Jimmy Garoppolo Gives Honest Admission About Injury
Through four games of the 2022 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers are 2-2, and although they have some definite concerns, there are also reasons to be optimistic.
One of those reasons is quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who replaced the new starter, Trey Lance, when Lance went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.
Since then, Garoppolo, for the most part, has played very solid ball, and although he put up a bit of a clunker in Week 3 versus the Denver Broncos, he has a decent passer rating of 93.2 after three games (he didn’t play in Week 1).
He had shoulder surgery during the offseason which prevented him from participating in football activities for several months, and he admitted that his shoulder still isn’t fully healthy yet.
“Rehab is a tricky thing because they say, ‘You’re back. You’re healthy,’” he shared. “… That’s the tricky part, being in-season, still trying to get my arm where it needs to be, because you’re playing that rep game, you’re trying to get reps up early in the week, control it later in the week so you’re not sore on Sundays.”
Garoppolo Has Largely Been A Steady Presence Under Center
Over his five seasons at the helm of the 49ers’ offense, Garoppolo has been a reliable game manager who has led them to many wins.
Since being traded there by the New England Patriots, he has put up a 32-15 record as the starter in San Francisco.
Garoppolo is also a fine leader on and off the field, and it seems his teammates respond very well to him and are willing to go to bat for him.
“He’s a natural born leader. He’s running meeting like coaches…he knows who he is.” — Emmanuel Sanders with high praise for Jimmy Garoppolo’s leadership.
CC — any team willing to trade for 10 pic.twitter.com/cYtjgN0YG0
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) April 4, 2022
In Week 2 versus the Seattle Seahawks, when he took over for the injured Lance, Garoppolo instantly jump-started the Niners’ offense and got it moving down the field, helping them to a 27-7 win.
To be sure, he is not nearly as mobile as Lance, and he is not a very reliable deep ball threat, but San Francisco’s offense is built around the running game and short-to-intermediate range passes, and such an offense is a solid fit for him.
Watch how Jimmy Garoppolo holds Bobby Wagner with his eyes to free up the second throwing window to Jauan Jennings.
Looks at Deebo Samuel in the first throwing window, holds Wagner and fires in a strike on third down.
Just need more of this consistently this season. pic.twitter.com/IO44ZeFpFl
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) October 6, 2022
The 49ers also have arguably the best defense in the NFL right now, and all that adds up to a team Garoppolo could take to at least the NFC Championship Game, a place he has taken them to twice in the last three seasons.
One of the complaints about him over the years has been that he has been prone to interceptions, but so far this season, he has thrown just one in 77 pass attempts, which equates to an outstanding 1.3 percent interception rate, which is much lower than his career 2.6 percent interception rate.
The 49ers Need To Get Healthy
A factor that is beyond Garoppolo’s control is the growing list of injuries for San Francisco.
It was already without top running back Elijah Mitchell, who sprained his MCL in Week 1, as well as offensive lineman Trent Williams, one of the best in the NFL at his position, who has a high ankle injury.
But now, Williams’ replacement, Colton McKivitz, as well as starting defensive lineman Arik Armstead are also on the injured list.
Injuries are the one thing that can prevent any team from having a successful season, and the injury bug that has afflicted the 49ers the last two years hasn’t gone away.