In case you didn't watch the game or hear the news, Jimmy Garoppolo had a pretty poor outing on Monday night. It was his first in-game action since suffering a torn ACL 11 months ago. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback completed 1-of-6 passes for zero yards with an interception on Monday night against the Denver Broncos.
Sure the 49ers won the preseason matchup 24-15, but the poor performance by the team's franchise quarterback was enough to send fans and the media into a collective panic. In case you were avoiding sports television or radio the next day, the "disastrous" return dominated the discussion.
"Disastrous" wasn't the only word used to describe Garoppolo's play. It was literally as if everyone Googled synonyms and ran with them.
One person who didn't read too much into Garoppolo throwing more interceptions than passing yards was starting tackle Mike McGlinchey. He understood the circumstances in which his quarterback found himself.
"Jimmy, I think, he did a great job commanding the huddle and getting back and getting his feet wet," McGlinchey said via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle before Wednesday's practice. "Obviously, stats or whatever -- but it's the second game of the preseason and his first game in a year. It's nothing to panic about.
"It's his first reps he's seen live in a year. He's just going to continue to get better. Obviously, it's very valuable to get him back on the field and be healthy."
Garoppolo will have an opportunity to vindicate himself and calm the fan base before the quarterback's Week 1 start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 8. Garoppolo will play on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. That, of course, will be a story in itself. That location was, after all, where Garoppolo suffered his season-ending injury last season.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't sound too concerned about Garoppolo's performance on Monday night. One preseason game — just three series, in fact — isn't going to unravel the confidence gained from watching his quarterback throughout the offseason program and training camp. That's not what the preseason is about for Garoppolo. It's about knocking off the rust and becoming comfortable again.
"I think everyone saw him the year (2017) that he played for us (and) the two and a half games that he had last year," Shanahan said on Monday night. "I think everyone knows what we saw. It's just about getting him out there and getting him playing again."
