The strengths and weaknesses of Jimmy Garoppolo

Posted By on May 21, 2019

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Check out my video breakdown of Jimmy Garoppolo.

Here are the Cliff’s Notes:

STRENGTHS

  1. Intermediate accuracy over the middle. Garoppolo demonstrates excellent arm strength, timing and accuracy when throwing 10 to 20 yards downfield between the numbers, especially on in-breaking routes. These throws are more difficult than they seem. Lots of quarterbacks struggle to throw a pass in stride to a receiver who’s running an in-route — the pass either sails high or behind the receiver. Garoppolo doesn’t have this issue.
  2. Accuracy throwing quick passes, especially to the left. Many quarterbacks struggle throwing left. Colin Kaepernick always did. He never opened his hips far enough. So when he’d plant to throw, his arm would have to fight his lead leg just to get the ball toward the left sideline. Garoppolo doesn’t fight his lead leg. He opens his his and throws beautiful passes to the left flat.
  3. Accuracy rolling out. Garoppolo can throw accurate passes while rolling right or left.
  4. Off-platform throws. When Garoppolo faces pressure in the pocket, he doesn’t have to set his feet to throw an accurate pass. He can move and make snap throws from many different arm angles and throwing “platforms,” as coaches say.

WEAKNESSES

  1. Patience, poise and discipline when setting up to throw. Garoppolo tends to throw off platform even when he doesn’t have to, even when there is no pressure. This is just sloppy footwork. He strides sideways, does a skip step, opens his hips, straightens his lead leg and throws with just his upper body. This leads to inaccuracy and the incorrect release point, as he leaves his arm behind and misses high and to the right. Bad habit. Tom Brady almost never throws off platform — he slides, resets his feet and throws with the proper passing posture. Garoppolo almost surely didn’t pick up this bad habit from Brady. Perhaps Garoppolo wants to be more like Aaron Rodgers, who throws off platform all the time. But, Garoppolo doesn’t have Rodgers’ arm talent. No one does. Garoppolo should focus on playing more like Brady.
  2. Progressions/locating the second receiver. Garoppolo often locks onto the first read in his progression, especially in the red zone. He waits for his primary receiver to get open instead of anticipating where to throw. This is partially why he took six sacks in the red zone in three games last season.
  3. Intermediate accuracy outside the numbers. Garoppolo’s intermediate passes often sink and die when he throws them near the sideline. These passes are longer than intermediate throws over the middle and require elite arm strength Garoppolo doesn’t quite have.
  4. Deep accuracy. Garoppolo tends to wildly miss these passes, usually because he throws them off platform and uses nothing but his arm and wrist.
  5. Judgment. Garoppolo makes lots of rookie decisions, from throwing the ball into triple coverage, to holding onto the ball when he should pass it, to taking monster hits when he should run out of bounds. This is the most concerning weakness of Garoppolo’s game. He needs to protect himself when he scrambles, or else he won’t last.

This article has 133 Comments

  1. Ok Grant, we get it. You want the 49ers scouting department to hire you.

  2. Yeah hell just go with Mullens= less expensive option….. but now JimmyG is unmarketable because of injury and lack of play time…..the real Question is how long will JimmyG last? With a marginal skill set, poor pass protection, injuries, mediocre WR core and lack of experience how long can he last under these circumstances?

    2. Marginal skill set? JG is their franchise QB for a reason, and his 5 game winning streak in 2017 was very impressive.
      .
      Yes, the poor pass protect may result in another injury, but do not blame JG. Blame JL and KS for not trading back so they would have had enough draft picks, so they could have selected an interior O lineman in the second round.
      .
      With the improved WR corps, JG will shine.

      1. Yeah,
        7 t.d’s an 5 i.n.t’s. Played 2 teams in the bottom 5. Played the Rams 2nd string. Now that’s worth a $137 mill. S.M.H an LMAO!

        1. JG was talented enough to have Bill Belichick like him enough to draft him, so I will take the assessment of a future HOF HC over the peanut gallery every day, and twice on Sunday.
          .
          JG was also extremely fortunate to have Bill Belichick coach him, and he got to sit behind Tom Brady, a future HOF QB who has won 6 rings, to absorb some of that SB winning mojo from him.
          .
          No wonder JG went on that 5 game winning streak to end the 2017 season. That is what winners do.

          1. And Belichick let him go for a 2nd round pick. I think Bill is smart enough and he knew he wasn’t worth the money. Besides getting injured every time he played for the Pats, what else did he do? Do you think he’s a top Q.B with 7 t.d’s an 5 i.n.t’s? You probably also think it wasn’t his fault. I love your comments about the Niners trading back an getting more picks. Some of us can see that Lynch has no business as a G.M. He’s shown with all his high draft picks that he can’t draft a Pro Bowler. He reaches for picks that he could get in the later rounds. He needed a Q.B in 2017. So he takes a benchwarmer in Thomas and passes on Watson an Mahomes. And Mullens had a better completion avg and a better Q.B rating then your hero. And Belichick has drafted 4 other Q.B’s that never panned out. He didn’t know what he had in Brady. That’s why he took him in the 6th round. If he knew Brady was going to be a Hall of Famer, he wouldn’t of waited!

            1. Belichick got something for him, instead of waiting, and getting nothing. He also directed JG to a team out of the conference.
              .
              Belichick also wanted to do a favor for the family of Candy DeBartolo. Belichick expressed a ton of gratitude for her family helping his family, with their early struggles. He spoke for over 10 minutes about that, which seemed like an eternity for a HC, who has previously responded with grunts to questions.
              .
              Yes, QBs have struggled away from NE, but JG had that 5 game winning streak, so I think he has brought some of that winning mojo to the Niners.
              .
              Every other team whiffed on Brady 5 times. Belichick should be applauded for having the judgement and insight to find the GOAT in the sixth round. 6 rings is hard to argue against.
              .
              I will not blame JL for the draft. If anyone, KS deserves the blame. He is the one who has whiffed badly. JL wants to present a picture of harmony, because he saw how dysfunctional the JH-Baalke relationship, hurt the team. JL is trying to change the culture, and I think he is succeeding. Will that translate to wins? No one knows. I think this team has improved, but I also know the other teams have improved, too.

              1. Shannahan whiffed on Bethards. Because of Bethards connection to KS dads connection to Bethards G.P. Lynch was the sorry sucker that drafted a D.T an tried to make him a D.E. You don’t do that with the 2nd pick. Then he moved up and took the red flag Foster. After the team let Foster go. Lynch was quoted as saying he’d take Foster at # 3 if Thomas was gone. The man is going to fired. Guys like you can’t see that he’s draft injured players. Make an f.a linebacker the highest paid in the league when he just tore his Achilles heel 8 months ago. Never drafted a c.b or safety that’s worth anything. His 3rd year of the draft an he’s still picking at 2. An don’t give me that crap about J.G. The 3rd string Q.B had better stats across the board. An he played with a few more offensive players that were hurt. Keep Dreaming. An when they fire his butt, maybe then you’ll see. LOL-Well duh, look at all the great players he’s drafted. Well Jimmy G, won 5 games. 4 of them were against teams that were either tanking or playing their 2nd string. Kaepernick threw for 12 T.D’s an 2 I.N.T’s in the last 5 games of the 2016 season. He should’ve got about 175 mill according to your stats an jimmy G. pay! Lynch trying to change the culture? That’s why the rumors have started with him an Shanny.

  3. Outstanding breakdown Grant. I think you hit a home run on this analysis. Throwing quick passes to the left can be tricky for some QB’s. You have to open your hips and align your front foot to the outside of your back ankle to get the proper rotation to throw accurately. I sent my son to a QB coach that’s part of a football training program in the southeastern US called QB Country. It’s the same QB school Nick Mullens has used for awhile. For my money they are the best QB training group in the country. Better than George Whitfield or the Manning camps. Although both of those are good, QB Country is better. They have a few drills they work on foot placement for backside (left side for right handed QBs) that are absolutely outstanding. I’ve noticed JG has very natural body mechanics to make backside throws with extreme fluidity and accuracy. I also totally agree on JG’s weaknesses. He rushes at times and throws “off platform” when he doesn’t need to which leads to poor passes. I think every issue JG experiences with accuracy is directly related to rushing and then throwing off platform unnecessarily. One of my favorite Shanahan coaching moments was in one of the first 3 games last year. JG threw off platform to a player in the flats and totally missed the throw. He comes to the sidelines and Shanahan approaches him on the bench and gets in his face a little. If my lip reading was correct Shanahan told JG, “Set your GD feet and make the throw. Let’s Go.” That is excellent coaching. Immediate, direct, and passionate feedback. I feel like JG will develop into an excellent NFL QB if he stays healthy but he certainly has areas to clean up. Excellent work on this one, Grant.

    1. I remember that in your face moment, and that was exactly what my lip reading eyes deciphered Shanny telling him as well.

    2. Houston 9er – EXCELLENT substance in your comments, and glad for your son that you found a QB school which is teaching him the foundations for throwing correctly. For years I have cringed in listening to George Whitfield pandering on ESPN and on other media outlets while he was toting a broom and discussing some other gimmick drills. I think Mullens will continue to grow and become a very good #2 and an adequate #1 in case injuries pop up again for JG.

      Other readers and posters on this blog fail to realize that JG has the fewest games started of any current starting QB in the NFL – other than the anticipated starter in Arizona in Kyle Murray. Five years in the league and he has fewer starts in his resume (I think 10) than Baker Mayfield of the Browns, Sam Darnold with the Jets, Allen in Buffalo and even Josh Rosen who now is in Miami.

      Hopefully, Little Shanny allows Mullens to come and does not allow his prejudices towards Beathard to influence the contest for the #2 spot because when you analyze both of them and their performances and skill set it is easy to see that Mullens has some intangibles that overwhelm his “alleged shortcomings.”

    1. That’s not really a strength of his just yet.
      It’s something he does sometimes, but he also sometimes locks on to players which will lead defenders to the intended target. It’s nice to see that he shows the ability to do this as I think its an area he will improve on quite a lot as he becomes more familiar with the offense (he needs reps to really improve this).

  6. If the 9ers drop their first 2 games will we be hearing Grant calling for Mullens? I believe this post is setting that up.

      1. You must be high razor….Mullens went to QB camp this offseason what did BeatHard do? If BeatHard remains #2 its on Kyle

        2. Ya i wonder too niners need.mullens in as 2 string.get rid of beathart

      2. I also fully expect Beathard to beat out Mullens. Beathard is Shanahan’s guy and I highly doubt he’s going to give up on him. I would say Beathard has probably a 75% chance to beat out Mullens even if Mullens plays slightly better. Mullens is really going to have to deliver a knockout blow in the competition to win that job.

          2. Totally agree monty..are they f..ing blind. Being someone’s ‘guy’ is nonsense.

            1. Yet Brian, we’ve only heard it as speculative chatter from fans, not from the team itself. Who exactly is f-ing blind?

            2. If…ribico.. If Beathard is 2nd string they are blind. You know who they are don’t you?

        3. Will they carry 3 QBs on the roster. If they don’t protect Mullens he will be snatched up.

        4. Houston,
          I think that is very likely but I also believe Mullens is better come game time, and it would be a mistake if they did so.
          While Beatherd is not nearly as bad as many believe, he is much much slower in his reads and not as accurate underneath as Mullens which behind this oline is not a good combination.

        5. I respectfully disagree. Mullens may easily out compete a 1-9 QB.
          .
          I think they will keep all 3, or trade away a QB to a QB needy team, once a QB fails or gets injured.

        1. We’ll get a few videos of OL/DL drills where every lineman will be humiliated… And, there’ll be a WR or TE dropping a pass and the season will be summarily declared dead…

          The designation ‘bust’ will be applied with prejudice.

      2. While you’re in 9erland today, ask about the tax matter between Santa Clara County and the 9ers org. Please.

      3. Grant,
        I understand it is difficult to tell much about linemen in OTA’s but I am curious about How K. Street is moving. If you get a chance I would love to hear your opinion on how he is moving.

          1. You’re right Razor. How’s McKinnon’s knee, Verrett’s Achilles, Alexander’s knee, Garapolo’s knee etc. Also how has Bosa healed up?

            I am also interested in how the new players do with KS’s playbook.

  8. Your assessment horribly wrong. The only problem is that he holds the to at times trying wait on a opportunity for big play. And Arron had Brett to look at for three to four years big difference. Plus he’s his on man why be like anybody. Be yourself

  9. Thanks Grant, that was very informative. I did get that JG was having problems last year that he didn’t the year before, but I didn’t watch closely enough to determine the cause. Any chance you review the other two QBs from last year?

  11. Grant:
    Strengths:
    3) Accuracy rolling out. Garoppolo can throw accurate passes while rolling right or left.
    4) Off-platform throws. “When Garoppolo faces pressure in the pocket, he doesn’t have to set his feet to throw an accurate pass. He can move and make snap throws from many different arm angles and throwing “platforms,” as coaches say.”

    Weakness:
    * Garoppolo tends to throw off platform even when he doesn’t have to, even when there is no pressure. This is just sloppy footwork. He strides sideways, does a skip step, opens his hips, straightens his lead leg and throws with just his upper body. This leads to inaccuracy and the incorrect release point, as he leaves his arm behind and misses high and to the right. Bad habit.

    So which is it Grant?”
    * “When Garoppolo faces pressure in the pocket, He doesn’t have to set his feet to throw an accurate pass,……….Or.
    “He strides sideways, does a skip step, opens his hips, straightens his lead leg and throws with just his upper body.
    This leads to inaccuracy and the incorrect release point is it “just sloppy footwork?”

  12. JG. Quarterback. A man now getting started again. We can rebuild him. The Niners have the capability to make another great Qb. Stronger. more accurate. Better. The 137.5 million dollar man. ( recognize my parody of the six million dollar man?) Ok. What I’m saying is with improved wr corps with the improved and new – look 49ers and a full year in Shanahans playbook, Jimmy can and will get better. I just wish he would go with Mullans to that Qb school to overcome his weakneses.

  13. Very fair assessment of JG strengths and weaknesses to date.

    One exception.

    Strength: An incredibly quick release. Maybe the best in the NFL.

    1. True. Razor also mentioned using his eyes to look off defenders. Quick release and directing defenders with your eyes are incredibly important in the NFL. JG is excellent at both.

      2. Houston,
        I believe that Shanahan will broaden some of JG’ deficiencies this season. Knowing that one of Jimmy’ strengths is the intermediate pass Shanahan targeted Deebo who many compare to Garcon and Boldin.

        These were physical players who can take an intermediate pass and create YAC.
        Players like Kittle, K. Smith and eventually Hurd can also provide the intermediate catch and run ability.
        John Taylor may have been the best 49ers WR along with T. O. at the YAC.

        Garoppolo will throw the occasional long ball, but if Shanahan is worth his money he will play to JG’ strength.

  14. Great job!
    Can’t wait for your observation this afternoon.
    How about taking a hard look on the injured guys and your estimate as to when we car expect them back.

  15. Grant “Queen Daenerys” Cohn is here to decide what is good for the world. “What about everyone else, all the other people that think they know what’s good?”…”They don’t get to choose.”

    1. Jon T. – Bill Walsh and the great Sid Gillman, who is the father of the so-called “modern passing game,” could be resurrected from their graves, and some of you readers and posters still would disagree with their concepts and opinions. Realize that there were coaches even during their NFL eras who disagreed with both men, just as there are those out there who still believe the earth is flat, but talk about the” globe” when they refer to it.

      You can educate some of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you can’t educate all of the people all of the time.

      Frankly, JG just needs to commit himself to being more disciplined and focused on the small things during his individual periods of practice or when he is working out away from the staff. The reasons Brady is so great year after year is that he goes back to QB Boot Camp every off-season and is not afraid to have his skill set analyzed and not only is he critical of himself but also accepts criticism from others in his pursuit of excellence. Too many of today’s players view coaching as criticism rather than coaching!

      Every time JG leaves the field or a meeting room he has to ask himself how am I better today than I was yesterday? Know that you are better today than yesterday, but not as good as you will be tomorrow.

      As a great man once told me, “What I was isn’t what I am, and what I am isn’t yet what I can be.”

  16. Grant: Appreciate the video. However, you first example of a bad play by Jimmy G is not at all representative of how he typically made a good pass on that play. You picked probably the one time he made an errant throw on that particular or similar play.

    100% agree that he is far too aggressive when he scrambles. He needs to curb his “linebacker” mentality that he developed when he was younger. Serious injuries, though, have a way of making one careful. You touch a hot stove as a kid, do you do it again? I think there’s good reason to believe that he will protect himself better when scrambling. If he doesn’t, we’re gonna need a new QB.

    Even in 2017, we saw that Jimmy is a gunslinger. That last interception against Minnesota was a terrible decision. I don’t think we saw anything that egregious against Detroit or KC, so I’m guessing he learned from it.

    Also, I know you are trying to temper your negativity with more positive takes, which is good. However, in this particular analysis the ratio of time spent on poor play to time spent on good play is 3 to 1. You constantly interject a good comment or two when showing the negativity, in what seems to be an attempt to show people that you really aren’t only focusing on the negativity. Might I suggest that instead you spend roughly equal time on the positive and negative, when it’s warranted (for Jimmy G it is, for Witherspoon, it wouldn’t be).

    1. Do you think Grant spends more time on the weaknesses because those are the areas that limit JG and the 49ers? Or is it that’s just where Grant lives most of the time, in the negative?

      2. Wilson, good to see that you are posting again.

        Take a look at these two breakdowns of Jimmy’s play against the Vikings from Jonathan Delmark. Depending upon a person’s point of view, you could classify Delmark as an apologist or as a realist who sees that it wasn’t all Jimmy’s fault. He goes through plays in detail (sometimes excruciating) explaining what the Vikings were trying to do on defense and what the Niners were trying to do on offense. He gives credit to Minnesota when they played good defense, which shouldn’t be surprising because at least at the beginning of the year they were one of the best defenses. He also gives credit to Jimmy G for making a lot of good pre-snap reads. He points out the inexperience of our receivers as well as others that led to the breakdown of plays and in at least one case an interception (Bourne running the wrong route on a play that requires throwing with anticipation).

        Also, although Grant only talks about Jimmy staring down receivers, he fails to mention what Jimmy did on the 56 yard play to Juice. In Part 2 around the 6:35 mark, Delmark discusses a play in detail for 3.5 minutes where Jimmy stared down the DB and baited him into moving towards Garcon coming across the middle, which left Juice wide open on the sideline.

        I lean towards Delmark’s take, but there is no doubt that Jimmy made some bad plays in that game. In fairness to Grant he does point out that the vast majority of these should be easy corrections for Jimmy G given his talent. Still, I can see the talent and ability and with some more experience for Jimmy, the skill players and the OL, this offense could really take off.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUmNLy6msCo

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3uooH4jxz4

        1. Cubus thanks for sharing an alternative perspective. I do like JG and think he’s loaded with potential. Grant is reaching on some of his points and overly black and white on things. I don’t think our offense will be limited by JG, rather our WR’s. So much rests on young players learning a complex system. Grant gets fixated on something and sticks to it, like Hoyer. I will watch Delmark’s review when I have a few more minutes.

        2. Here’s Delmark’s analysis of Jimmy G in the Detroit game, where Jimmy took 6 sacks. He makes the distinction of how the team performed when facing man coverage and when facing zone. Against zone, Jimmy was 11 for 13 with two TDs. When facing man, Jimmy was 7 for 13 with six sacks. He only provides excuses for two of the sacks that Jimmy G took; but he’s right in my opinion when he says that throwing the ball away isn’t always as easy as we fans would think.

          I think the other thing to remember is that Patricia knows Jimmy G very well and it wouldn’t be surprising for him to know of ways to shut Jimmy G down. Having said that, it does make me wonder why Patricia didn’t play man coverage for the vast majority of the plays. Delmark does talk about how Shanahan was calling plays to try and “shake” loose the man coverage so perhaps that it is some of the reason why. KS “was trying to force the defense out of man coverage”. Maybe this was a game where KS’ play calling and variations on some plays won the chess match.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E918tH6B9ck&t=5s

          1. That’s a really interesting thought on Patricia knowing JG. To answer your question it would seem that Patricia played man strategically. It keeps the QB having to keep adjusting to what he’s seeing.

            1. True, but when you watch the video, you’ll see that the 49ers were just killing the Lions when the LIons were in zone. Delmark also talks about how KS added a few twists to plays that a defense could normally run man coverage against. I really suspect that a lot of the success was due to KS being able to force Patricia out of man coverage or at least make Patricia think he would be better off playing zone. A rematch should make for a very interesting chess game.

  17. A Sebway to the next topic:

    Perhaps 5 paragraph mini-novels everyday, once/hr. are appropriate in another venue, Sebraidah?

  18. Grant’s not wrong about JG. He’s loaded with potential and passed the eye test but needs some work in some key areas mentioned. He’s the best QB we’ve had in a while but I am not sure he’s top 10 in the NFL yet.

    There’s always an element of truth in what Grant says. And at the same time he’s willing to reach on things once in a while like this. http://www.rotoviz.com/2017/04/hoyer-can-get-done-49ers-grant-cohn-santa-rosa-press-democrat-2017-draft-preview/

    A bunch of us here argued Hoyer was not the guy, Grant doubled down. Hoyer got benched. Now KS also thought Hoyer was the guy.

      1. Thanks. JG has talent. I think what we’re experiencing here is desperation from having so many losing seasons.

      2. Then there was that August evening in ’17, when Sebbie was blown away by Hoyer’s play…. And Sebbie gushed…

  20. Evan Silva
    Verified account
    @evansilva
    Follow Follow @evansilva

    * #Bucs TE OJ Howard avg’d 11+ yds per target in each of his first two NFL seasons

    * Neither Kelce nor Ertz has ever reached 10 yds per target

    * Kittle avg’d 10.1 yds per target last year with most TE yards of all time

    * Gronk reached 11 yds per target once in 9-year career

    10:29 AM – 21 May 2019

  22. Sorry Grant, I totally disagree with your assessment.
    .
    JG missed Kittle? No, the pass clanked off his hands. In another one, Kittle could not high point the ball. In the Juice miss, JG threw it low and away where the DB had no chance on the ball, but Juice should have caught the ball, it hit him in both his hands. In the poor judgement pick, JG was getting tackled, and he threw a prayer because he would have failed anyways, since they were behind by 8 points. When you point out that Goodwin was open, that was after he had released the ball. Unless he had the ball on a string and could pull it back, there was no way he could have thrown it to Goodwin. On the incompletion to Breida, he threw a catchable back shoulder pass, but Breida did not track the ball well. On the Garcon incompletion, maybe if Garcon was a tad faster, he could have run under the pass for a TD. It still did hit him in one hand, so it was not a wild miss, even though he did not step into the throw.
    .
    In a lot of the misses, the receiver just did not make the proper adjustment to the ball. JG was throwing it to a spot, and he was accurate if the receiver was on the same page as him. I am surprised you did not show the Bourne interception. He ran the wrong route.
    .
    In the Viking game, he was hit 9 times, so he did not have time to set his feet. Then you say he did not step into the ball so it was all arm, but over threw the receiver. No wonder KS signed FA receivers and drafted 2 WRs and a TE.
    .
    KS should have also drafted an O lineman. Consistently, the pocket collapsed, so you are expecting JG to focus on the receiver before he gets smashed. You say JG needs to throw the ball, but I saw the DB have his hand on the back of the intended receiver. There was no separation at all. on a couple plays, Person and Tomlinson acted like turnstiles.The first example showed Staley getting beat. On another, Ford ran around McGlinchey like he was standing still and got the strip sack, and you say he needed to get rid of the ball sooner?
    .
    JG is just fine. Maybe he did not do well in the games he played, but I remember one game that had the receivers dropping the ball after hitting him in both hands several times. It is hard to have the proper footwork when the pocket is being pushed back in his face, and he needs to develop more synergy and sync up with his receivers. In the Lions game, you fault him for holding onto the ball, but the receivers were blanketed, and Patricia had a good defensive game plan against JG because he coached against JG for years.
    .
    One thing I do like about JG, is that many times, he does look off the safety, so he does not stare down the receiver all the time.
    .
    I even fault KS some what. Maybe he should have just let JG become the field general, and let his instincts prevail.In those last games in the 2017 season, JG was asked to perform without mastering the playbook, and he performed magnificently. JG threw into triple coverage, because he threw the ball so the defenders could not make a play on the ball. That pass to Murphy was Houdini-esque, and I could not believe he caught the ball. Even the officials did not believe it, so Murphy held up the ball. He did not throw into a tight window, he threaded a needle. I just had the suspicion that he was making JG think of too many things, over complicating the plays. Maybe he should take a page out of the Bill Walsh playbook, and have plays determined ahead of time. Then JG does not need to say 12 words to call a play. JG just needs to say- lets run play one, play 2 and so forth. Then JG just needs to say, lets go back to play 4, and everyone should know what he means. They should keep it simple.
    .
    JG needs to protect himself more? Were you not the guy who said that in past years, the QB needed to be able to take a hit to show how tough he was? On that hit by 95, JG was standing with his foot out of bounds, so that hit in the back drew a 15 yard penalty. The play when he became injured, no one touched him before he tore his ACL, so that was just unfortunate. I will agree that he should have just run out of bounds, but he was also trying to win the game.
    .
    I think JG is so good, I am not advocating signing Kaep, so that is saying a lot. I am happy he is the 49er franchise QB, and his only question is his durability. I fully expect to see JG sliding feet first and running out of bounds more. He really does not need to go back to QB school, he learned from the best. JG at times, actually out competed Tom Brady in their practices, so KS should just accentuate his strengths, and not expose his weaknesses. Glad KS is letting JG roll out. Kaep was chained in the pocket, that collapsed like a house of cards.
    .
    Some will say that I am a toady for Grant, but in this case, I do not wish to beg to differ, I vehemently disagree.

    1. I agree with Cubus, and think Delmark’s film study is a better assessment of the Viking’s game.

    3. Grant says JG is slow, but he did run 4.97, not 5.0, and he had a 7.04 three cone drill.
      .
      He may not have sprinter’s speed, but he is quick and elusive.

  23. For those who think Beathard will be the backup QB because he’s Shanahan’s guy, do you not see what is wrong with that statement?

    1. Only thing we see is your old arrogance returning to the blog scene. For a good while you did tone it down so kudos for that, I guess.

    2. Kyle seems to be committed to guys to a point where they have proven they can’t perform. Hoyer was his guy, benched for CJ. CJ played for JG when he was injured but didn’t crack the line up after Mullin’s outplayed CJ. I don’t see where Kyle has a guy that he blindly goes to without real performance. At least on the offense that is.

      The only reason I would think he would stick with CJ is if they’re hoping to trade Mullins to a team when the first round of QB injuries happen in TC and preseason.

      1. 73,

        If that’s the case, wanting to trade him, wouldn’t it make more sense to showcase him? To say that Mullens is the guy because he played so well? Anyone who has watched this team the last two seasons should be able to easily see who the better pro prospect is.

      2. Jack, you’re right. I was thinking he would play him in the preseason and shop him. It was the only reason I could think of where KS would keep CJ and not Mullins. IMO Mullins is clearly better and would be the better back up option.

  24. I was beginning to worry about Seb until I saw 4 comments suddenly show up within minutes.

    1. I had to take my time watching Grant’s video, then formulate a response.
      .
      Please do not worry about me at all. ;p

      1. No problem. I did ask the Sebastopol police to put out an APB to do a welfare check on you just in case.

        1. The Sebastopol police department and I are not on friendly terms. They once tried to give me a ticket for not signaling a lane change, when I was almost the only car on the road. When I accused them of quotas and revenue enhancement, they backed off.

  25. Disagree with the looking more than his first read. I seen him do it plenty of times and even backs CB’s off of a route.
    You must be use to CK and Smith.

    The others are spot on.

  26. It will be interesting to see how Cohn reports on Bosa and McGlinchey when they face off against each other in training camp. Got the potential for a double negative – doesn’t that mean its positive. Careful now…

  27. Seb
    * Imparts so much knowledge, with so few words……Time for the “BIG PROJECT” you promised?

    1. This is not the slow time of the off season. There are practices happening, as we speak.
      .
      One project I did accomplish, was cutting up the tree that fell on my tractor, firing it up, bending up the steering wheel and mowing down the field.

          1. My excuse? Tiny arms and claws, no fingers.

            Now, your excuse for that second sentence?

  28. Scheduled after today’s practice…

    “Garoppolo is expected to speak to the media today following head coach Kyle Shanahan’s press conference, which is scheduled for about 2 p.m. PT or whenever practice is complete.”

    Sure hope Grant dominates the presser…

  29. Garoppolo in 2018 looked like a guy who just signed a big deal and was now responsible for being “the guy”. The easy, free flowing play we saw at the end of 17 was gone and it seemed like everything was a struggle.

    There’s a good chance that he’ll be Cassel 2.0

    1. Better chance that he’s Brees 2.0. He improved with each rep, and now that he has Firepower; it should be All Guns Blazing!

        1. With, Shanny? You bet I believe they have the potential to be the next Payton/Brees, and there’s no reason to believe otherwise….

              2. Keep your chin up, Razor. At least he did not lie on the ground, get his knee put in a cast, and get carted off the field.
                .
                Hammies are NBD.

    2. Jimmy Garoppolo since being traded to Niners:

      6-2
      94 QB rating

      2018 he had a bad game in the opener against the Vikings and then put up back to back games with ratings of 118.4 against the Lions and 114.7 against the Chiefs. He really struggled in those games obviously. Another board genius showing his football prowess.

  30. Noice. JG looks good. Moved around well, even with his leg brace, and was humming those passes.

    1. Jerick McKinnon was held out from the drills, but they do not want him to be making cuts, so that is to be expected.
      .
      Bosa is injured? smh.

  31. List

    Matt Barrows

    @mattbarrows

    ·

    2m

    Nick Bosa was clutching his right hamstring following a pass rush drill. He appears to be done for the rest of practice. We’ll have updates on who practiced, who didn’t later this afternoon. #49ers

    … well s**t

      2. Too much construction from those bosa’s.

        Considering Grant’s comments about Bosas over heavily musculatured frame, “construction” might be right after all.

    3. Oh Crap!

      This is what I was worried about with Nick Bosa. Should be able to compare how Josh Allen turns out for the Jags by the end of the year.

    4. Eeeck!
      Hamstring injuries are an unpredictable type. Shanahan/Lynch may bubble wrap Bosa until mini camp.

      Razor,
      I don’t want the Bosa constrictor to become the bubble boy ?

      2. This is the time for people to overreact from here till pre-season right?

        1. Overreact or celebrate? It’s hard to tell the difference unless you know the narrative of the commenter.

  32. No pads in practice yet. The new guys just meeting their teammates and coaches, but, sure, let’s look at probabilities. ? ?‍♂️
    There’s probably a 2% – 3% chance SF wins the 2019 SB.
    (I’m not making any travel plans yet.)
    There’s probably a 30% chance Niners make the 2019 Playoffs.
    About the same % as a great quake on the Hayward Fault in my lifetime.
    (Not going to worry about either one until they happen.)
    There’s a 100% chance that the Sun will supernova and vaporize the Earth; eventually.
    (Not going to worry about that until . . .)

  33. What’s the over/under on how many games Bosa will suit up or this season?
    If it’s 8 I’ll take the under. Smh

  34. And Breida with a torn pec. Mostert needing a redo of his surgery. This organization is a MASH unit.

      1. Well if there was any good thing to come out of this, at least Dre Greenlaw will be getting lots of snaps.

    1. The Levi’s curse.
      The spirit of Candlestick is angry and far reaching ?

      Actually I’m not into that line of thinking, but dang!

  36. Good video of the WR group (+ a moment of TEs) via Grant’s twitter. Saw a few dropped balls. So, given the standard set recently by some posters–dropped balls in practice–the 9ers will go winless this season.

  37. McGlinchey….very impressive interview. Could be GM material.

  38. Grant,
    I think you have a great point with the “off platform” concern. He can do it, but should only throw off platform when it’s necessary.

    I recall that Niners glory-days coaches used to talk about watching the QBs feet more than anything else.

    You posted clips of QBs warming up. In those warm up drills, which QB would you say has the best footwork?

  39. Grant –

    Some observations –

    You majored in English Lit and then became a football reporter, way to honor both your parents.

    If KS could dial up Pats plays for JG in ’17 and succeed, it does make one wonder why he wouldn’t have kept on with it. I’m hoping JG spent all of his rehab year with his face crammed in the Play Book, it was impossible not to notice he went from Joe like to Deer in the Headlights in ’18.

    I didn’t always agree with your Dad but I read all his work, daily, and I don’t always agree with you but you have learned the game and I read all your work too.

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