Getty A member of the NFL's All-Decade team says the 49ers aren't "good enough" to deal with Jimmy Garoppolo's mistakes.
Jimmy Garoppolo is holding the San Francisco 49ers back, according to a former four-time Pro-Bowl and two-time All-Pro fullback. This member of the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 2000s doesn’t think the Niners’ offense is good enough to overcome the quarterback’s mistakes and win.
Instead, he believes Garoppolo is a “game manager” who can’t be expected to get “behind the sticks” and still make the throws necessary to overcome a deficit. Garoppolo’s mistakes against the Denver Broncos in Week 3, including an interception, fumbled snap and stepping out of the back of the end zone to give away a safety, cost the 49ers the game.
Garoppolo Has ‘No Excuses’ for Mental Lapses
Speaking on 95.7 The Game’s The Football Hour, Lorenzo Neal outlined why Garoppolo cost the 49ers the game in Denver: “Let’s take away the offensive turnovers. Jimmy G’s turnovers, the fumble, the safety. Who wins that game?”
Neal, who played for the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens, among others, thinks “the Niners aren’t good enough to make mistakes and win. Defensively? Yes. Offensively, you’re not?”
Fixing Garoppolo’s issues demands getting back to what the 49ers do best, according to Neal: “It’s built on running the ball. When this team runs the ball and it’s 3rd-and-2 or 3, now Jimmy can look better, and Jimmy is a game manager and he can make the throws.”
The perception of Garoppolo as a quarterback merely capable of managing games rather than impacting them is why the 49ers turned to Trey Lance this offseason. Neal pointed out how the 49ers are more predictable when the static Garoppolo is in the pocket instead of the more mobile Lance.
Losing the latter to a broken ankle suffered against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2, facilitated Garoppolo’s return to the starting lineup. As Neal’s co-host, former NFL QB Sean Salisbury, noted, “when you’re not a mobile guy, we expect you to get the ball out on time and throw it with accuracy.”
Garoppolo did precious little of either of those things in Denver, en route to completing just 18 of 29 attempts. His struggles are not only wasting what Neal dubbed a “Super Bowl-calibre defense.”
Those struggles are also wasting smart play designs and a talented supporting cast.
49ers’ Weapons Suffering While Garoppolo Struggles
Garoppolo’s problems are also wasting the talented playmakers at his disposal, including wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Samuel was missed by his quarterback even though he’d gotten behind the Broncos’ defense, per Akash Anavarathan of SB Nation’s Niners Nation:
Deebo Samuel might still be running if Jimmy Garoppolo looks his way on this play.
Receivers running into wide-open spaces is not an uncommon sight for the 49ers while head coach Kyle Shanahan is designing the offense. Shanahan has his critics, but he’s also likely to scheme at least a couple of big plays through the air per game.
Those are the opportunities Garoppolo has to take, according to Neal:
“He’s going to have to capitalize on the mismatches that Shanahan gives him and you can’t miss because you’re not good enough to miss those.”
@LorenzoNeal on #49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo not hitting open receivers down the field
(via The Football Hour)
If he doesn’t exploit those open windows, a quarterback who struggles throwing outside the numbers isn’t going to make enough of the tough throws to compensate. That places a greater burden on the San Francisco defense to carry the load.
In Garoppolo’s own defense, the failings of the Niners’ offense aren’t all down to him. Injuries have ravaged the unit at key positions, particularly running back and along the offensive line.
A front five already struggling to replace center Alex Mack and guard Laken Tomlinson lost dominant left tackle Trent Williams to a high ankle sprain in Week 3. It’s no coincidence Garopppolo was sacked four times against the Broncos. Nor is there any surprise about a running game Garoppolo usually leans on being inconsistent since injuries to Elijah Mitchell and Ty Davis-Price.
There’s also the unspoken truth behind Garoppolo’s struggles. Namely, the 49ers’ mismanagement of their quarterback situation during the offseason.
Garoppolo was supposed to be traded after Lance was handed the job, with the veteran not even having access to a playbook. That and shoulder surgery have naturally left Garoppolo behind the curve, despite his experience in the system.
Continuity isn’t something a team can simply switch off then on again, but it’s what the 49ers need if they’re going to get back on track this season.