Hey, Kyle Shanahan, are you ready to officially declare who your Week 1 starter is, even though we already know the answer to that question and have known it for a while? Can you just say it, please, so we can move it from unofficially official to officially official?
That is what Shanahan had to deal with since the start of training camp when some wanted to manufacture (in their minds) a quarterback competition between veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie Trey Lance. The question was repeatedly asked, despite Shanahan saying earlier in the offseason that the plan was to have Garoppolo start with Lance sitting and learning.
The 49ers coach probably could have saved himself a lot of trouble by just declaring it again. After all, plans can change, especially in the NFL. And that is understandable. But Shanahan grew tired of being asked a question he already answered. So he just repeatedly refused to answer it.
Then Garoppolo stepped up to the podium on Wednesday and was asked how long he's known he'd be the starting quarterback.
"For a while," Garoppolo responded. "I told you guys a long time ago I had a pretty good feeling about it. I kind of joked about it. But yeah, I always kind of knew where I stood and everything, and now it's official, I guess."
That was about as official as it can get.
What did Shanahan think about his quarterback "stepping on his punchline"? He was asked that during his conversation on KNBR's Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks show this afternoon.
"I mean, I don't even know what my punchline is," Shanahan said while laughing. "I just feel like I've been completely -- I blame it all on [NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Matt] Maiocco. He asked a question that he already knew the answer to, to which I don't get why people ask questions they know the answer to."
Of course, Shanahan was saying that in jest. Maiocco is, of course, is one of the more respected team reporters. By the way, he's also the one who got Garoppolo to confess on Wednesday that he is the starting quarterback.
"But since I didn't reanswer it, I guess it's become a really big deal, and it is what it is," Shanahan added. "I don't think it's been [a question] in here, and I think we've kind of been pretty secure with where we've been at all along on it."
So now we know that it will be Garoppolo taking the field when the 49ers face the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Ford Field, even though we've known that for a while.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
