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Though he was clad in a Christmas themed sweater vest on the set of NBC Sports Bay Area’s San Francisco 49ers postgame show on Thursday, December 23, Donte Whitner was not in a jolly mood following the loss to Tennessee.
And the ex-49er known as “Hitner” came after Jimmy Garoppolo full speed with criticism.
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The 49ers dropped to 8-7 overall after falling 20-17 to the Titans — which was a game that saw Garoppolo throw for 322 yards and earn his fourth 300-yard outing this season. However, there was also this stat that drew the ire of 49er fans: Garoppolo’s two interceptions — the third time this season he threw multiple takeaways. And the 49ers are now 0-3 in 2021 when Jimmy G throws that many picks in a game.
But Whitner’s disappointment wasn’t just centered on the aerial miscues from the right arm of Garoppolo. The criticism from the former 49ers safety came out after he heard Garoppolo speak.
Whitner: ‘Jimmy had his Balloon Water Gun arm’
Whitner started off his rant by sharing how predictable Garoppolo has become when he speaks to the media after losses.
“I could’ve told you everything he was going to say before he got up there,” Whitner started out while sitting alongside Laura Britt and Joe Staley.
From there, Whitner mimicked the 49ers’ quarterback when he takes the podium.
“Like I told you, ‘Ah yeah we didn’t communicate. Yeah we’ve got to get on the same page,'” Whitner emulated.
But then came the blunt critical side of the former safety who played from 2011 to 2013 with the 49ers.
“You can’t let that go. He does that all the time,” Whitner said.
Britt contradicted by claiming that perhaps Garoppolo “didn’t want to throw anybody under the bus.” Whitner, however, wasn’t in agreement, saying that Garoppolo “didn’t get it done tonight.”
Then, Whitner described Garoppolo’s arm strength in the three-point loss to the now 10-5 Titans.
“You had your balloon water gun arm out there tonight,” Whitner said. “The ball was floating all over. You weren’t decisive. So yeah, I knew everything Jimmy was going to say. I’m not trying to hear it.”
The segment can be watched below.
Not the First Time Whitner Became Critical of Garoppolo
It’s highly unlikely that Whitner owns a Garoppolo 49ers jersey — given the harsh critique he’s given the 30-year-old quarterback in the past.
Thursday’s postgame show represents the most recent disapproval of Garoppolo’s play. But Whitner has delivered another opprobrium to the 2020 NFC champion.
During an October 24 live show following the 49ers’ embarrassing 30-18 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Whitner accused Garoppolo of making excuses after the game.
“I hear a lot of excuses coming out of Jimmy’s mouth. Jimmy, we understand that you’ve been saying that forever: ‘We have to execute.’ Yeah…you can’t throw the ball to the defense. You have to take care of the ball when you’re in the pocket,” Whitner said.
That 12-point loss was one of Garoppolo’s two interception performances. He also fumbled twice that evening, losing one of them to a turnover.
“Turnovers directly correlate with wins and losses and it correlates with the loss department,” Whitner said. “So I hear a lot of excuses there.”
