San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has given the franchise hope for the future, and has provided a huge boost for the previously hapless team.
Garoppolo is 3-0 since being named the team’s starter, and will face his toughest task of the season on Sunday, when the 49ers square off against the Jaguars. Jacksonville fields the No. 1 scoring defense (14.9 points/game) and ranks No. 3 in total defense (284.1 yards/game). The Jaguars also have a secondary that is comprised of both ballhawks and cover guys, which is a big reason why the defense ranks No. 1 in passing yards allowed (168.9 yards/game).
The Jaguars defense also has a number of veterans on its defensive front, so Garoppolo will need to be wary of an apparent flaw in his game that a reporter recently picked up on. Grant Cohn of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat pointed out that Garoppolo was tipping his plays during last Sunday’s game against the Titans, and he asked 49ers head coach Shanahan about it on Thursday.
@grantcohn told Shanahan Jimmy G gets behind center and looks down on a run play, looks up and surveys defense on pass play. Titans saw it, knew when runs were coming and controlled Hyde after first quarter.
— Lowell Cohn (@LowellCohn) December 21, 2017
Grant Cohn asked Shanahan if he knows that Garoppolo is tipping his plays — he is. Shanahan told Grant, “I didn’t, but I’ll go back and check. I appreciate that. I hope Jacksonville is not listening to this press conference. If they are, I’ll change it. Thank you.”
— Lowell Cohn (@LowellCohn) December 21, 2017
That’s a very astute observation from Cohn, if true. And while Garoppolo may not necessarily be tipping plays before every snap, it does appear that he’s done it a number of times.
Every young quarterback makes mistakes, which is why teams try to get them as many reps as possible early in their careers. And while Garoppolo is playing in his fourth year in the league, he’s only made five starts, and has already shown to be more accurate than many quarterbacks who played in a full season early in their careers. He’ll need to work on his head movement, but unlike throwing mechanics, that should be a fairly easy habit to kick.
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