San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is a polarizing figure. For the last two years, particularly, fans and media have taken sides in the debate on whether Garoppolo is good enough to lead the 49ers to a sixth Super Bowl championship. Before Jim Harbaugh came to the team in 2011, the same debates took place regarding Alex Smith. It's something San Francisco fans have become accustomed to hearing.
Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young went on KNBR Radio on Wednesday to discuss the 49ers loss to the Green Bay Packers. Young told the hosts of the Tolbert, Krueger and Brooks show, "There's no question that this is not the team of 2019 right now. This is not the explosive team on both sides. And I think the running game struggling...Raheem...you can see the speed, and how they need a guy that can stretch, and how it's vital…Jimmy needs that running game. He needs, like other play action quarterbacks…he needs the running game because they play action off of it. It's their life blood. And when that's not there, it just gets harder. And you can see it."
Garoppolo had some good moments, and some bad moments in Sunday night's 30-28 loss. He threw a deep interception, on which Packers defensive back Jaire Alexander made a great play. Then there was the fumble/backward pass thing that looked equally as bad as it actually was. But he also led the team down the field to score a touchdown in the final minutes. That should have been the game winner.
Young said, "I really felt bad for Jimmy that he did the thing that everyone said you gotta do if you're gonna be great, you gotta win it, take it to the end, take it down the field and win the game, which he essentially did."
Young certainly seems to have plenty of concerns about the team, but right now, it appears that what troubles him most is the run game...or lack thereof. When asked how you create more space for the offense to perform, Young expressed his concern. "When we went to the Super Bowl two years ago, it was really off of the run game. Then off of that run game, George [Kittle] is wide open. You come off a play-fake and George is just running right down the field, Deebo [Samuel] is running (down the field).
"It just rolls. So if we're not going to run the football, if we're not going to be that explosive running game -- which is ironic because of all the unique and innovative things Kyle does in the passing game...for quarterbacks that can throw their way through it, it's 'we can't run the ball today, but I got this.' That's where Jimmy needs to graduate to, that's the next space he needs to be. Those big games, if we can't run it, now I've got to be that guy that can say 'Let's call it, let's throw it 45 times, and I can throw my way through it.'"
Former 49ers wide receiver J.J. Stokes expressed his concerns over the the team's running game this week on 95.7 The Game, saying, "The running game, which is the heartbeat of this offense, needs to get back on track. The health and the running game have concerned me the most right now."
John Chapman, creator and host of the 49ers Rush Podcast, had a little fun on Twitter, at the expense of the 49ers run game:
49ers running game with Jimmy G and no running backs that Shanahan trusts.
— John Chapman (@JL_Chapman) September 28, 2021
Young also alluded to the fact that it goes both ways, as far as Kyle Shanahan also needing to trust that Garoppolo can do what Shanahan needs him to do, and then call the plays that show he believes in him. He added, "But that's where we were in the offseason when they decided to go all in with three first round draft choices, there's a concern that that can't happen."
The 49ers need to get the run game and the quarterback situation figured out soon. Next up is Seattle, and Russell Wilson. If the defense continues to struggle, the 49ers will need to score a lot of points. And without a strong run game, the pressure will be on Garoppolo to 'graduate' and throw the team through it.