The San Francisco 49ers have a starting quarterback and his name is Jimmy Garoppolo. This is according to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan who quickly dismissed any idea of a brewing quarterback controversy.
During his Week 4 press conference, Shanahan squashed the idea that Nick Mullens could play well enough in Garoppolo’s absence to take permanent control of the starting quarterback spot. The Niners coach called the franchise “Jimmy’s team” but admitted he is only thinking one game at a time.
“No, that scenario doesn’t exist, but I don’t think past one game either,” Shanahan explained, per 49erswebzone.com. “So, that’s for you to do, but this is Jimmy’s team. He’s done a hell of a job for us and when he’s healthy, he’ll be playing again for us.”
The 49ers Have Not Ruled Out Jimmy G vs. Eagles
Shanahan stopped short of ruling out Garoppolo against the Eagles. He indicated it would be challenging for Garoppolo to play if he does not take some practice reps this week.
“He’s just got to be able to be healthy in terms of, he can run around and protect himself and make throws,” Shanahan noted, per 49ers.com. “Anytime we’re dealing with an ankle, you might feel alright when you’re standing there, but can you move around and get into awkward positions without hurting yourself? That’s really what we’d have to see. It would be tough for us to see that and truly judge that if he didn’t get into practice. So, I’m hoping he can get out there for at least one live period, and we have those all the way up until Friday. So, we’ve just got to see that he’s healthy. But that won’t be able to happen if he can’t get enough practice.”
Shanahan Praised Mullens’ Performance vs. Giants
While he may not have a chance at becoming the full-time starter, Mullens still impressed the 49ers with his performance against the Giants. Mullens threw for 343 yards and one touchdown while completing more than 69 percent of his passes. Shanahan praised Mullens’ play highlighting the poise the quarterback showed in his start.
“Nick was great,” Shanahan said, per 49ers.com. “He was very poised. We went on a lot of long drives today, which is better than not scoring, but long drives can get a little bit exhausting but Nick kept his composure. I know we went on this 16-play drive without a third down. Nick was real impressive on that with his execution and how consistent he was all day.”
The 49ers are sure to face better teams, but some dismissed San Francisco given the number of injuries across their roster. Mullens noted that his preparation allowed him to have a “relaxed mindset” once he took the field against the Giants.
“Felt really good. Really confident in my preparation,” Mullens explained, via 49ers.com. “Coach Shanahan talks about the build up. Wednesday, you get the game plan. Thursday, third downs. And it all builds up to Sunday. By Sunday, you’re just confident as can be and just approach it with a relaxed mindset, ready to go out and execute. I thought we did a really good job as an offense and as a team.”
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Kyle Shanahan Sounds Off on 49ers Quarterback Controversy Rumors