Getty Terrell Owens celebrating his Hall of Fame induction with the San Francisco 49ers.
While Jimmy Garoppolo may not be the most popular member of the San Francisco 49ers at the moment, as his combination safety-interception was one of the most “memed” moments of the NFL’s third week, some remain incredibly high on his prospects under center.
Colin Cowherd thinks the Niners will be fine, as does Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton, and even Terrell Owens, the one-time Niners wide receiver and forever Hall of Famer, got in on the fun, suggesting that not only is Garoppolo good but that the Washington Commanders should have traded for the Eastern Illinois product instead of Carson Wentz.
Speaking with Josina Anderson and Fred Smoot on “The Crew” podcast Owens staked his claim, as transcribed by 95.7 The Game.
“Y’all would’ve been better off with Jimmy Garoppolo, to be quite honest,” Owens said. “I don’t understand why you feel like Carson Wentz is the answer. Carson Wentz hasn’t been the answer in either of the last two or three stops that he’s been. I get you were employed once by the Washington franchise organization, but you’re being political with the stiff answers right about now.”
Considering the Commanders infamously almost traded a “pair of picks” to acquire Garoppolo before he opted for offseason surgery, the fates of the two quarterbacks – and their franchises – will be linked in 2022.
Terrell Owens Really Doesn’t Like Carson Wentz
Elsewhere in his appearance on “The Crew,” Owens gave his opinion on Carson Wentz, the Commanders’ quarterback, and needless to say, it wasn’t particularly generous.
“This is what we get from Carson Wentz. We probably have seen the best of Wentz when he was with the Philadelphia Eagles. That’s just the honesty and the reality of it,” Owens asserted. “Every stop that he’s been, you’ve seen glimpses of what he could be but there’s no consistency. And I think we all can agree with that with his play. No matter how good of a God-given talent he has, it’s not showing up on game day, on Sundays the way it should be.”
Sitting at 1-2, the Commanders suffered their worst loss of the season in Week 3, when the Philadelphia Eagles, another one of Owens’ former teams, sacked Wentz nine times on the way to a final score of 24-8. Even if Wentz hasn’t been the Commanders’ only problem in 2022, if the team continues to struggle moving forward, the North Dakota State product may be looking for his fourth team in as many seasons by spring.
Sean McVay Respects the San Francisco 49ers Quarterback
When asked about facing Garoppolo on Monday Night Football, Sean McVay warned against overlooking the veteran signal-caller, as per Rams Wire.
“Number one, you never wish injuries on players,” McVay began. “You hope Trey Lance makes a full recovery. But you also know that man, when he [Garoppolo] stayed on the roster, he’s such a really good football player that has definitely been outstanding for them. They’ve won a lot of games behind his guidance and leadership, and I think he’s a really good player. I don’t think it’s like he’s only played good against the Rams and he is never played good against anybody else.”
“I mean, just look at his career record when he’s started for the 49ers since he and Kyle [Shanahan] have been together in ’17. It’s a pretty good movie for those guys. So he’s a really good football player.
“I don’t know if you ever really get too far ahead of yourself, but if you would say that, ‘I’m shocked that Jimmy’s in this position.’ No, I’m not shocked. I feel terrible that Trey ended up hurting his ankle, but that is a part of football and fortunately for them, they had two big-time starting-caliber quarterbacks on their roster. Now that’s where Jimmy’s in a position to be able to lead their team. I know they have a lot of confidence in swagger with him at the switch.”
San Francisco will need that swagger in Week 4, as the Niners will play their highest-profile game of the year so far on Monday Night Football against McVay’s Los Angeles Rams.