Getty Trey Lance runs the ball during his first NFL start against the Arizona Cardinals.
Joe Staley once protected Jimmy Garoppolo for three seasons as the top blindside protector for the San Francisco 49ers.
But on a Monday, October 25, radio appearance, the longtime 49er turned analyst wasn’t protective of his ex-teammate this time. With four straight losses after a promising 2-0 start and an offense that’s been inconsistent, he thinks it’s time for a changing of the guard behind center.
Staley, who played in the 2020 Super Bowl with Garoppolo as a 49er, went on the “Papa and Lund” show on KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM and let it be known…the 49ers need to go with the rookie Trey Lance.
Joe Staley on KNBR: ‘Jimmy’s not getting the job done’
What Staley Said
Staley, who’s a regular on NBC Sports Bay Area, bluntly said his ex-teammate isn’t performing at a high level — prompting him to believe the change needs to be made.
“Well, (Garoppolo’s) not (playing well) right now. They’re a 2-4 football team, and I don’t know if they have a direction or even a chance, as it stands right now, to be that playoff team,” Staley said. “So, for me, it’s like, if this the point of the season where you say, ‘Alright, we already made our choice that Trey’s going to be the future of this franchise. We wanted to use it as a red-shirt year for him,’ and I don’t know if that’s going to be the best case right now because there’s not a spark on offense. There’s not even consistency.
“From my point of view, I think they have to think long and hard about just going to Trey, using it, taking the lumps, knowing that he’s going to be the future of this team,” Staley continued. “You take the lumps right now, as opposed to someone who is eventually going to be gone, and then that way, you’re building towards the future. And then when you get to 2022, it’s not just starting over from scratch and then taking those lumps as they come.”
Staley Points to Where Jimmy G has Struggled the Most
In five games, Garoppolo has a 64.8% completion percentage, 1101 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions.
Two of those picks, however, came late in the 30-18 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, October 24.
Is it decision making? Is it an inability to spread the ball around as to why Jimmy G has started slow? For the ex-left tackle Staley, it’s neither. He thinks it’s how Garoppolo has performed in a certain down.
“A quarterback is judged based off of third downs — and situational football — when everybody in the building knows that he has to pass the football, the quarterback has to throw it,” Staley said. “Can you consistently convert?”
“The third-down conversion rate for the Niners has been absolutely atrocious and it doesn’t seem like they have any answers for that currently,” Staley continued. “I think the stats like six for their last 36 or something like that in the last three games. And if you’re not converting third downs — and yes, it goes to the receivers getting open — but largely, it’s the quarterback understanding where to go, how to manipulate defenses with their eyes and right now, Jimmy’s not getting the job done.”
While Staley is on board for the Trey Lance era, head coach Kyle Shanahan remains committed to keeping Garoppolo as starter.
“We know Trey is the future here, and we’re trying to do what’s best for him and for our team,” Shanahan told the Bay Area media on Monday. “Trey is coming off a pretty big injury, and we’re going to keep bringing him along and keep getting him prepared as good as he can be to always be ready to come in and help on the plays we ask him to, always be ready to take over if Jimmy gets hurt, and being ready to be the future for us, too.”
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Jimmy Garoppolo’s Ex-Teammate Believes 49ers Should Now Start Trey Lance