Getty Trent Williams was critical of Jimmy Garoppolo's interception against the Seahawks.
After the San Francisco 49ers blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins, Jimmy Garoppolo made it clear that he needs to play better, but Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan believes his ankle impacted the way he played. Garoppolo shot down the notion that he was hurting his team by playing at less than 100 percent.
“I didn’t really look at it that way,” Garoppolo noted in his post-game press conference. “I wanted to be out there. I’m the quarterback of this team and it’s my job to be out there and put the team in a position to be successful. Kyle made the decision at halftime. He’s the head coach, so I followed it. It was just tough. I want to be out there with my guys battling whatever the situation is, it’s just tough.”
Shanahan on Decision to Bench Garoppolo: ‘You Can Tell He Was Affected by His Ankle’
“I wanted to be out there. I’m the quarterback of this team.” – Jimmy G reacts to being pulled for the second half.
Shanahan explained his decision to go with C.J. Beathard in the second half noting Garoppolo was “struggling a little bit because of it [the ankle].” The 49ers coach stopped short of citing Garoppolo’s injury as being the only reason that he chose to move away from the quarterback in the second half.
“Watching how we were playing as a whole (and) watching how he was playing, you can tell he was affected by his ankle,” Shanahan explained, per 49ers.com. “I know he doesn’t normally throw the ball that way and I think he was struggling a little bit because of it. The way the game was going, I wasn’t going to keep putting him in those positions knowing we were going to have to throw it a lot to come back. I think it hurt him from being at his best.”
Jimmy G on Performance vs. Dolphins: ‘I Just Got to Play Better’
Jimmy G isn’t losing any confidence after today’s loss.
Garoppolo may have referred to himself as the “quarterback of this team” but the 49ers signal-caller knows he has to play better to keep it that way. The 49ers quarterback alluded to the challenges presented by the numerous injuries throughout the roster but added the team has to “make the best of the situation you’re given.”
“You got to come into work and make the best of the situation that you’re given,” Garoppolo explained. “That’s all you can really do. You can’t worry about things you can’t control. It starts with me, I just got to play better.”
Garoppolo admitted that he “felt it” when referencing his ankle injury. The 49ers quarterback implied that he did not want his injury to be an excuse for his poor performance.
“I felt it,” Garoppolo said, per 49ers.com. “I wouldn’t say it affected everything. It’s just one of those things you have to deal with. It was a tough one today. I wanted to be out there with those guys and wanted to get the win today. A lot of things didn’t go well for us.”
The bigger question is whether Garoppolo will play in Week 6. Garoppolo noted that he had not thought about his status against the Rams emphasizing he plans to take it “day by day.”
“I really haven’t thought that far ahead,” Garoppolo added. “We’ll take it day by day with the ankle and see how it goes.”
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