Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
It’s Okay if Jimmy Garoppolo and Kyle Shanahan Don’t Like Each Other
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Prior to any scheduled press conference for head coach Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers' communications team hands him notes concerning any of the current viral moments within the 49ers Universe. Before Thursday's media availability, Shanahan was made aware of the Zapruder-film-style video causing a firestorm on 49ers Twitter and turning everybody into lipreading experts.
Nobody
really knows what Garoppolo said, and I'd wager good money that Jimmy probably doesn't even know or remember. However, the consensus seemed to center around some variation of "your plays suck, man."
I don't even know the full context of the game situation from that single clip, or which play just occurred, but it does raise one important question:
Who
cares?
Is it proof that Jimmy Garoppolo doesn't like Kyle Shanahan? Maybe.
Does it matter if Garoppolo doesn't like Shanahan? Not at all.
It stands to reason that Kyle Shanahan doesn't like Garoppolo all that much either, especially this past Sunday Night.
But I'm here to tell you—it doesn't matter.
Jimmy Garoppolo is a professional quarterback and Kyle Shanahan is his head coach and boss. It's a working relationship. A business relationship. Shanahan is in the business of designing and calling plays to help his team win, and Garoppolo is in the business of executing those plays as they're called in. Fondness for each other does not factor in whatsoever to that relationship.
Have
you liked every boss you've worked for in your career? I know I haven't. But, that never kept me from properly executing the duties that were required of my position. Did it make me dislike my job and put me on the hunt for a new one? Absolutely. But Jimmy Garoppolo already knows he will have a new job, and a new boss, next season.
It makes sense that these two men probably don't like each other, at least as much as they did in the past. It should be expected that Jimmy Garoppolo wouldn't have much affection for Kyle Shanahan. He is, after all, the head coach who has actively tried to replace the quarterback since losing Super Bowl LIV—first with the flirtation of
Tom Brady, then the flirtations of
Matthew Stafford and Deshaun Watson, and finally the massive trade-up and eventual drafting of Trey Lance.
It can also be expected that Kyle Shanahan doesn't exactly have a soft spot for Jimmy Garoppolo, the quarterback who has played a role in Shanahan's inability to bring home the 6th Lombardi Trophy to 4949 Denise P. DeBartolo Way in Santa Clara.
But here's the thing—both men need each other, and they know it.
Shanahan needs Garoppolo to have any hope of competing for the playoffs and that elusive Lombardi, and Garoppolo needs Shanahan while he auditions for another big-money contract and starting opportunity when he becomes a free agent in March 2023.
Jimmy also has an excellent relationship with most, if not all, of his teammates. He is incredibly well-liked in that locker room, and NFL locker rooms are a notoriously tight brotherhood. These men put their bodies on the line every day in practice and on game days for one common purpose—victory. He is not going to let down his brothers-in-arms, even if he doesn't like the General leading them.
Negative attention comes with losses, especially after games that should have been victories. Fans and the media look for places to lay blame, and narratives get created. This is no different.
A win against the Los Angeles Rams—in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football—will relegate this video to the dust-bin of viral moments that amounted to a big 'ol nothingburger.
But even if it isn't…
It's okay if Jimmy Garoppolo and Kyle Shanahan don't like each other.
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.
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan discuss the 49ers drafting Ricky Pearsall
The San Francisco 49ers selected former Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke after the selection. Here is everything they had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Opening Comments:
John Lynch: "You guys have fun? Yeah. Long day. Long day. Excited about our pick. Go ahead. Shoot."
Just the rationale. Why did you pick him? You guys have a lot of needs and what made you guys focus in on him?
JL: "We know we do well when we have consensus in our group. And that's from scouting, coaching, R&D, and we really had that with [WR] Ricky [Pearsall]. He's a guy who,
Breaking down the 49ers drafts under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan
We are less than one week away from the NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers have their first day-one draft pick since 2021. That was the year they selected QB Trey Lance number three overall. The trade-up to get Lance cost the 49ers their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. And now that they are back in the first round, at pick 31, fans are anxious to see what the team does with the pick. And with former assistant GM, Adam Peters, now in Washington, it will be interesting to see how well the 49ers draft without Peters in the room.
We looked back at the seven drafts GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have led to see what information we could pull from those drafts. There were plenty of hits, plenty of misses, and a few surprises along the way. The draft picks are
49ers Flashback: Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch react to drafting Brandon Aiyuk
In 2020, the San Francisco 49ers traded up from the No. 31 overall pick to the No. 25 spot with their sights set on a wide receiver brimming with potential. It was the first year of COVID, so NFL teams conducted their drafts remotely, providing fans with a unique glimpse into team decision-makers' makeshift home war rooms.
Almost immediately after Aiyuk heard his name called, fans caught a glimpse of the reactions from head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
In honor of Draft Day, let's throw it back to Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch's reaction to drafting Brandon Aiyuk
Lynch and Shanahan discuss implications of drafting Pearsall on 49ers' Aiyuk and Samuel
The San Francisco 49ers made a surprising move with the No. 31 overall pick, marking their first Round 1 selection since 2021. While speculation swirled around the possibility of drafting a wide receiver, few anticipated the choice of Ricky Pearsall from Florida.
Leading up to the pick, there was widespread speculation that the 49ers might trade wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel. As the first round progressed, it appeared that neither would be moved. Pearsall's selection reignited such discussions.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to Bay Area radio station KNBR following the completion of the first round, fielding questions about the implications of Pearsall's selection for the team's veteran wideouts.
"Well,
