placeholder image

Photo courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers


49ers-Dolphins: Steve Young says he’d go with Nick Mullens again if Jimmy Garoppolo can’t play

Oct 8, 2020 at 6:04 AM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The good news is that Jimmy Garoppolo got back onto the practice field on Wednesday. He was limited, but it was progress for the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who has not played or practiced since suffering an ankle injury during Week 2.


Nick Mullens had been filling in for the injured Garoppolo until the fourth quarter of Sunday night's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. His ineffectiveness forced head coach Kyle Shanahan to bench the quarterback and replace him with C.J. Beathard.

Beathard looked better than Mullens during his limited snaps. His numbers came in the closing minutes of the game, though.

Who starts on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins if Garoppolo cannot go? On Wednesday, Shanahan said that he knows the answer to that question, but isn't ready to show his hand.

"Yes, I have (decided on who would start)," Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday, "but I'm going to hold that just because there is a difference between them, and if Jimmy can't go, I'd like Miami to find that out on Sunday."

If it were up to Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, who joined KNBR on Wednesday, Mullens would be given another shot.

"I would go back to Nick because I think, more importantly, if you're thinking Nick is a player that could be around for a little while -- I'd tell Nick, 'Look, you've got a short leash here, buddy. You've got to make it happen,'" Young said on the Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks show. "Quarterbacks, we need opportunities, and if this is the last opportunity that he sees and C.J. takes over, it's a fundamental decision that Kyle has to make.

"If he's going to play C.J. and start him, the odds are you don't go back to Nick. I hate to see the situation kind of end this way. C.J. clearly came off the bench and did a nice job, and he proved that he could do that. I don't know. I would personally go back to [Mullens].

"Look, I'm not there. This is contextual, but just from what I see, I would go back to Nick, see if he can rehab, and kind of get back on top of things. Get back some momentum, and then the team will respond to that too because they love Nick. And if he can't, then C.J., it's your job, and that's the way this is going to go down."

You can listen to the entire discussion with Young below.




Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

Jimmy Garoppolo explains why he signed with 49ers' division rival

By David Bonilla
Mar 20

Jimmy Garoppolo is back in the NFC West after signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback recently explained his decision to join the division rival after a one-season stint with the Las Vegas Raiders. "Obviously good players all around," Garoppolo said, per ESPN. "That's a big part of it. Talking to [head coach] Sean [McVay] on the phone, him just running me through offense and things that he had in mind, it really became appetizing. And I know a lot of the coaches here, so a lot of familiarity in that aspect. And then having played against the Rams a lot in my career, I've seen a lot of good things


placeholder image

Leonard Floyd eager to pair up with Nick Bosa along 49ers D-line

By David Bonilla
Mar 21

Leonard Floyd is eager to begin working with his new San Francisco 49ers coaches and teammates. In free agency, the team signed the former Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams pass rusher to line up opposite star defensive end Nick Bosa, providing a boost to a defensive front that was inconsistent in 2023. Floyd matched his career-high with 10.5 sacks last season with the Bills, a statistic that would have tied with Bosa for the 49ers' team-high in 2023. In a recent interview with team reporter Lindsey Pallares, Floyd was asked how he believes his skillset complements Bosa's. "I believe our skill sets will complement each other well," Floyd responded. "We both been guys who've


placeholder image

Kyle Shanahan explains why 49ers promoted Nick Sorensen to defensive coordinator

By David Bonilla
Mar 26

After Steve Wilks's dismissal, the San Francisco 49ers had several options for their vacant defensive coordinator position. Although former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley was considered for the role, he ultimately joined the coaching staff as the assistant head coach under head coach Kyle Shanahan. He will focus on game plan preparations while offering his experience to the team. Nick Sorensen, the team's defensive pass game specialist, was awarded the defensive coordinator position. Shanahan opted for an internal candidate, valuing Sorensen's familiarity with the staff and the defensive system. When asked what qualities Sorensen demonstrated to prove he's ready to call plays for the defense, Shanahan explained, "He's worked with a lot of people


placeholder image

49ers view Isaac Yiadom as leading candidate to start at CB, says insider

By David Bonilla
Mar 21

The San Francisco 49ers' signing of cornerback Isaac Yiadom to a one-year deal wasn't a headline-grabbing move. It wasn't even the Bay Area team's most significant free-agency move thus far. That would be defensive end Leonard Floyd signing a two-year deal with the 49ers. However, San Francisco hopes Yiadom proves to be one of its more underrated signings. The 28-year-old defensive back is coming off his best NFL season. Yiadom's 81.1 overall grade and 80.4 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus were career highs. Opposing quarterbacks completed 50 percent of their passes (22 of 44) and owned an 84.4 passer rating when targeting the former New Orleans Saints defender in 2023. RELATED:


Latest

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone