49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo a risk-taker

Posted By on September 12, 2018

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, center, is sacked by Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (93) and defensive end Everson Griffen (97) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

SANTA CLARA — To understand Jimmy Garoppolo, compare him to former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, his complete opposite.

Smith is a safety-first quarterback. He plays quarterback like an experienced gambler plays poker. He always calculates the odds of success before making a move. He folds most of his hands. He takes no risks.

That’s why Smith has thrown no more than eight interceptions in a season since 2010, back when he played for the 49ers. Smith is a game manager. He doesn’t beat himself. But he rarely wins big, either.

Garoppolo is quarterback as gunslinger who takes big chances — think Brett Favre. Sometimes risk-taking backfires. Garoppolo took risks Sunday during the 49ers’ 24-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and beat himself. It was his first loss in the NFL. He threw three interceptions, including one on the final drive with the game on the line.

Garoppolo shoots from the hip, wants the action. He hates to throw the ball away. That’s why through just six starts with the 49ers — less than half a season — he already has thrown eight picks.

“I have mixed emotions about it,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday about Garoppolo’s audacity.

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This article has 121 Comments

  1. There’s alot to like about Breida and Morris. I’m hopeful about offensive line additions Richburg and McGlinchy. I’m not ruling out McKinnon in 2019.

    But the run game still isn’t quite there. Once it gets going I’m hoping interceptions will drop off as the offense relies less on Garoppolo heroics. Maybe not at the super low levels of Smith, but improved.

    Steve Yong once indicated a confident quarterback develops the mentality “you got us on this down, we’ll get you on the next play or series….” when he has to throw the ball away or punt.

  2. JG has the right mindset. He competed hard, but now he is concentrating on the next opponent.
    .
    Eli Harold will provide intel on the Niners, but JG will provide intel on Patricia, since he practiced against his defense for 3 years with the Pats.
    .
    With 3 sacks and 9 QB hits, the Niner O line failed miserably. JG will not survive a season with such putrid protection. It did not help for the O line coach to go brain dead, and put a raw untested rookie in a position he never played before. Both the passing game and running game will fail without an improved O line.
    .
    If Benton keeps insisting on playing players out of position, just expect Patricia to follow Minnesota and attack the right side of the Niner O line. If Najee Toran is installed as RG, they will have 2 rookies on the right side.
    .
    Matt Tobin is the second string LG. The Niners should shift Tomlinson to RG, since he played RG in college, and promote Matt Tobin to LG. This way, the Niners will have a veteran on both the left and right sides of the line. They should also not inactivate Shon Coleman.
    .
    JG should expect the Lions to come out roaring, since they were whipped and embarrassed in their first game. He should expect Patricia to be desperate, and will try to steal the Niner play signals, like the Jets did to his team. JG should signal a certain play, then do a totally different play. He should do RPOs, so they will have to defend against both the run or pass.
    .
    Niners should line up Morris deep in the I, and let him build up a had of steam before hitting the hole. The I formation will allow him to run either right or left. Once they establish a running game, then the play action passes will be more effective.
    .
    JG should continue the up tempo offense. It will prevent the defense from substituting, and may catch them with 12 on the field for a free play. JG should emulate how Goff utilized Gurley.
    .
    Conversely, the Niner defense should not count on getting 5 picks. They should expect Patricia to dial up some quick, easy passes, so Stafford can rebuild his confidence. Therefor, they should play tight man on man, to take away the short passes.
    .
    Niners have a chance to win this next game, but they should not take Detroit lightly, and they need to stop beating themselves. JG will bounce back. He needs to score TDs, and not settle for field goals.

    1. JG should expect the Lions to come out roaring

      Took a Tramadol for my sore heel. I’m picturing Detroit’s players actually roaring like lions as they run onto the field. Jolly fun.

    1. 80, thanks for the link. There are clips of several plays, as you know, including two clips of the Diggs TD over Witherspoon. About that play I noticed a couple of things:

      1. It seems to me that, because of the angle, Witherspoon could not have turned around to spot the ball. Maybe you noticed this too. The pass was straight out towards the corner. Witherspoon would have had to do a 180 to see the ball. That might have worked if the ball was underthrown but it wasn’t.
      2. When the ball came down to Diggs, it was so well placed I doubt Witherspoon could have stripped or knocked it down. It was simply a great throw. Witherspoon should be credited for his close coverage.

      My apologies if this has been discussed before.

      1. George,
        Cousins threw a great pass no doubt, but our DB’ have to learn how to better track to ball.
        Tartt was also caught not turning to see the pass at one point.

        I guess I’m old school. After growing up watching great DB’ all the way back to Jimmy Johnson, Eric Wright, Deon Sanders etc., I realize that turning back to see the pass gives you a chance to possibly make a play.

        Witherspoon may not have had the physical angle to turn and track the ball, but my issue is that our DB’s do a poor job of doing this.

        Donte Johnson consistently got burned last season because he failed to track the pass by quickly looking back.
        Not turning quickly to track the pass seems to be the new norm these days.

        3. AES,
          I agree the niners db’s need to do a better job of this but when to do it is often dictated by the position. In this case Witherspoon was in a trailing position and in the case he most likely wouldn’t be coached to look back for the ball. If he is hip to hip where he can get an arm across to feel the wr then he would be coached to look back from my understanding. I was never a db, so I have no real life experience but that’s what Eric Crocker said in an interview, if I remember correctly.

  4. JGs definitely a gunslinger, and I love it…More concerned about his RZ accuracy.

    They try to use Bourne as that big target down there, and so far it’s not working in the games, dude seems to always fall down at crucial breaks. The first time he drew a flag, not so lucky the 2nd time.

    Shanahan schemed more ppl open then I’ve ever seen vs this Vikings defense. Can’t really do it in the RZ, someone needs to step up and make plays. Bottom line.

    Play that stuck with me was a positive play on the surface….Pettis 2nd catch, breaks into the open field. I thought he ran a 4.4? We all know Jerry Rice didn’t, yet wouldve took that one to the house. That would have been a game changer in alot of ways, the least being JGs passer rating. Ha
    Anyway dude kept looking back over his shoulder? On the previous punt return he did it as an awareness thing, but as a receiver put your head down and run bro. Trust that speed….Or just another case of 40 time being over exaggerated?

    Highlight for me was Uncle Sherm looking just like Richard Sherman in press coverage. I thought it would take half the season…

    Final thought Staffords picks could have been a result of his foot, he was clearly banged up in the first half. Was having accuracy problems after that. Haven’t checked his injury status yet

  6. Hakuna Matata. Jimmy will tame the Lions, and send them back to their den with tails between their legs.

  7. Grant, good article. I agree with all of it. You could see the gunslinger in JG last year but most of the risks he took worked out. Against the Vikings, none of the risks he took worked in the 49ers favor. The first 2 interceptions you could see were not really about risk taking. 1 wrong route and a bad throw were the cause of those interceptions. That Int to end the game was a really bad decision. My big thing with JG is I hope he gets his footwork under pressure worked out. He has good footwork from a clean pocket. He has poor footwork on the move or with pressure in his face. He has to fix that.

      1. The Lions think they can claw their way to victory however the Niners are going to take their purr away and send them searching for a litter box.

      2. Grant

        As seldom as I do criticize your pieces, I must take issue with your tendency to ‘Cherry-pick’ at Alex Smith at almost every opportunity…unrightously (IMO). You fail to acknowledge that Alex Smith got ground up by ‘Rocky’ from Seattle when Larry ‘fat boy’ Williams (our OG) decided to take a play off and allowed ‘Rocky’ to maul Alex badly enough to miss 2 seasons of football. Alex was the gunslinger back then, and NOT the safety-first QB that you have alluded to….Perhaps after Jimmy G has multiple back surgeries and a couple of seasons on the IR, he’ll be a bit more cautious….Alex Smith has taken three different teams to believing in themselves as winners (including the Redskins) Denying that is like saying ‘OJ was a good runner in the open field….’

  9. I think the Niners are a 8-8 team. Last week QB’s looked awful.

    Big Ben
    Russel Wilson
    Stanford
    Carr
    JG

    With that said I think we get this one.

  10. Good article Grant.
    I LOVE Jimmy Gs gunslinger mentality, and Favre is a fair comparison. I’ll take a fire from the hip, devil be damned, attacking posture over soft player that NEVER goes for the throat, any day. How many horrible passes did we see Favre throw over the years? WAY too many. But the guy was a winner. And he took calculated risks WHEN HE NEEDED TO, did he make some miserable ugly decisions over the years? Sure. ALL QBs do that. But the difference between Favre and other guys like Stafford or Rivers is having the situational awareness to know when to bring out the six shooters and how much throttle to apply.
    At any rate nobody wants an interception machine, but I feel like we’ve seen enough of Jimmy to give him some latitude. He flashes SO MANY positive attributes I think the kid is going to be a star. He’s a winner. He’s definitely got the skills.
    In order to make an omelette, you gotta crack some eggs. And I bet Jimmy is gonna make us some pretty nice breakfasts over these next several years.

  11. Lions, gladiators, the arena…

    Think back to the movie Gladiator–and all the different gladiators. Which gladiator would Grant ‘Hot Take’ be? Maximus? Juba? The tall, massive one who kinda looks like McGlinchey? The thin little guy who ‘has an accident’ before appearing in the Coliseum?

    9ers 33, Lions 20

    1. It’s just abou here where I am. It is the calm before the storm. It already has a great deal of damage in New Bern.

  13. Favre is a good, mentality comparison. Though I think he is closer to Warner who was more accurate but had less arm strength and mobility. Both could throw a ton of picks but moved the ball well down the field.
    I was hoping that the return of Garcon would help in the red zone but it doesn’t seem to be the case. Jimmy isn’t Brady yet and needs a target he trusts to make the tough catches. He also needs to improve his footwork to keep the ball from sailing on him, it’s happening way to often.
    Interesting notes:
    – Solomon Thomas was the lowest graded Dlineman in the game even though he didn’t play much.
    – The offensive line graded out poorly, as Jimmy was under pressure a high percentage of the time and the Vikings had low blitz rate. So jimmy was facing a ton of pressure even though the Vikings were primarily playing a coverage defense. This is similar to what Fangio did when facing Rodgers.
    – while others are bemoaning Shanahan’s Red Zone offense, it’s the Shanahan the GM that’s got me more concerned. They ( he and Lynch) ignored the OG and Edge rusher 2 years in a row choosing instead to spend big money on a fullback and running back. We need at least 2 new players at both positions going into next season.

    1. Seems like they’re still using Solomon Thomas on the edge for some reason. Seems to me thats why they didn’t take an edge rusher, b/c they thought ST would take the next step on the edge, but the guy needs to be in the inside

      1. They said when they drafted him that he would be an edge player on base downs and an interior rusher on pass downs. The problem may be that, when healthy Armstead is a much better interior pass rusher. Too bad he hasn’t been able to stay healthy thus far in his career.

    2. Jimmy is much more mobile than Kurt Warner, dont you think?
      Other than that I totally agree with your post

    1. Nice
      Didnt know the Bucs were big in Nebraska. And the Jags would have home field advantage if they ever play in Montana…..

    2. Since it’s based on out-of-state Google searches, I’m thinking Grant and the Press Democrat have set up a bot outside of CA to generate several hundred 9er-related Google searches per minute. These searches are targeting Grant’s blog, thereby gaining clicks and luring a few people to open paid subscriptions to the PD. Good work Grant, hope you’re getting a commission….

  15. So today’s hot take is that Jimmy G is Favre redux?!

    “Garoppolo shoots from the hip, wants the action. He hates to throw the ball away. That’s why through just six starts with the 49ers — less than half a season — he already has thrown eight picks.”
    About half (or maybe more) of Jimmy G’s picks have come from either receiver running wrong/incomplete routes, and from lack of understanding between the QB and receiver on how the route was to be run. Many of these mistakes are eminently fixable. They are not sign of gratuitous risk-taking as Grant implies (of not states outright).
    See, for example, Bill Barnwell’s comments here about last season’s interceptions in this excellent article on Jimmy G back in April. He assigns responsibility to Jimmy for 2 of the 5 picks
    http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24415357/jimmy-garoppolo-san-francisco-49ers-great-unknown-2018-nfl-season:

    1. I look forward every week to Ted Nguyen’s slo-mo video breakdown of key plays. This week’s breakdown appears to show that the second pick by Rhodes was placed where Pettis was expected to be (farther up field to the inside). However, Pettis may have made a move or two extra at the LoS and that threw off the timing.
      https://theathletic.com/518598/2018/09/12/49ers-film-room-breaking-down-their-biggest-missed-opportunities-against-the-vikings/
      These are throws by a QB who can make the throws accurately. Sure, Jimmy threw some inaccurate passes in the end zone, but others which we may consider inaccurate throws or risky throws are actually anticipation throws where the receiver and QB are not on the same page.

      When Pettis and Kittle get on the same page,

    2. Meh, Garoppolo also got lucky on some non-interceptions last season. The play against Tennessee and there was a drop by a DB in the endzone that quickly come to mind.

      1. that pro-Jimmy slant shouldn’t be a factor if the viewer has a smattering knowledge of the passing game, no? It’s time to roll out one of the favorite cliches: “the eye in the sky doen’t lie” :)

        1. True, we can still gleen a lot from it, but he glosses over some of his his missed throws.
          – For example on one of the plays it hits Garcon in the hands, and yes he should have caught it, but it could be argued that he lead him to much into the defender.
          – Additionally he alludes to Pettis dancing too much on the slant route, which while true, is not really an excuse for that play. This was not an anticipatory throw where he was looking for a break, but rather a leverage route that should be a simple pitch and catch.

    2. Hurts even more seeing it broken down. I see a lot of positives in there. If we can fix the miscues, its gonna be an explosive attack.

    3. Thanks for posting this Shoup – it’s really good stuff.

      Like I said to Jack, Garcon dropped multiple passes, but Jack didn’t believe it. The film reviewer, Josh Putnam, said after Garcon dropped the pass in the endzone: “Garcon having several balls hit him right in the hands is having a rather poor game at this point.”

      Just before the Pettis TD, the reviewer says “Garappolo continues to play well”. Agree at least through the first 3 quarters and this is backed up by the All 22 film.

      Although the reviewer seems to blame Pettis for the 2nd interception (4th quarter), it still looks to me like it was on Jimmy G. Also Jimmy did miss Kittle badly in the endzone.

      The reviewer doesn’t really blame Jimmy too much for the last interception because of the circumstances with little time left.

      Here is his summary, which I agree with: “My evaluation is that he was sharp and accurate. He made good decisions. He missed on that last throw, but with his performance we should have been able to win the game. Unfortunately, the dropped touchdown passes and fumble at the goal line were enough to prevent that from happening”.

      Also, I think the film clearly shows that KS called a pretty good game. It’s not his fault that the players couldn’t execute.

      This film review agrees with what I’ve been saying. It was the poor play by the skill players, aside from Jimmy G., that lost this game for the 49ers. While certainly not perfect, Jimmy G’s play was good enough to win this game.

      1. Cubus,

        There was one official drop in the game, and my comment to you was in response to you mistakingly writing “Garcon dropped two passes in the first half alone.”

        That was inaccurate then and still is.

          1. I guess since they use STATS Inc they’re pretty reliable source.

            “STATS is a sports data, technology, statistics, and content company founded in 1981. STATS provides content to multimedia platforms, television broadcasters, leagues and teams,”

            And no I don’t need to watch a YouTube film to know what was and wasn’t a drop.

            1. Here’s what KS said regarding watching film:

              “I wait until it’s on tape that I can see everything. I don’t know how people get opinions off of watching it on TV because you see the quarterback, you see where the ball goes, you have no idea what the front’s coverages are. It’s just, I think it’s very hard to see unless you can have a fast forward and rewind remote, you can see the sideline copy, the end zone copy. So, I’m not going to waste too much time watching it until we get it into our computers.”

              The film posted above is All 22, which is what KS is referring to. I’ll follow KS’ lead…

              Having said that, I think there is one instance where the TV film provided extra information that is not available on the All 22. I’m talking about the first TD pass to Pettis, which Pettis did not make. The TV film showed a closeup where you can see that the CB had his hand on the ball as well. You can’t see that on the All 22 film. But the All 22 film, I think, really shows that KS called a pretty good game and Jimmy, for the most part, played well enough for this team to win the game.

              Also as related to this thread, I was one of the first people after the Tennessee game last year to say that Jimmy is a gunslinger. I mentioned several times that I wondered whether or not Kyle would try to reign him in.

              1. I know the difference between the two. I don’t need to watch a pro-JG guy or pro-49ers guy go over it.

                And yeah, Garoppolo is a gun slinger I guess. Hope we get the 95-98 version of Favre.

  17. https://thedraftnetwork.com/2018/09/13/charting-the-rookie-how-dante-pettis-fared-in-week-1/

    “Of the 30 routes that Pettis ran, 17 of them came when he was aligned as the #1 receiver. 8 of the 30 routes came when Pettis was aligned as the #2 receiver. 5 of the 30 routes came when Pettis was aligned as the #3 receiver”

    “I had Pettis down for 21 successful routes out of the 30 that he ran. Pettis’ success rate on routes while aligned outside was 13/17. Pettis’ success rate on routes while aligned in the Slot was 8/13”

    “Pettis’ success rate on routes while operating against man coverage was 13/19”

    “Pettis’ success rate on routes while operating against zone coverage was 8/11”

    “Pettis was 0/1 in contested catch situations”

    “Pettis had 0 drops”

    “Pettis’ most ran passing route was the “Deep Over,” which he ran 5 times with a success rate of 3/5”

    1. “Pettis had 0 drops”
      I don’t know how they are scoring drops, but it sure seemed like he dropped a touchdown to me.
      At least on the video I posted above, it did, (around the 5:25 mark, or pause it at 6:22 mark ) see how well that ball was placed.

      1. They’re not counting that as a drop, but as a contested catch. Which it was – the DB had his hand in there throughout the catch attempt. But as Pettis said after the game, he could have played it differently by going up to catch the ball which likely would have prevented Waynes from getting his hand in. He might have ended up short of the end zone, but it would have been a catch.

    2. How are they determining whether he was lined up as #1, #2, or #3? The only way I can think of is based on read progressions.

  18. I thought the same thing watching the game…about Garappolo’s risk taking.

    Sometimes you want the game manager. Sometimes you want or need a guy to make a play. It’s a fine line.

    Kyle should consult (he probably already is) with his dad. Mike Shanahan had to teach his system and WCO passing concepts to another gunslinger type of QB: John Elway. You don’t have a cold and calculating surgeon of a QB that can dice up a defense with their ability to read coverage and quick decision making like a Montana or Brady. But you can have a system QB that can make a play outside of the system when necessary. The trick is to reign in the gunslinger and get him to work within the system and be aware of down and distance and game situation….like it’s cool to force the ball down field on 2nd and 2 at midfield….or if you’re down a couple touchdowns in the 4th. But if the game is tight…play it like a game manager unless you’re sure the play is there to make.

  20. http://ninersradio.com/index.php/2018/01/07/49ers-playoff-bound-in-2018/

    “For all of his terrific plays, one negative in Garoppolo’s game is his propensity to throw into coverage or put the ball up for grabs. While the majority of these throws did not end up in a negative play, those 50-50 balls have a way of balancing out over time. Just as we often see with stocks, there is likely to be a market correction coming for Garoppolo. When he isn’t getting away with the balls that he is throwing up for grabs, how will he and the 49ers team respond? That’s a question that we haven’t really seen answered yet.”

    1. It’s simple Jack. Trade or release him–assuming the 9ers, and most importantly 9er fans, will not tolerate such behavior.

    1. See Scooter’s 2:16 pm comment. There are official drops and there are contested catches that should have been caught like Pettis and Garcon. Official drops are usually counted when a receiver is wide open and just blows the reception, think TO.

        1. Agreed. And if JG throws with anticipation, Garcon gets an easy TD, and we’re not talking about play calling in the RZ as much.

              2. “That was Bayarea and 23 clown.
                Remember those guys?”

                Those guys pretty much vanished once they couldn’t complain about Smith anymore.

                And poor Hofer. I think that guy had a breakdown once they decided to stick with Kaepernick in 2012.

              3. Prime, Jack’s not much different. No matter who the starting QB is, he’s the worst of the bunch.

    2. so whats your solution? trade him? cut him? sit him? sure sounds like you dont like him so what do the amateurs running the team do?

      1. “sure sounds like you dont like him”

        People are so hypersensitive to any type of observation that isn’t positive

    3. Yep that is exactly what I saw, 1 drop. Contested catches are not drops. Defense gets paid to make plays too. The Garcon play was a late throw by Garoppolo that allowed the DB to hit him as the ball arrived. Looking forward to a season of excuses every time JG makes a poor decision or throw.

  24. While we still have some wanting to review plays from the Vikings game, go back and look at the Cousins TD to Rudolph and the Garoppolo miss to Kittle.

    Almost identical plays going into the same endzone.

    Cousins faces a good rush from the right side, his OLineman is almost in his lap and the DLineman gets his hand up but he’s able to drop a dime in to Rudolph for 6.

    Garoppolo faces a good rush from the right side, has a tiny bit more space and he sails it high and into the waiting arms of a 49ers media relations person outside the back of the endzone.

    But let’s keep blaming his poor play on drops and injuries to the line.

    1. I don’t think anyone is excusing JG poor play just pointing out there are lots of factors that went into that lost. I could jump in the air, get jostled a little bit, get two hands on the ball then drop it for a lot less money then Garcon is getting paid. These guys are paid big bucks to make contested catches, if the stat people want to excuse receivers inability to catch contested catches…well that’s stats for ya.

      1. Right. Just like Garoppolo is being paid more money than anyone on the team to throw the ball on time, be accurate, and not throw interceptions.

        The drop stat only backs up what some people here were saying during and after the game.

        1. Correct Jack, I should of included I could throw 3 interceptions for a lot less money then JG and I could :). You are speaking to the choir here about JG, it just seems you are letting other mistakes off the hook and just focusing on JG as the main culprit. Maybe he is but this team isn’t going anywhere without receivers catching contested catches and running backs continue to fumbling the ball and a whole bunch other stuff.

          1. UC,

            Take a look at some of these contested catches. The one to Pettis was a great throw, and a great play by the DB to keep his hand in there and make the play.

            There were a couple of throws to Garçon that were contested and dropped that weren’t good throws. One of them that I recall off the top of my head was an in route going right to left and Garoppolo throws it behind Garçon who is then drilled by the FS and the CB. So yeah, they need to make contested catches, but they also need the QB to be a tad more accurate on those.

            And yes, I am preaching to the choir. Many will defend Garoppolo regardless.

            1. The one throw that I shake my head on is the one to Kittle in the end zone, bad pass too high. The interception was a stupid play call on KS part bad route running on the receiver and a throw that should not of been thrown on JG. Why is KS calling plays to that side of the field and not adding protection for the right side of the line knowing he has a weakness there? Bad play call.

            2. Wow, Jack, that throw you mention to Garcon, JG simply couldn’t have placed it out in front of Garcon without making it a potential INT. It was put where it needed to be to make sure only Garcon had a play on the ball. He also couldn’t really have thrown it much earlier, he was passing as Garcon made his break. Yes, Garcon is then drilled by the CB and FS, but if it was out in front he still would have been drilled and as I mentioned, might have been picked off. It was a tight window. It should have been caught by Garcon, though wasn’t a gimme. But in no way do I think that was a bad throw by JG.

              The one in the end zone to Garcon was bad because he was late on the throw – if he throws it just a tad earlier Garcon is making that catch with no defender on him. But still, ball location wasn’t a problem on that one – It was well located for Garcon to make the catch, he just couldn’t come down with it. Another one that wasn’t a gimme, but probably should have been caught. So bad play by JG for not throwing earlier, but not a bad pass from an accuracy standpoint.

              1. Scooter,

                Perhaps he couldn’t have led him, either way Garçon is having to reach back to get his hands on the ball and he gets smacked by the safety and then the CB. The main point is that it wasn’t a drop, and it wasn’t a “perfect throw that hit him between the numbers” as I heard it described. The more sure play there was to get it out to Breida and let him try to beat the LB one on one.

                And on the one in the endzone, yes, it was a bad throw only because it was late. Don’t think I’ve ever stated otherwise.

              2. -The more sure play there was to get it out to Breida and let him try to beat the LB one on one.

                Oh how lovely is hindsight

              3. Chris,

                Does that coaching staff you ever work on breaking down film?

                If it does, during that process are they looking for areas in which the team could have done better?

                If so, then you know all about what’s being talked about here or at least you should.

                If not, then that’s a poor coaching staff.

              6. Easy there, maybe make it a scotch? Jimmy G is gonna be just fine. It’s one loss and you’ve been digging around all week like a basket case trying to diminish him and show patterns of Shanny and his red zone this and that. Like Aaron Rogers says
                R-E-L-A-X

              8. #80,

                The one you mention was a good use of it because your comment was more confrontational by starting with, “What kind of crap is that?” and there had been a number of those type of comments from you in prior blog posts if memory serves me right.

                In the one above there were two questions asked, neither confrontational, in response to a flippant comment about hindsight and instead of answering that was the what was used.

                In hindsight I should have just ignored it. Maybe both. ; )

              9. “The one you mention was a good use of it because your comment was more confrontational by starting with, “What kind of crap is that?”

                I explained why I thought it was crap. He was crowning Nwosu because he was beating Williams who didn’t even make the team. Also trashing the Pettis pick for the 100th time.

                “and there had been a number of those type of comments from you in prior blog posts if memory serves me right.”

                No. Wrt Pettis, it had been straight football talk. The worst thing was when I said I would remember something Grant said and quote him on it when Pettis produces this year, that’s nothing. Prior to that, I wasn’t on the blog that much. I was basically only commenting during the game threads.

                But back to the Pettis/Nwosu thing. Pettis just scored a TD on a really nice catch while Mr. Nwosu only played two snaps. In conclusion, it was crap.

    2. Let’s just dump Garoppolo now while he has value. He can’t change, his style of play is in his DNA. Any team out there needing a frustratingly inaccurate, gunslinging QB who shows flashes of fear? Gotta be at least two or three. Maybe we could get a 2nd round pick and a journyman starter.

      1. How about dumping Deshaun Watson? He was pretty bad last Sunday, maybe worse than Jimmy G. And then there’s Dak, too! I think the Dumpsterwagon is gathering gathering steam!

      1. Cousins went to a SB ready team. Shanahan may have wanted him, but Cousins sure didn’t want Shanahan.

        Why are you so intent on denigrating Jimmy G after only one game?
        What’s next, flying a plane over Levi’s this Sunday asking for him to be cut?

          1. OK, denigrate may have been too strong a word, but the Jimmy G analysis has certainly been on full display since the end of Minn’ game.

            Is it possible to move on to the next game already?
            Do you have any match-up
            breakdowns or news from the Lions? Hopefully it’s coming soon.

            The Garoppolo news (positive and negative) has been analyzed and pulverized to a pulp.

            1. Detroit gave up a 78 YD TD punt return Monday. They’re vulnerable there and we got Pettis. Hoping for a TD, predicting good field position here and there.

              I expect KS to try to target Jarrad Davis in coverage. If Goodwin doesn’t play, Pettis starts and he gets open. Also, James would be active if Goodwin can’t go. Morris can have some success against their front seven assuming he protects the ball.

              I’m concerned over the possibility of Colbert not playing. I’m not sure Reed is ready, and please, no Ward. Lee should be better than Coyle.

              Sherm played a full game and only gave up one catch, he’s back and the Lions know it. Witherspoon will be tested. I’m reminded of last season when Witherspoon got beat by Alshon Jeffrey. Witherspoon didn’t get his head around against Alshon, but then he got better and played well for the rest of the year. I read that the Lions WRs weren’t winning at the LOS. Trumaine Johnson was physical against them, I expect the same from our CBs

              Niners win 31-13.

      2. Prime,
        Lynch is in the process of rebuilding the team brick by brick.
        This years rookie crop is already looking good.

        Back in April (before the draft), I mentioned that Lynch needed to draft at least 2-3 players who could start this season.
        We have McGlinchey starting and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Warner establish himself as the starter.
        And yes, Pettis is going to be special.

        Pettis reminds me of an old WR we had back in the day named Gene Washington.
        Washington had an uncanny penchant for always getting open. He made the sharpest cuts on his routes that DB’ couldn’t stay with.
        Pettis has the same ability.

    1. The same guy who was on top of the world last week? How can that be? According to Jack, once a bum always a bum.

        2. Hammer: No. He has had 10 years worth of tests and passed 30% of the time despite his offenses routinely being good at getting to the redzone. That’s a failing grade.

          Can I help it if you say one thing one time and a completely opposite another time? You have a fundamental writing problem.

          1. You should be able to since I’ve also written that he could turn it around. Just because he’s been a failure doesn’t mean he always will be.

            1. When you make the argument of 10 long years of supposed “failure”, how likely is he to turn it around?

              Just more talking out of both sides of your claw, hammer.

  27. Niners are not being helped by KNBR hosts like Larry Kreuger and Bob Fitzgerald. They both were declaring this next contest as a must win game. Talk about putting un-needed pressure on a team.
    .
    It would be much better to feign weakness, although it will be very easy to declare an under dog role, with all the injuries. Detroit will not be a push over. They will be fired up to atone for their first game debacle. They will be disguising their hand signals, and the Niners cannot expect 5 picks. Harold will have spilled his guts, so the Niners should scheme as though they know the Niner playbook, and do things totally different.

        1. Well ..a few days ago .. I read an article referencing a
          sports betting site .. who set the odds at 5 ½ points in favor
          of the Niners ..
          Dunno if that’s changed since then or not …

      2. All I am saying is that the Niners could lose this game, and still have a good season. Remember, they are deprived of the services of Foster, so once he gets back, they could start winning more games.
        .
        Sure, this is an expected win, especially after the Jets trounced the Lions, but it should not be considered a MUST win.

  28. Smith was a pretty good counter puncher; with an enhanced ability for pre-snap reads. He was very good against the simpler, aggressive defenses as his winning record against Seahawks would indicate. Too bad he wasn’t in the Superbowl against the Ravens, because the inferior play calling on offense could have been overcome by a smarter quarterback.

    Jimmy G. is a lot better at executing the play outright, and I’m hoping he gets some leeway to change up plays in the red zone. He’s better than Smith and is playing with an less impressive supporting cast than the 2010/11 Niners.

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