, he can play great football and you'll see the 49ers win a lot of games," Romo said. "If you can have a great D-line and you can have really good strong quarterback play, it's a difficult combination."
Romo also had some thoughts on the other Bay Area team, the Oakland Raiders. Click here to read Inman's full feature over at The Mercury News.
49ers players report to training camp on July 26, and the team kicks off its regular season on September 8 with a road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Romo will have an opportunity to see Garoppolo and the 49ers in person when CBS carries the team's Week 3 home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.