Kyle Shanahan explains why 49ers teammates play hard for Jimmy Garoppolo

Jimmy Garoppolo and his competitive spirit have been the subject of controversy recently, as he was a topic of debate in ESPN reporter Seth Wickersham's new book about Tom Brady and his fallout with the Patriots.

Per Wickersham via the San Francisco Chronicle, "The 49ers' coaching staff had quiet doubts about Garoppolo ... feeling that it took an inordinate amount of energy to get his head ready for game day and that he perhaps lacked Brady's extreme drive for excellence."

In 2020, Tom Brady hit free agency and elected to go with a new team for the first time in his career. San Francisco was reportedly the preferred destination for the then 42-year-old, so there were questions as to whether the 49ers would move on from Garoppolo, who they extended in 2018.

However, the 49ers stuck with their quarterback, and earlier this morning, Kyle Shanahan spoke on Garoppolo's toughness and the respect he generates from his teammates, refuting the report in Wickersham's book.

"I think that's one of the reasons why everyone respects Jimmy so much," Shanahan said on KNBR's Murph & Mac show. "I mean, his toughness has never been an issue. You've got to really injure Jimmy to get him out of the game, and that's why, when he has gone out of the game, it's because he hasn't had a little thing where he just misses a week or so. It's usually a really big injury that he can't function with, and that's the only way to get him off the field."

In fact, Shanahan sometimes is overly worried about Garoppolo's competitive spirit, which makes him an even better teammate.

"I mean, Jimmy, the way he competes out there, sometimes he scares me a little bit because he plays a little bit too much like a linebacker," the coach added. "But that's also why guys are going to fight for him, no matter how he's playing."

If you're worried about Garoppolo's competitiveness and willingness to sacrifice for his team, check out his touchdown from the preseason, where he dove headfirst into the end zone for the score.

You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.