Jimmy Garoppolo went to perhaps his final presser before the preseason Tuesday and one thing was clear: the quarterback wants to get back onto the field.
While he's enjoyed training camp and watching the competitive nature of his teammates, Garoppolo is ready to take the next step, which is playing against opponents.
"I'm a big fan of [getting to play new teams and players]," Garoppolo said. "I think training camp is awesome, it's fun, it's competitive, it's been very competitive out here, but you get tired of going [against] the same guys [and] same defense day in and day out. I think the guys who are especially doing the hitting and stuff like that, I think they're looking forward to [being on the field against others], but it'll definitely be a nice change up."
During practice Tuesday, a scuffle occurred, with guard Laken Tomlinson at the front line of it. While Garoppolo loved the energy of the moment from the players, he understood that shouldn't be the focus during the limited practice time.
"You got to stop it because it's practice, but you love to see that out of the guys," Garoppolo said. "You really do. Laken [Tomlinson] and all those guys up front, they set the tone for us, and they've done a great job at that this camp, you know, coming off the ball with urgency [and] hitting, it's been impressive. We've had some really good pockets and [the offensive line] is going against a great [defensive] line each day, so if we can handle [our defensive line], we can handle anyone."
This offseason, the 49ers drafted Trey Lance, which both head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch said would light a fire under Garoppolo to improve as the team's starter.
When asked, the quarterback said that he spent time focusing on his footwork and using his lightning-quick release to his advantage in preparation for the upcoming season.
"Yeah. I think the footwork is, it's a great spot to start with the offense because it kind of teaches you the offense," Garoppolo shared. "You read with your feet type of thing. And you get a feel for the plays and how they develop with your footwork, I guess you could say. But yeah, there's times when you're out there where maybe a pass rusher comes free or you see something happen, things happen on the field, where you have to adjust on the fly, I would say. And I think that's where the release helps me, but I think at the end of the day, you want to be perfect with your footwork. That's what I try to do. Tried to focus on it this off-season. And I think having a better understanding of the offense slows it down for me out there."
The footwork might certainly be of great use given Garoppolo's limited mobility with the multitude of lower-body injuries he has faced in his career.
In addition, while Garoppolo is certainly excited to face other opponents, he doesn't believe that he needs as many snaps in the preseason to adjust, rather he plans to let the coaches decide the game plan for themselves and to roll with the flow.
"Whatever the coaches decide, they decide," Garoppolo said. "I'm pretty happy with where I'm at. I think we're trending in the right direction. There's obviously room for improvement with things out here, just little mistakes that we need to clean up, but I'm pretty happy with where the offense is and where we're going."
With training camp coming to a close, look ahead to the 49ers' first preseason matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend.
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