QB Jimmy Garoppolo Press Conference

QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Press Conference – August 25, 2021

San Francisco 49ers

Head Coach Kyle Shanahan said he had a pretty good idea of who would be the starting quarterback Week 1. Do you have a pretty good idea?

“Yeah, I have a pretty good idea.”

He was smiling about it so, that must mean something right?

“It’s whatever he decides, yeah. I have a pretty good idea. I’m pretty happy with where I’m at right now and everything and just the offense as a whole. Yeah, Kyle’s the head man. He’ll make the call.”

We had a good talk with former NFL QB Drew Brees after practice on Friday after you did. One of the things he said that you and him were talking about was your quick release and how you studied him and Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. Can you just talk about that aspect of your game and how you worked on it and got better at it?

“Yeah, it’s going back to when I first became a quarterback. Those were two of the first guys that I started watching and just seeing how they play the game. Obviously, having been with [Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB] Tom [Brady] for a while, learned a lot of things from him too. But those two guys Drew and Aaron, I thought did it at a high level. Just a more similar style to me I guess. And yeah, I tried to copy them as much as I could.”

Did Drew have any other advice on the situation you’re in which is kind of parallel to where he was 15 years ago?

“A little bit. We were just kind of talking ball really. We talked about the situation for a little bit and how him and [New Orleans Saints QB] Taysom [Hill] did it. And it’s a thing that I wasn’t really used to, I guess you could say. Just the in and out part of it. So, I was trying to pick his brain, how he handled that. He’d come out for a play or two and then go back in, how that all works.”

What kind of advice did he give you on that?

“I’ll keep that between me and him, but just kind of a stay ready type of thing. Yeah, it’s a different type of flow to the game. As a quarterback you’re used to being out there the whole time. And so, it’s just something that you’ve just got to get reps at and get used to it.”

Do you have to actually practice coming out for a few different plays or whatever and then go back in to get used to that?

“Yeah. Yeah. It’s happened a little bit in training camp just with some of the different types of things we’re doing with [QB] Trey [Lance]. But yeah, whenever I’m out there, I’ll be ready to roll. It’s just one of those things, it is what it is.”

After what you went through in New England with Tom, do you have any advice for Trey for all the quarterback questions he gets on a daily basis?

“I’m sure he’s handling it like a champ. Trey’s a good dude. He’s pretty even keeled for the most part. I think that’s a big part of it, but I’m sure he’s doing a great job with it. Advice for it? I don’t know, just be yourself I guess.”

Having watched film from the last game, what takeaways do you have from it?

“Pretty much the same thing that I thought out there. We left some stuff out there. There was a couple of places that we should have easily had. Plays that we’ve made before and we should have made in that one. But yeah, like I said, the interception, me and [WR Brandon Aiyuk] B.A. have hit that a million times out here. We’ve just got to come up with it and we’ve got to make it work. But other than that, I thought it was like I said before, it was a pretty good drive.”

Kyle said you came in this training camp with more command than you’ve had in the past. Did you feel that, did you notice that yourself?

“Yeah. It’s not something that I tried to do in the offseason. I’ve always had a leadership quality, I guess you could say, but I think just understanding the offense and having a better feel for where guys are, how to get guys in certain spots, calling the plays, all those little things that go into it. I think that it just comes with experience and that’s one thing that I’ve noticed out here and it’s paying off.”

Does it take a while to get ahold of that with this offensive in particular?

“This offense is just different. We’ve cut down some of the verbiage and things like that, which makes it easier. But it’s just it’s a different type of offense. It’s constantly changing. We’re trying new things this day and the next day we try this with it. There’s just a lot of moving parts that you have to as a quarterback, mentally hone in on it and focus. And once you do, it becomes a lot easier.”

You mentioned some of the moving parts, all the pre-snap motion stuff you guys do. What kind of workload does that add to your plate in terms of having to know where guys are? What kind of chaos might it add before a play?

“Yeah, it adds a lot of work throughout the week. That’s why, once we get into the game planning part of it, it’s totally different than what we’ve been doing in training camp. Training camp, you’ve got the entire playbook, everything’s at Kyle’s access just like that and you just have to be able to recall it. Once we get into the gameplan, it’s kind of more condensed and you kind of have an idea of what you’re doing going into the game. And so, it allows you to focus more and hone in on those little things.”

What’s the biggest focus for you in a dress rehearsal game for your first team offense?

“One, having all the guys out there will be really nice, getting into a little rhythm. We haven’t had that in one of these games yet. So, getting into the rhythm, feeling everyone in the huddle, just seeing where everyone’s at with everything, how we move, the tempo in and out of the huddle, all those little things. That’s really what you look for in the dress rehearsal.”

Obviously, as we’ve discussed all summer, drafting a quarterback in the first round and what that means for you. But they drafted a right guard in the second round and it means something for OL Daniel Brunskill. How has he responded and what do you appreciate about him as a player?

“Dan, he’s a hard worker, man. He’s a hard-nose dude. Comes in, you know what you’re getting every day out of him. He has a little bit of sarcasm that keeps you on your toes, but I like that about him and he just fits in with the crew. All five of those guys up front and all the guys, interchanging, it’s a good group we’ve got in there and I’m glad to be behind those guys.”