Kyle Shanahan on Jimmy Garoppolo: ‘I’m sure some day he will lose.’

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan talks with the media following an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

SANTA CLARA — This is the transcript of Kyle Shanahan’s Week 16 Monday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers P.R. department.

 

Could you maybe go over just how well the two-minute drill has been working these last five games? It seems like you guys have gotten point production.

“Yeah, it’s been nice. Yesterday was even better, you know, [WR] Trent [Taylor] won on two man on the first play and then right when we got into it they busted a coverage over the middle. We went real fast there, their inside linebacker and their outside back, both of them took the back and that left our tight end down the seam in a two-shell defense, so we got that explosive deal, got down there fast, and the next play they blitzed and hit [WR] Marquise [Goodwin] on a slant and then it was pretty much over after that. It’s gone well and guys made some good plays in it.”

 

Why now, though? You guys have been practicing this basically daily, right? Is it just repetition?

“Yeah, repetition and, I mean those were some good looks, too. I mean, it’s nice when guys bust and leave a tight end going down the middle for a 30-yarder, so that was real nice. But, you’ve still got to see it, you’ve still got to get there. It was number two in the progression, so it was a good job getting into that, and then they blitzed a second time and Marquise got a lot of separation on man-to-man on a slant, so he got us about a 10-yard gain, which got us into field goal range and then we were able to run the play and kick the field goal. I think it’s timing. I think our guys are doing better the more they’ve done, and it’s worked out well, but I can’t tell you exactly why.”

 

QB Jimmy Garoppolo mentioned yesterday, I thought it was interesting, he said that he was sitting on the sideline before and he was going over almost cramming for that two-minute drill because he said it was the first time he was going to use the plays in that way.

“Yeah.”

 

Are those kinds of things coming up a lot where he’s still on the sideline and you’re like, ‘Wow, this guy has only been here for–?’

“Yeah, definitely. I mean, that’s the challenge for him, and that’ll be that way throughout this whole year, stuff he knows and everything going into the game, but then you don’t bring something up for a while, or in the heat of the battle, it’s just not always automatic. We’ve got a number of plays that we use in two-minute with different words and things like that, so it was nice to anticipate that coming, not with a quick turnover or something like that so [quarterbacks coach] Rich [Scangarello] can sit there on the sidelines with him and go over everything. Jimmy is a pretty visual guy, so when we do that it’s nice to have about five to 10 minutes where Rich can draw all the plays up so he can see them and just think about them, and we don’t get to use them all. I think we ended up using three of them, but it’s nice to preview that before we go out.”

 

I think before yesterday the Jaguars were on pace to be the first defense ever to lead the NFL in scoring, takeaways and sacks. That’s never happened before. I know coaches don’t love comparing, but when you look at them and maybe think about just your history as a coordinator, are they unique to what you’ve gone against in the past?

“You know, I’ll start them on tape probably about an hour from now. But, just from looking at the numbers, I played them two years ago, I have an idea of what scheme they run. I know how good their personnel was two years ago. I know the personnel they’ve added to the last couple drafts, and I’ve seen the numbers, so I can imagine it’s going to be right there what you’re asking, but I won’t know that for sure until later tonight, halfway through tomorrow, so I’ll answer that better on Wednesday.”

 

I know you’re familiar with the scheme because you guys run it and you’ve gone against similar schemes before, but are there nuance things that you can talk to defensive coordinator Robert Saleh about and maybe personnel-wise?

“Yeah, possibly. Our whole day on Monday, I just finished with the team a couple hours ago, I just finished with the quarterbacks about a half an hour ago, now I’m with you guys, and then I’ll go spend another half an hour with the personnel department talking some things, and then it’s Jacksonville for the rest of the night and all day tomorrow before the players come in. I know the coaching staff as far as their coordinator is the same from the year before when Saleh was there. I know some of their personnel and stuff, so we’ll talk about those things. But, we won’t know what they’ve changed or anything until we’ve studied the tape. But, I do know how good their players are, and I know how sound the scheme is, so it doesn’t surprise me at all what their numbers have been this year.”

 

Obviously the penalties have been a reason you haven’t been able to finish some of these drives. Is there anything else now that you’ve seen it for a few weeks that you can put your finger on why you haven’t been able to finish drives with touchdowns?

“I mean, I think the penalties have been a big part of it. You look at our red zones yesterday, the penalties weren’t all of it. I think we had first-and-goal on the 10 at the end of the second quarter. We ran a run play on first down and we had a couple busts in how we targeted those runs, so we ended up getting zero yards on that, so we had second-and-goal from the 10, had the man-to-man play to [WR Kendrick Bourne] KB on second-and-goal from the 10, corner made a good play, and then we had third-and-goal from the 10 and we didn’t get that either. I think we’ve got to be more efficient in what we do. When we don’t have a penalty, we’ve got to get positive yards. You don’t want to call a run play on first-and-goal from the 10 and get zero yards. Kind of puts you behind the eight-ball and if you have a lot of third-and-goals from the 10, that’s not going to go very well. Next time down there I believe we had a good play on first down, but we ended up getting a clipping by [RB Matt] Breida that took us out. We ended up having third-and-goal from the 18, which is not good, so we threw a quick screen and I thought the guys made a hell of a play but they took that back with an offensive PI. It’s been a little bit of both. We’ve got to get better down there. We’ve got to execute better. We’ve got to be more disciplined. We got to the, I thought we did one good job overcoming something. We had fist-and-goal from the seven, I believe, on our first time down there, ran it to the one, had second-and-goal on the one, missed a run-through backer on the backside who got a loss of five yards and we had third-and-goal from the six. Jimmy did a good job going off schedule and hitting [TE Garrett] Celek in the end zone, so we overcame that, but we haven’t overcome much else all those other times.”

 

ME: Yesterday you said K Robbie Gould is playing as well as any player you’ve ever had. Why is he playing so well right now? What makes him such a good kicker, and how important is he to this team?

“You know, Robbie is very important. The kicker is always important, especially how close all these games are, and if you’re not making field goals, I think it would have been pretty tough to win these games that we have won. They were all fairly close and they can come down to just a couple plays. I can’t explain to you why he’s doing so well. I don’t know enough about kicking. All I know is whether it’s good or not good. That’s probably the only position I can study off a piece of paper just by reading the percentage. But, he’s been great. I think you guys can tell how he carries himself. He’s the only kicker I’ve been around who truly knows everything that’s going on. He’ll call [special teams coordinator Richard] Hightower on Tuesday nights and try to suggest things they should do in their blocking patterns and stuff on kickoffs and punts and things like that. He really enjoys football. He comes in early. He talks to everybody, is a part of everything. He’s not just in his own little world kicking the ball and stuff. He’s really a part of this team and that’s why we consider him a leader. And when you act that way, that’s great, but you’re going to be judged by how good you do and I think the guys respect the hell out of him because of how he carries himself, but also because they know how good a job he’s doing in these games.”

 

ME: After the game yesterday, he said he met you for the first time at the Combine about seven years ago, you, him and Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gates. Do you remember that? He said he was impressed with how passionate you are for the game.

“Yeah, I do remember that. I think I met him in the JW Marriott hotel lobby. He was with a couple guys, with [former NFL OL Tony] Pashos, Tony, who I knew, and I think I was with Adam, so Tony came and introduced him to us, so that’s where we first met.”

 

I’m not actually asking you to do it, but could you go from the first offensive play and tell us each play that happened in succession from yesterday’s game?

“No, I couldn’t. Probably not. If I was more rested. I celebrated too much last night. I definitely couldn’t do it right now.”

 

People are looking at this, this is not news to you, you were just 0-9. But, now people are looking at next year and are like, ‘Oh yeah, of course they’re going to be in playoff contention.’ I know you’re focused on Jacksonville and all that, but given that you guys got six-year contracts, and there was this whole this is a patient approach, but all of a sudden do you have that feeling like this could happen faster than we anticipated?

“I don’t really think of it that way. I think of it day-by-day and game-by-game and when we get to this offseason I’ll spend some time really evaluating hard the offseason, look at the contracts and things for the future and where we’re going to go with free agency and the Draft and just try to make the right decision and the best decision possible with whatever is presented to us in any situation. That’s kind of when we got here, it wasn’t, ‘Hey, we have to do this, we have to do that, we have to get this guy or we have to get that guy.’ It’s what guys are available, do we think they can be a part of this for the future, how do we want to go about doing that, and try not to force anything. I think that was one of the good things that [general manager] John and I felt coming here, that we didn’t have to make any, what we thought, real risky decisions or anything like that for anything real immediate. We thought we could just focus on what we thought was right and stick with that. We feel we’ve done that as far as so far how it’s been going. It’s always tough when you start out 0-9, but it was nice when doing that not having people in our building freak out and think we had to go do something drastic, just being able to stay with the process and continue focusing on that. That’s easier said than done, but when you end up winning some games, it makes it a lot easier, and I think everyone does start to get excited, and I know you guys can feel that with our team and you can feel it with the fans for sure on Sunday. But, we’re not, we live in reality, and a lot of things had to go well for us to win that game yesterday, too. We were real excited and I was happy about how our guys responded to a lot of things, but by no means was that perfect. We almost found a way to lose it a couple times. We’re not going to win a lot of games if we have those penalties and do stuff like that. Even though we’re all excited, there’s a lot to learn from, and I do know we’ve got to play better to talk about what you’re talking about.”

 

You guys have won three in a row now, so has Jacksonville. It’s like the NFL’s two hottest teams. Does that help you create that playoff feel that you’re going for these final couple games?

“I mean, I know their year has been a lot different than ours, but that’s what we talked about last week going into these final three games, that we’re going against three teams who are playoff teams and fighting to be playoff teams. I know Jacksonville just looking at their record and stuff, they’re still possibly fighting for home field advantage, I think. I think they’re two games out. But, it’s going to be a huge challenge. I know you guys already brought up the numbers with them and I’ll see more when I turn on that tape. But, when you look at teams that have those type of numbers, they have as good a chance as anyone to go all the way. I know it’ll be a huge challenge for us, and hopefully we’ll heal up this week and look at the tape and have a plan to try to get after them on Sunday.”

 

I know you said you’d try to take it day by day and you don’t want to get too far down looking at how you’re going to rebuild next year, but do you find yourself at all kind of making a wish list of what you would like to see to take that next step when it comes to next year?

“Yeah, I always look at where I want to improve in all three phases, where I think certain, you know I look at by positions where I think we can get better and things like that. But, also you’ve got to look at what’s available each year, too. You don’t just get to go to the store and pick exactly what you want. You’ve got to see what’s available in free agency, what’s available in the Draft. You don’t always just go for need because that need isn’t always there. Sometimes you’ve got to work around it. You know, I am very excited with how we’re playing. It makes it a lot more exciting going into the offseason, just because you can see it in the players, and I think you can feel with them to where we’re are at the end of the year and I don’t hear them talking about vacation or talking about what they’re going to do in January. I see guys generally coming in excited to get the game plan and go to work, and I think that’s pretty unique from a group of guys when you’re out of the playoffs and you’re looking at these last two games. That excites me with our team, but I also know we’ve got a lot of work to do, and I think we’ve got the right guys that that’s what we’ll focus on and stay humble doing it.”

 

You guys talked about how much Tennessee blitzed yesterday. Are you anticipating, I know you haven’t dove into the film yet, but are you anticipating a much more of a conservative approach from a lack of blitzing standpoint and forcing your guys to win the one-on-one matchups?

“I would, considering the style of how they play. Again, I haven’t watched the tape, but I’m sure they haven’t been doing that much this year, just knowing their personnel and knowing their scheme. But, you never know what you get on Sunday, and you always go into a game anticipating stuff and you always have to be ready to adjust when it’s different.”

 

ME: LB Reuben Foster missed a couple of plays, he was hurt, came back. It’s happened to him a few times. Is there any pattern or is it just bad luck? Is it a product of how hard he plays?

“I think everyone can see Reuben throws his body around, plays very hard. That’s something you’ll have to ask Reuben about. He’s already tricked me enough. I told him I’m not coming out there anymore. And then one day I’m going to need to. But, hopefully not. But he usually, I think it’s pretty serious and then he’s back out there a couple plays later. But, I know he plays through a lot of pain. I know he throws his body around. You guys can see how violent he plays. But, he definitely has made me nervous many a time, so I try not to worry too much until he’s out longer than a couple plays.”

 

Have you considered what to get the Patriots for Christmas?

“No, I haven’t, but definitely they’re on my good side right now.”

 

Nothing in terms of contracts with Jimmy or anybody else at this stage?

“Yeah, that’s something that we don’t even, we definitely don’t talk with the players about right now, and it’s something that’s pretty far from my mind. But, a couple weeks isn’t that far away, so we’ll see when we get to the offseason.”

 

WR Aldrick Robinson is presumably in the concussion protocol. Was it his hand, too?

“Yeah, his wrist has been bothering him a little, and I think he just landed on it funky, whether he sprained his wrist or something, but nothing broke. It was his head. It was the concussion that bothered him. He was good after the game talking to him and stuff, but he definitely has to be in the protocol.”

 

Did you get through mostly clean other than that?

“Yeah, [DB Adrian] Colbert surprised us after the game. He came in with some symptoms, had them again this morning. So he’s going to be in the protocol also.”

 

How did CB Ahkello Witherspoon come out, and how close was he to not playing in the game?

“He was close to not playing. We had to go easy on him all week, and he had to push it a lot harder on Friday to where if he wasn’t up to it on Friday, he wouldn’t have been able to play. But, he went hard enough on Friday, wasn’t fully there, but looked good in warmups, felt he was healthy enough. We did the same with [CB Greg] Mabin, but his was the other way. He struggled on Friday and then we worked him out before the game on Sunday and just couldn’t go, so we brought [DB Tyvis] Powell up and made that adjustment.”

 

With Jimmy, I know he does a lot of things well, but it seems like he has the ability when coverage drops to see it. Seems like a couple of key plays yesterday that was the case. Is that something that you see on film with him?

“Yeah, I think he’s got a natural feel out there. It’s not always he’s going to sit there and tell you exactly what coverage and what parts they’re in, like a coach will do with a clicker in his hand when I’m watching it very slowly and stuff, and he just sits in there and feels holes and lets it rip, and those are usually what the good ones do. They don’t sit there and overthink it and overanalyze something. They try to stay pretty mindful, pretty poised, very balanced in how their body is. And when they feel holes, they let it rip with no hesitation, and I think you guys can all see that on tape, and he’s done a real good job with that.”

 

Does that go back to his experience at Eastern Illinois a little bit where they just didn’t have a playbook?

“I don’t know. You’d probably have to ask him more on that. They got rid of the ball so fast in that type of offense, it’s almost like watching basketball. They just spread it out and they catch and throw almost every play. That was one of the things watching him in college it was hard to evaluate how long he could stay in that pocket, and you weren’t totally sure of it. You get that with a lot of these college guys because the spread offense sometimes it’s just one step and throw, one step and throw, so you don’t even, you’re not sure how they’ll handle getting hit very much and hanging in there. That’s always a scary thing because if they don’t handle it well, it’s very hard to be successful in the NFL. But, you have that challenge a lot coming out with these guys, and Jimmy, we had the challenge with. I remember studying [Oakland Raiders QB Derek] Carr with the Raiders, he was the same at Fresno State, they just got rid of it so fast. But then, you hope they’ll do it in the NFL, but you never know until they get in the heat of battle and he’s proven to do it.”

 

Was it those two games he started in New England where you knew that he could do it?

“Definitely. I mean that’s, you’d like to see more over time and stuff, but you go off what you’ve seen, and you’re going to go off the NFL games, and he was very poised in both his game and a half that he played in. He’s done it in the preseason, too, and he definitely has the ability and the throwing mechanics to do it and shows he’s got the toughness, also.”

 

ME: Jimmy looks like the greatest quarterback of all time right now, but he still hasn’t played that much. How many games does a quarterback need to play before you feel like you know who he is as a player?

“I definitely can’t put a number on that. I think you don’t, I mean Jimmy, it’s been great. I think he’s 5-0 as a starter. There’s going to be a time that he goes through adversity. I’m sure some day he will lose and guys have rough games. I don’t care how good you are or if you’re the greatest quarterback of all time. I’ve heard people over the years, whatever the two or three games that [New England Patriots QB] Tom [Brady] has had that haven’t been very good, usually the next day people are saying, all right, he might be getting older, and then he usually finishes the year with an MVP and a Super Bowl trophy. In order to see how guys are doing, you’ve got to see how they respond to adversity and how they can do it over the long haul. Jimmy is going to get that opportunity and we’ll see, and I feel pretty confident he’ll handle it the right way.”

 

With Tennessee selling out against the run yesterday, after watching the tape, what was your takeaway of their rush defense?

“Pretty much that. I think they committed a lot to the run. I thought we struggled blocking them. I thought their guys did a good job inside and on the edges. Their linebackers did a good job getting off our blocks and we weren’t able to crank any big ones, so I thought they did a good job. I think they’ve done a good job all year, and I thought they committed to it a little bit more than usual.”

This article has 91 Comments

    1. THATS the real issue. For myself, I will drop the 9ers like a bad habit if York doesnt understand what he has in hand and decides he’s too expensive. First time in decades we have the real thing at QB……………….he’d better pay the man and let his front office build the team as they see fit~~not as prag sees fit.
      They’re really would be no reason to expend our lifes energy watching this product if York messes this up.

  1. Grant, I am surprised you didn’t bring up anything about Jimmy potentially tipping off the run during pre-snap. Did you see something later that changed your mind?

    1. Couldn’t see anything on the replay that supported Cohn’s accusation. No doubt he’ll apologize for it at some point.

  2. It is nice to have a coach who’s isn’t always saying that he has to watch the tape to give an answer. At least now we are getting some answers and a little honesty. It is refreshing, for a change. The players seemed to believe from the beginning that KS and JL would make a difference and now with JG era beginning they have become disciples. Soon the fan base will follow whether they win the last two games or not.

  3. Here is a hot take guaranteed to put a smile on the face of all Forty Niner Faithful courtesy of KNBR Podcaster and Sports Journalist (formerly with Pro Football Focus) KEVIN JONES:

    “An NFL WR hitting free agency this offseason texted me out of the blue: What’s San Francisco like? Man, Jimmy G is a baller.

    Jimmy Garoppolo has been a transformative force since the moment he took the field for the 49ers and his sensational start is not only the hottest story in the Bay Area sports scene over the last month, he’s also elevated the 49ers profile on the national scene as well. And believe me, the NFL community has taken notice. It’s a quarterback driven league. Pairing Garoppolo up with one of the league’s hottest, and most respected Offensive Coaches, a General Manager who has a reputation that is simply beyond reproach, and sprinkle in some of the best year ’round weather on the planet, and the 49ers suddenly look like one of the hottest destinations for not only young up-and-comers, but established veterans as well.

    With the 3 most important pieces of the NFL team jigsaw puzzle seemingly in place – Head Coach, General Manager, and Franchise Quarterback, as well as somewhere in the ballpark of $92 million in salary cap space (counting for Garoppolo’s potential price tag), and a number of young players who seem to be blossoming with each consecutive game played, the planets appear to be, once again, lining up for this once storied franchise!

    GO NINERS!

    1. As all Faithful know, the 49ERS were the first to five, and with Tom “the cheater” Brady getting long in the tooth, the Niners may very well now be the best bet to become the second to six – Lombardi Trophies!

      And even if Brady and the Pats make it to six first, we all know there ought to be an asterisk in front of the New England Patriots team logo, for cheating their way to at least one of those world championships, and probably more.

      1. You didn’t read the actual report did you? You read what the press ran with. Unfortunately the IGNORANT PRESS DIDN’T READ THE FOOTNOTES.

        The footnotes indicated the Colts balls were also under inflated. By the same amount.

        That’s what happens in cold weather. Gas pressure decreases with cold and increases with heat. That’s why tires get soft in cold weather and steam engines explode when their pressure relief valves. This is basic HS physics that you learn in 9th grade.

        But then NFL didn’t care and they lied and Brady was punished. Just like they lied about what happened in Miami. What happened in New Orleans. And every other railroaded case of ‘justice.’ And this is why they haven’t released their cold-weather pressure study they conducted in 2016. Because it exonerates Brady.

        In the end, it was never about finding the truth. It was about scandal management. The NFL felt it was better to punish the Patriots and deal with a small, pissed-off fan base than doing what was right a possibly pissing off the greater NFL fan base. Especially after they blew ‘TapeGate’ and let the Patriots off with a slap on the wrist for some thing that was actual cheating done over a period of years.

        Rule of Thumb: The footnotes and fine print are where the dirty deeds are hidden. In financials. In legal briefs. In everything. If you don’t read it, you’ll get hosed. Just like the lazy, incompetent press did and passed it on to Brady.

        1. Oh Moses. And your explanation for the equipment manager’s nickname, ” the deflator”?

          And spy-gate? Come on Moses, use some common sense for a change! “Occam’s Razor” Moses. Learn it, understand it, make your friend when it comes to critical thinking.

          Look, I’m all for finding an edge, and if you can get away with cheating, more power to you. But if you do get caught, cheating is cheating, PERIOD!

          New England Patriots *5 Super Bowls.

          *Caught videotaping both the Jet’s sideline from an unauthorized position during the season, and the Rams’ Super Bowl walkthrough.

          1. For the record Moses, most of us no longer need proof that the sky is “blue”, that the sun will rise this morning, or that our planet Earth is older than 6,000 years.

        2. The information regarding the pressure loss of the game balls (Patriot and Colts alike) and the differential average loss per ball measured are not relegated to a footnote in the Wells Report. That information is presented in Appendix 1 of the report (see Table A-1 on page A-2 for the reported pressure differentials).

          Here is the report itself, for those interested: https://nfllabor.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/investigative-and-expert-reports-re-footballs-used-during-afc-championsh.pdf

          There is a footnote in the main body of the report (footnote 66) that indicates that the corrected readings for the Colts balls were in the expected pressure range given the temperature differential at the time of the second readings: “All of the Colts measurements recorded at halftime were above this range, once converted into a corresponding ‘Master Gauge’ pressure, and therefore can be explained by the applicable scientific principles.” Now, a cynic might read the above with some, well, cynicism regarding the use of corrected data, but that goes to the issues with the methodology of the testing and the subsequent analysis thereof, not the conclusions of the report.

          So while there are, in my opinion, reasonable concerns regarding the methodology used in measuring the pressure of the footballs as well as reasonable criticisms of the analysis of those readings. But given the data presented in the report, and given the burden of proof (preponderance of evidence), the report’s conclusion that it was more likely than not the the Patriot’s footballs were at a lower pressure than would have been expected from the temperature differential, and that the pressure differential was significantly lower for the Patriot’s footballs than the Colt’s footballs, is supported by the data as presented in the report.

            1. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones as well, Razor.

              I had not been keeping up with the blog recently (at least not with the comments — I nearly always read Grant’s posts and articles), so I was surprised to see that the most verbose poster of all has drastically scaled back his posts. I was also pleasantly surprised to see some long-time commentators have returned. Now, I know better than to attribute this situation solely to simple post hoc ergo propter hoc reasoning, but I cannot help but suspect that the former contributed to the latter.

              1. It’s funny. Even with the exit of The Most Verbose One, it hasn’t seemed to effect the overall post count here. It’s like evolution in practice – once the dinosaurs are shown the door, the remaining life forms expand, filling the open ecosystems.

            2. Good stuff JPN.

              Presented with the evidence, I think reasonable people who use critical thinking skills, more often than not, come to the conclusion that the Patriots went to “extra lengths” to “push the rules past reasonable interpretation” in order to find an edge. I’m certain they aren’t the first, and likely won’t be the last, but they got caught, plain and simple. Those are the facts. They have been labeled cheaters, and must wear that label, whether they like it or not.

              Regardless of the deflated football, which is advantageous, without a doubt, Brady is still the 2nd best QB of all time on my list, but I certainly have my doubts the Patriots would have beat the Rams fair and square. Therefore, the asterisk is appropriate IMO, and the opinion of the majority.

          1. I really enjoy this place more when you contribute JPN. Thanks for posting that. The Brady-Deflategate story was distorted in so many ways that it got to the point where a number of people (mainly NE fans) were suggesting the evidence exonerated Brady and there was no question he was innocent, which was not the case at all. While we don’t know for certain if the Footballs were tampered with, we also don’t know that they weren’t.

            1. Thanks, Rocket. The same is true the other way around — it was quite a bit less interesting here when you and some others were not contributing as much.

      2. Brady was also given a couple of those SB’s in the salary cap era, where no team can really put together a real juggernaut.

  4. Kevin Jones

    @Mr_KevinJones
    A WR hitting free agency this offseason texted me out of the blue: “What’s San Francisco like? Man, Jimmy G is a baller.”

    7:07 PM – Dec 18, 2017

  5. Hey…. About time the blog’s Popular Tags panel is either updated or dropped! C’mon Grant! C’mon IT guy!

  6. #10 + #11 = Franchise + Flash…….

    the Jags game will be a good test…….but the Rams game is our GPS game…..

      1. Is there really a definitive amount? Some QB’s established themselves right away while others spend their entire careers establishing themselves. I believe too many variables diminish any possibility of an accurate answer.

        1. “too many variables diminish any possibility of an accurate answer.”

          Yep. So while I am cautiously optimistic about Jimmy Garoppolo, I agree with those who believe the sample size is still too small to make long-term predictions. Further, I do not think two more games, even difficult ones, will add sufficient data for such predictions. However, I am hopeful that the 49ers can sign Garoppolo (or franchise him) and add some more pieces in the off-season so the experiment can continue next year under improving circumstances. At the very least, I think Garoppolo has given many 49ers fans something that has been missing for the last two seasons and much of this one — a good reason to be excited about the QB play.

          1. By the utopian standard of measure the 49ers need more games to evaluate Garoppolo.

            But by the comparative standard of measure the 49ers are getting a great look at Garoppolo.

            – 7 total NFL starts (2 Pats, 5 Niners)
            – 9 games with snaps (3 Pats, 6 Niners)
            – 3 years of first hand accounts of how Garoppolo conducted himself (from former Patriots)
            – First hand knowledge of how Garoppolo prepares, coachability, gets along with teammates and coaches, functions within the 49ers offense.
            – Large numbers of practice snaps
            – College game tape

            Trade decisions risking multiple first round draft picks are typically made with far less information.

            Its hard to assess the value of cap space relative to draft capital, but I think pick 37+Contract is still less than three first rounders.

              1. Carr contract details
                http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/oakland-raiders/derek-carr-14445/

                Terms: 5 year $125,000,000
                Signing Bonus $12,500,000
                GTD at Sign $40,000,000
                Total GTD $70,200,000
                Average Salary $25,000,000

                Says five years. But the way spotrac shows it the Raiders have Carr for six. He was extended under his rookie contract.

                If the 49ers sign Garoppolo to a five year deal, both Carr and Garoppolo would be scheduled free agents in 2023.

                With that kind of money, I’d want Lynch to try for an option year 2024. Or maybe slightly less because its effectively a shorter contract than Carr’s.

    1. Did you expect Kyle to give an actual number to that subjective question?

      He mentioned handling adversity. He may have adversity against Jacksonville. But is one game against the Rams enough of a sample size to see if he handled the potential Jacksonville adversity?

      He needs to decide if he wants to extend JG either this offseason or the next. Perhaps a better question would be…

      Do you think 7 or 23 games is enough for you to feel like you know who he is as a player?

  7. The new Golden Boy has been terrific, albeit against teams that are ranked 16th (Tenn), 28th (Hou), and 21st (Chi) in passer rating allowed. Jacksonville is a whole different animal.

    1. I think Shanny/Jimmy embrace this challenge, and given their familiarity with the Jags defensive scheme, I’m expecting them to have some success. How much success is yet to be determined….

    2. If he falls short, how different does that make him from the opponent QBs that have contributed to Jacksonville’s passing rating? I mean they’ve played some teams who are supposed to have “franchise” QBs – Pittsburgh, LAR, Seattle….

        1. And as a developing team they are there with the likes of Baltimore, Seattle, Pittsburgh, all who have lost to Jacksonville as well. So I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on this game. That is, unless we win ;)

          1. I would pump the brakes on the comparisons. We have a ways to go before we can compare to those teams.

              1. We could also be super bowl champions with better players, more experience etc. But we aren’t. We are what we are.

              2. nah dude….we were bad under Kelly…..we were ugly under Tomsula……I see a good young team……we are not getting crushed and we are putting up points…..it is those penalties that have killed us…..

                lets keep it real – we are not that bad…….

                Kelly or Tomsula’s team would never have beaten the Titans…..

                again pump the breaks on better players….at worst we get 2-3 new starters next year…..

              3. And touchdowns? Scoring on D?

                Lots of things have to happen before we can call ourselves good. As you said, we are not that bad, which is another way of saying we aren’t that good either.

            1. I’m just comparing apples to apples with regard to the “test” the QB and team faces this weekend.

              1. Agree. Is it realistic to expect Jimmy G to outperform Wilson, Roethlisberger, etc. when going up against Jax? I already said it is very unlikely that the JAX game will diminish my support of Jimmy G, almost regardless of how he performs. It’s a team sport after all.

      1. “how different does that make him from the opponent QBs that have contributed to Jacksonville’s passing rating?”

        2 of the 3 “franchise” QB’s you mentioned have posted a rating at least 10 points higher than the average allowed.

        1. So a rating by the “Golden Boy” somewhere between the average and the 10 points above would be what, in your book? Pretty good?

            1. Opposing QBs are averaging 65.2 against Jags. So lets look at how those so-called franchise QBs fared:

              Wilson, 77
              Rivers, 83
              Goff, who may be having an MVP type year, 86
              Roethlisberger, 38
              Flacco, a guy who’s making as much as JG should be, scored… 12

              And you want our 5 start guy to score 83 or more? 2nd highest against this team all year? Otherwise he’s just “average”? That’s a ridiculous bar. You are a cruel taskmaster, Hammer.

              1. Rib,

                “And you want our 5 start guy to score 83 or more? 2nd highest against this team all year? Otherwise he’s just “average”? ”

                Yes, I think he should at least be able to match the rating put up by Blaine Gabbert a few weeks ago against this defense.

                But that could change depending on game circumstances.

              2. This Jags team has regularly throttled SB winning QBs and you are going by the yardstick of a fluke performance from a guy who’s only ever won a ticket to the bench? Hammer, whatever it is you have in your craw about JG is totally f-ing with your logic.

    3. If the 9ers and Jimmy G play poorly versus the Jags i wouldn’t worry too much. I have a feeling that once the playoffs start Jacksonville’s D is going to show that they are not just one of the best D’s this yr but a great all time D. imho

      1. Coach, beating the Jags, another playoff bound team would be a great victory for this young 49ers team. Then if we can beat the Rams it would be a overall successful season even though it wont show in the win column.

        Its been a great December with Jimmy G at the helm and seeing the young guys grow and develop. The 49ers are back baby!

      2. The Jags are a good defense especially when it comes to their pass rush, but they aren’t consistently dominant like the Ravens and Bears defenses. They lost to the Cards a few weeks ago while giving up 300+ yards to a Gabbert led offense. While I don’t think the Niners will win this game, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if they did considering that result in AZ.

      3. Agreed. With Brown gone for season and Colbert in concussion protocol I won’t worry too much if the 49ers drop the final two games. The offense /defense we trot out in 9 months will be very different from whats taking the field Sunday.

  8. The Jags were 3-13 in 2016. They were 5-11 in 2015. This year they currently sit at 10-4 with a division title staring them in the face. This years Jags team is the 49ers team next year. The Jags are a great example of the exact type of turnaround the 49ers will accomplish next year. The game this Sunday should be played with the mindset that this is the 2018 49ers trying to secure a division title with a win over a good opponent. Mentally focus on gaining experience in meaningful games because that is definitely where this 49ers team is headed next year.

    1. Our defense needs a lot of help to get to Jags level… or miraculously the front seven becomes dominant. But reading tea leaves with Armstead and Solomon and no outside pass rush I feel like we are a couple years away or some miracle in FA and draft gold.

      Further is would be nice if secondary stopped getting hurt and can grow into their own. We can pick up a solid corner in FA. Also a good swing tackle and quasi back up guard.

      Basically the front office and coaching staff need to have an even better FA and draft this off season to compete for real. Otherwise we are still 2 years off… IMO :)

      The injuries MUST stop!!! Also we need some playmakers to make plays (i.e. Bourne take that long pass last week to the house, just a quick example, I know 3 people around him… just saying though…punt return TD, RB in space like Hunt or Kumara, take it to house…) Go Niners!!!

        1. That deep throw to Carlos Hyde over the middle that Hyde misplayed may have been one of the most unathletic things I’ve ever seen from an NFL RB.

          I don’t think the 49ers defense will be close the Jags defense next year. The 49ers are definitely a couple years away from having a defense as good as the Jags. In terms of record, with the right offseason additions, I think the 49ers realistically could challenge for a division championship next year.

  9. they currently sit at 10-4

    And those loses have been to TENN, Jets, AZ, LAR. Outside of LA, all powerhouses /s. This team is not invincible.

    1. Jags definitely not invincible. They certainly wouldn’t be my pick to win the Superbowl this year. BUT they are going to go from 3-13 last year to a division title this year because they have the best defense in the NFL. Thats pretty impressive. In terms of expectations for the 49ers, I don’t think this level of improvement is out of the question for the 49ers next year.

  10. Hats off to D Rogue in the Pick’em League. I believe this is the first time that anyone has correctly picked all 16 games for the week.

    Nice job!

    1. Yep and this is the week I fell out of contention due to picking dogs in a week where all favorites won. What a crazy league the NFL is.

    2. Quest4Six Super Bowl matchup has come down to Razoreater’s Amsterdam Invaders vs. John and his Bevo’s Revenge. Thanks to MWNiner for doing the fantasy league, and to all the participants. Good luck to you, John!

      1. My season was an abject failure but I’ll be happy to give it another go next year.

        Good luck in the Championship.

  11. I keep reading we are a couple of years away…….I disagree I am confident we have arrived…….next year we make the playoffs or be in the playoff hunt……the schedule is weak and the division is turning over

    1. I agree. We are moving the ball and scoring points without an interior OL, consistent running game, and our possession WR (Garcon). I expect the offense to be even better next year as things will be adressed and Garcon returns.

      On defense, we desperately need another CB. Fuller or a high draft pick. Our run D is already decent and forces a lot of 3rd downs. Of course an edge rusher would be nice on 3rd down, but eventually your opponent will get off some passes. Johnson and Mabin aren’t good enough. Adding another good CB with Witherspoon would make this defense formidable.

      1. CB, pass rusher, OL, LB, and WR are areas that need to be addressed in the off season. With the return of Malcom Smith and Joshua Garnett, the need at LB and OL will be less pressing. We’re not far away.

    2. The baseline criteria for decent chance at making a post-season run, aka, “having arrived”:
      1. Capable of scoring 30 points on the road (basically, Walsh’s dictum that 4TDs by offense should be enough to win a game).
      2. Having an above-average (e.g., based on DVOA) defense.

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