Fullback Kyle Juszczyk has been impressed with his quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo. He's also been impressed with the new guy, rookie Trey Lance. That bodes well for the San Francisco 49ers, who potentially have more depth at quarterback than in any other season under head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Garoppolo has been in the system for three-and-a-half years now. He has an excellent grasp of the offense and will likely be the team's Week 1 starter on the road against the Detroit Lions. The hope is for Garoppolo to remain healthy and stay on the field all season. If that doesn't happen, Lance is proving to be an exciting player who could keep the team in playoff contention.
Juszczyk joined KNBR this afternoon and was asked what he's seen in his two quarterbacks.
"I've seen two quarterbacks that are both playing really well," Juszczyk told Greg Papa and John Lund. "I've been extremely impressed with both of them. Obviously, two different skillsets, but I think Jimmy has really stepped up his game, his focus, has really just locked in. You see it in his eyes. There's just a laser focus to him. And that's no knock on what he was like before. It's just he's taken it to another level."
Lance has obviously been turning some heads in practices, previewing how his athleticism can (one day) take Shanahan's offense to another level.
"And Trey's just been extremely impressive as a rookie, just to see his understanding," Juszczyk explained. "Listen, I'm not a quarterback or an offensive coordinator, but I can still observe and see the way he moves his eyes in the pocket. And you can see him processing in the play, and it's impressive how quickly he's processing. I just don't feel like you see that typically with a rookie so early."
The 49ers have loftier goals than just reaching the playoffs this season. Juszczyk recently started getting excited about the possibilities. Yes, every team believes it is capable of being special. However, it was just 18 months ago that the 49ers were in the Super Bowl.
"I got really excited just a couple of days ago," Juszczyk shared. "I don't know what it was. Just something at practice. It just felt like I was on the championship team again. I know what that feels like, and I got really fired up. But we're still a month away until we kick off in Detroit, so I'm just trying to keep it steady, keep continuing to get better, and be ready to rock and roll once we kick off against the Lions."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Juszczyk below.