Podcast: 49ers Offseason Stories with SI's Conor Orr →
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports


Why 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is better than you think

Al Sacco
Jan 22, 2020 at 8:47 AM1


In many ways, the Super Bowl is the biggest media event of the year. With all the attention that gets paid to the game and the teams participating, it's no surprise that everyone seems to have an opinion or a "hot take" to bring some attention to himself or herself.

One of the narratives that's currently floating around is that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is some kind of a game manager who's just along for the ride. Garoppolo's detractors are pointing to the fact that he's only attempted 27 passes this postseason, and that his lack of opportunities has something to do with head coach Kyle Shanahan game planning around his signal caller.

While the idea of Garoppolo being a liability is gaining steam with the misinformed, anyone who's actually seen him play this year would know that's not the case. In fact, Garoppolo's been everything the 49ers have needed and more in 2019.

First of all, if you look at what he's done on the surface, the numbers were some of the best in the NFL. His 3,978 passing yards were the 12th most in the league and the fourth highest total for a Niners quarterback in franchise history. Garoppolo also finished tied for fifth with 27 touchdowns passes, and his 8.4 yards per attempt put him second overall.

At 69.1%, Garoppolo's completion rate was the fourth best, and is even more impressive when you consider that the 49ers had the third highest drop rate of any team (6%). He was also fourth in on-target throws at 80.7%.

But to really appreciate what Garoppolo's brought to the table, you'd have to look at his performance when his team needed him the most. When San Francisco was trailing, Garoppolo completed 73% of his throws at 9.1 yards per attempt. He threw 11 of his 27 touchdown passes rallying from behind, and posted a rating 115.7.

In the fourth quarter of games, Garoppolo was able to hit on 70% of his attempts and averaged 8.33 yards per throw. He connected on six touchdowns to only one interception, and was rated at 107.1. In turn, it's no surprise that no other quarterback posted more fourth quarterback comebacks (four), and only Russell Wilson, Josh Allen and Deshaun Watson engineered more game winning drives.

And what about that vaunted running game helping him out? Well, in Weeks 9-11, the 49ers struggled to run the ball to the tune of 2.8 yards per carry over that three game stretch. Garoppolo responded by throwing for a total of 989 yards and nine touchdowns to help carry his team. San Francisco went 2-1, and was a missed field goal away from winning all three contests. And winning is something we've become accustomed to with this particular player, isn't it?

As good of a coach as Shanahan is, he's 4-20 without Garoppolo as his starting quarterback and 21-5 with him. The two are a perfect pair for each other and there's no denying the impact Garoppolo has. Shanahan's 49ers have averaged 29 points in the 26 games Garoppolo's been the starter, and 19 points in the 24 games with Brian Hoyer, C.J. Beathard or Nick Mullens behind center.

Is Garoppolo a perfect quarterback? No, he's certainly still learning in a lot of ways and is prone to throwing the occasional "what was he thinking?" pass. But those flaws don't take away from the fact that in less than two full seasons as a starter, Garoppolo's turned into an accurate, clutch, Pro Bowl caliber quarterback who's one game away from a Super Bowl title.
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.


1 Comment

  • Phillip Y
    Another thing I found amazing from Dan Orlovsky's interview on Murph and Mac KNBR this week was that Jimmy G's only career loss that was bigger than 8 points was the game he exited in KC. In other words he has never finished a game and lost by more than one TD ????
    Jan 23, 2020 at 8:20 AM
    0

Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News



Conor Orr: Why Trey Lance might be better for the 49ers

By David Bonilla
25 mins

Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr recently ranked the San Francisco 49ers' skill-position group as the best in the NFL. When you look at the talent, names like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk, it's tough to argue otherwise. There is less certainty when it comes to the quarterback position. Trey Lance entered this past season as the starter. Rookie Brock Purdy finished the season as the frontrunner to be the guy in 2023. Of course, Purdy is recovering from the March 10 surgery to repair the UCL tear he suffered in the NFC Championship Game, an injury that will likely sideline him until sometime in



Kyle Shanahan, 49ers will have better idea of Brock Purdy recovery timeline in June

By David Bonilla
Mar 28

It could be six months. It could be eight months. The San Francisco 49ers don't have a clear picture right now regarding quarterback Brock Purdy's recovery timeline. They will have a better idea in June, though. That's when the second-year quarterback will begin throwing again and ramping up his workload for the remaining portion of his rehabilitation. Purdy underwent surgery to repair the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, an injury suffered on January 29 in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. "He won't be able to do anything on the field for—who knows?" head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Tuesday morning from the NFL owners'



Rapoport: Sam Darnold will 'more likely than not' be 49ers' Week 1 starting QB

By David Bonilla
Mar 28

Ah, San Francisco 49ers offseason quarterback drama. We haven't had that since … well, last offseason. If there is one thing you can count on with the Bay Area team on a yearly basis, it's quarterback drama. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan made one thing clear over the last two days: If he were healthy, Brock Purdy would be the frontrunner to start Week 1 of the 2023 season. However, he is recovering from his March 10 surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his right elbow. That will keep him off the practice field until maybe early September. That timeline could extend beyond September. It's just too early for



Podcast: Sam Darnold will "more likely than not" be 49ers QB in 2023

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Mar 29

Rohan Chakravarthi and John Chapman break down the 49ers quarterback situation and what's to come after the comments from Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch this week. The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below. You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from


Featured

More by Al Sacco

More Articles

Share 49ersWebzone