Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on Saturday sat down with the "Inside Training Camp Live" crew on NFL Network and was asked about the San Francisco 49ers' potential entering the 2019 season. Nearly everyone expects San Francisco to be much-improved over last year's disappointing four-win campaign but is this team capable of winning the NFC West?
The division, of course, has the defending NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams and a Seattle Seahawks team that is in the playoff hunt year in and year out. Are the 49ers equipped to unseat these teams for the division crown?
"The opportunity is there. We have the pieces," Garoppolo responded. "The coaches put us in a great position to win every week. I think it is just up to us to go out there and perform now. It's just one of those things; we've got to go out there and do it."
The 49ers will need Garoppolo to stay healthy for the team to find success this season. They will also need a solid performance out of their starting quarterback. Much of that depends on Garoppolo's grasp of the offense. He may know head coach Kyle Shanahan's playbook inside and out now, but he still lacks experience. Garoppolo has played just eight games in the offense.
"I think it's coming along," Garoppolo said of his comfort with the offense. "I think getting the game reps and getting out here, getting the non-scripted reps, I think, will really help me and get just more of the flow of the offense, and how it all works together. But I think we're moving in the right direction."
The 49ers kick off their preseason on August 10 against the Dallas Cowboys. Garoppolo won't play in that game. He is, however, expected to be under center on September 8 when the 49ers begin the regular season in Tampa, Florida against the Buccaneers.