San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said last week that he was tired of being asked about quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He, along with many of his teammates, can't understand why so many among the media continue to underestimate Garoppolo.
Now, the 49ers quarterback is preparing to lead his team into battle against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. With the media spotlight on Garoppolo and the other 49ers players, Sanders was once again asked about his quarterback.
"He's a baller," Sanders told Deion Sanders of NFL Network. "Everybody always wants to, 'Oh, compare Jimmy to Peyton Manning. Compare Jimmy to Tom Brady.' Leave him alone. Leave him alone.
"The man, right now, it's really his first year starting, he has made it to the Super Bowl. Give him more time before you start saying this and that about him. Just let him be in the moment.
"Right now, he's in the Super Bowl. He's trying to get his first ring as a starting quarterback in this league, and I pray to God it happens."
Sanders went on to say that this year's 49ers compare favorably to his last Super Bowl squad, the 2015 Denver Broncos.
"I've only been here three months, and I love every single one of these guys," Sanders said. "I love everybody from the general manager to the head coach, from John Lynch to Kyle Shanahan to all my brothers on this team because it's just the love, and it's the organic, authentic realness coming from everybody.
"It's not no cliques/ It's not no beef. I've never even heard one of my teammates speak negative about somebody."
The two teams kick off Super Bowl LIV from Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.