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There will be a number of highly-anticipated matchups at play when the Green Bay Packers kick off at the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday night, but would it be a stretch too far to hype it up as “The Battle of the Jimmy Gs?”
Jimmy Graham definitely thinks so, as the Packers tight end laughed about the concept when a reporter, in good fun, asked him whether they should be billing a showdown between him and 49ers star quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
“No, you know, he’s the famous one,” Graham said Friday at the Packers’ last practice before leaving Saturday for California. “I’m the tall old one.”
“Obviously a big test for us on the road,” he continued, more genuinely. “Just a big test in general all around, one and two seed, and we both have a lot to play for and everyone in this locker room, we know we have a lot to prove.”
While not as active as the early days of his career, the 32-year-old Graham has made his presence felt this season for the Packers. He has 27 catches for 310 yards and three touchdowns, including the only one in their 10-3 win over the Chicago Bears in the season opener. He also came up with a big 48-yard reception in Week 11’s win over the Carolina Panthers.
Garoppolo, though, has been leading the charge for the 49ers this season with an aggressive style that has the offense among the best in the league. Hard to reasonably stack up against a role of that size as a veteran tight end.
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Graham Has Scouting Report on 49ers’ Home
Few players have the wealth of experience Graham does playing inside the 49ers’ home stadiums, whether at the current Levi’s Stadium or the previous Candlestick Park. His three seasons in Seattle gave him regular opportunities to take notes on the environment, while he has also played there even in seasons where attendance had waned for the 49ers.
“I’ve played in the old and the new, and it’s always been a pretty tough place to play,” Graham said. “I know a few years back the stadium wasn’t as full, but currently, with the way they’ve been playing and basically ever since they got Jimmy G, the crowd has been pretty substantial. I talked to some of the guys in Seattle and they said it was pretty loud, so you know just prepare like you would on a normal away game and at times you’re going to have to do a silent count, but they’re rolling and their fans are rolling.
“We know it’s going to be a packed game, it’s going to be loud, it’ll be Sunday Night football, so everybody will be out there.”
Graham Impressed with 49ers’ Rebuild
Graham played 11 career games against the 49ers and caught 44 passes for 523 yards and four touchdowns, including a five-catch, 104-yard game that helped the Packers win 33-30 last season at Lambeau Field. But none of his performances against them were quite like his one for the Saints in the NFC Divisional Playoff game in 2012.
Graham finished with 103 receiving yards and a pair of touchdown receptions, including a 66-yarder that put the Saints ahead 30-29 with 1:48 left on the clock. The stunner, though, came after the Saints’ successful two-point conversion attempt as the 49ers marched 85 yards downfield in 83 seconds to pull ahead and win 36-32.
Much as changed for both Graham and the 49ers since that game — a letdown the Packers veteran believes he’ll “never forget” — but Graham has also been impressed with the resurgence the opposing franchise has made in recent seasons after sinking to the NFL’s cellar for a few years.
“You really have to give them credit for what they’ve done to rebuild that team,” Graham said. “They had a big, massive exodus out of there. I remember back in the day with Pete Willis and those front four … they were a very, very physical team and now they’re back to that and they’re back to really doing things on the back end.”
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