Running back Matt Breida is the latest San Francisco 49ers player to defend his quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo has, probably unfairly, shouldered much of the blame for the team's fourth-quarter collapse and ensuing defeat in Super Bowl LIV.
Breida was asked during an interview on KNBR this week about the lack of respect his quarterback has endured this offseason. His answer mimicked what we've heard from all of Garoppolo's teammates since the Super Bowl.
"Jimmy deserves all our respect," Breida responded on the Murph and Mac show. "At the end of the day, I'm pretty sure he got us to the Super Bowl last year … last time I checked."
Garoppolo and the 49ers' journey to the Super Bowl came during the quarterback's first full NFL season as a starter. He completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,978 yards with 27 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and a passer rating of 102.0 through 16 regular-season starts.
Garoppolo was likely on his way to being named the Super Bowl MVP, had the 49ers been able to hold onto the lead and knock off the Kansas City Chiefs. He ended up finishing the game 20-of-31 for 219 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, one of which came with just over a minute left in the matchup.
"Jimmy's a great quarterback," Breida continued. "He's going to be a great quarterback in this league for a long time. There's a reason why they got him in the first place.
"All the rumors, like you said, they're rumors. At the end of the day, Jimmy's our guy. We believe in him, the whole team is behind him, and he's a great quarterback."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Breida below.
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