Jimmy Garoppolo’s a goldfish

Say what you want about Jimmy Garoppolo, he’s a goldfish.

If you are a fan of the hit show “Ted Lasso,” you probably recognize and understand the reference. In case you don’t, the show is about an American football coach who gets hired to coach a Premier League soccer team in England.

During a particular stretch of the show, one of Ted’s players, Sam, is having a hard time moving past his mistakes. Ted recognizes this and calls Sam over.

“Sam, you know what the happiest animal on Earth is?” he asks. “It’s a goldfish. Know why? It’s got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish, Sam.”

The ability to make a mistake, shake it off and be ready for the next play is one of the most important traits a quarterback can have at any level, especially in the NFL.

We’ve seen this come into play many times. During the 2019 season, Garoppolo showed the uncanny ability to repeatedly lead the offense down for scores following a turnover.

More recently, we saw this come into play on Sunday in Cincinnati. Late in the fourth quarter with the game tied, when the offense had just moved into Bengal’s territory, Garoppolo tried to hit Brandon Aiyuk across the middle of the field. But Cincinnati safety Jessie Bates stepped in front of Aiyuk and looked to have come away with a game-changing interception.

Fortunately for Garoppolo and the 49ers, Bates dropped the ball to give the 49ers new life.

Garoppolo forgot about the mistake 10 seconds later. In the next play, he hit George Kittle on a corner route for a gain of 19-yards to put the 49ers in position for Robbie Gould to win the game with a field goal at the end of regulation.

Although Gould would miss the kick, Garoppolo would come back on the next series to lead the 49ers’ offense down the field before hitting Brandon Aiyuk for a 12-yard walk-off touchdown.

Garoppolo’s ability to quickly rebound from mistakes is one of the reasons San Francisco has been so able to win so many games during his time with the 49ers. Another is the belief he’s earned from his teammates.

“Jimmy’s a dawg. When we’re all in the huddle,  the quarterback has no doubt that we’re going to go and win games everybody feels it,” said Brandon Aiyuk following Sunday’s victory. “We’re super confident we can go down and put seven on the board no matter where we’re at. So, when the quarterback leads that’s a great feeling.”

Despite all the negativity directed toward Garoppolo from some members of the fan base, San Francisco has a record of 29-13 in his 42 regular season starts, including 17-5 on the road. The 49ers appear to be headed to the playoffs for the second time under Kyle Shanahan. It just so happens these two seasons occurred when Garoppolo has been able to stay healthy.

Although no formal announcement will be made until the offseason, it’s likely Trey Lance will take over the starting quarterback role next season. The 49ers used a large amount of draft capital to select him with the third pick in the 2021 draft and are facing a salary-cap crunch.

Lance will need to earn the trust of his teammates when he takes over. One way he can accomplish this is by showing he, too, is a goldfish.