QB Jimmy Garoppolo Press Conference

QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Press Conference – September 30, 2022

San Francisco 49ers

So there was the clip of you in the game and it appeared like you said, ‘your plays suck, man.’ Did you say that?

“I’ve heard about this clip. Actually yeah, we were talking about it yesterday. I don’t know, I can’t read lips. I’m sure I’ve said a lot worse things on the field than that, so I’m glad they caught that rather than something else, but I’m not sure exactly what I was saying, but it is what it is.”

I guess the real question is, is there friction between you and head coach Kyle Shanahan, or is that just something that you say in the heat of battle?

“No, you say a lot of things in the heat of battle that I hope people don’t hear, but no, me and Kyle are cool. We really are. We’ve been through a lot of different types of seasons, this being no different, but we’re early on in the season still, so we have to, as a team, find our identity. Me and Kyle obviously, just keep working and getting on the same page more and more, but we’ve been through this before and it’s a long process.”

You mentioned after the game that you felt it in your arm. How do you feel this week as opposed to last week at this time?

“It’s getting better. It’s one of those things. It’s tough in the season to replicate things that you would do in the off season, but I’m just trying to get better each and every day, get it stronger, more endurance to it. Just all the little things.”

Is your arm how your arm would feel like in a May or June in a typical offseason?

“No, I think it’s more just the surgery. Just kind of pushed things back, did get the normal, OTAs, training camp and I’m not trying to make excuses by any means. I have to get the job done, but it’s one of those things you’re dealing with.”

Do you feel better prepared heading into Monday night than you did last week? Just in terms of, like you said, no OTAs, very limited practice.

“I think that’s one of those things. It’s just about getting on the same page with these guys. Different group, some new coaches this year. Just as an offense, we have to get on the same page. Everyone getting in rhythm. All be pulling in the same direction and that takes time, so it’s one of those things that each day you could tell it’s getting better, but we got aways to go.”
Can you tell in practice if you’ve got rhythm or can only a game tell you that?

“No, you can feel it in practice. I’m a strong believer in however you practice, that’s how you’re going to play. And I think it’s tough for young guys, myself included when I was young, just to learn that. It’s tough to bring it every single day to the practice field, but the faster you get guys to do that, the better off you’re going to be.”

With that said, do you feel better this week about rhythm than maybe you did last week?

“It’s getting there. I’m never fully happy. It’s Thursday in our mind, but I’m never fully happy during the week. There’re always things to improve, just coming off the field right now, we have things we could be better at.”

There was a pretty scary incident last night with Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa. Did you happen to catch it? What was your reaction to it? I guess, what do you feel about the NFL’s concussion protocol? Do you feel it’s got your guys’ best interests right now?

“I didn’t see it actually. I saw a clip of it. I think it was earlier today, but yeah, scary situation. You always just hope the best for a guy like that. We’ve all been in those situations, but I don’t know. I think with the protocol, you just have to trust the process. Trust that everyone’s doing their job the correct way and let things fall as they may.”

Have you ever been evaluated for concussion?

“I don’t think so, actually, but yeah, they’re not fun though. That’s a scary thing.”

Among the criticisms you took after the game, you rightly noted that you had a very funky offseason, quite weird and probably contributed to Sunday night’s performance. When people say, ‘Well, you’re the quarterback, it sounds like you’re not being accountable and you should just wear it, rightly or not let other people say that for you.’ Do you see any merit in that?

“Well, I think it starts with the quarterback. It always does and always will. And I just try to call things as I see it, to keep it real. That’s how I’ve always been and that’s how I’ll always be, but yeah, rightfully so, it starts with me no matter what, good, bad or indifferent, whatever happens out there, the quarterback and the center are the two guys touching the ball every play. So, whether it’s good, better, and indifferent, it’s on us and we just have to get better at it. It starts with me, obviously. Yeah, I would always take that. I always have, I always will.”

Kyle was pretty straightforward with us, he said on the safety and on the interception, he made bad play calls. How does that dialogue between you two work? Do you guys sit down on Monday after the game? Does he hash that out with you?

“Yeah, even on the sidelines sometimes. I give Kyle a lot credit for being man enough to do that. But I do the same to him, too. If I mess something up, I’m willing to say it was on me. And I think that makes for a good relationship and leads to a good team. I think it starts with us two and carries its way down to the rest of the guys.”

When you were reviewing film of that game, there were some throws you missed and then there was some other issues with the offense. So how tough was that film, especially just that safety play, re-watching it?

“That one was tough, but just the whole film. We had one good drive, honestly, other than that it really wasn’t too pretty, so it was one of those things, you have to swallow your medicine and take it. We put that performance out there and we have to own that and I think we have the right guys in this locker room to do that and respond the right way.”

You’re playing a really similar defense right after that one. Did you see enough in the Denver game that was close to being a big play to make you think that we don’t have to do anything dramatic, we just need to kind of sharpen and we ought to be okay?

“Yeah, there’s always opportunities that you wish you had back. As similar as this defense to last week, it is different in some ways, so you have to prepare accordingly for that. But it’s just about guys making plays, the coaches are going to put us in position, we have to make the plays and take advantage of that.”

Last year against the Rams, you guys moved to shotgun 96% of the time in that game. How much did that help you get back in rhythm? At that point you were 3-5 entering that game, how much did that gameplan do you feel, help you get into that flow?

“I think it helped a good amount. I think whenever you can get into a rhythm like that and win a big game like that, it always helps the team. Shotgun, obviously as a quarterback, I think all quarterbacks are probably more comfortable back there, but there’s definitely some advantage to be under center. Kyle does a good job of this, keeping those guys guessing and keeping me moving around and things like that and that’s what makes it hard on defenses.”

Do those games against Rams seem like long, ancient history considering all the stuff you’ve gone through just this year?

“It does and then you watch the film and it all comes right back to you and you start replaying those things in your head and putting yourself in those situations again and it’s like riding a bike, you’re right back to it.”

Speaking of the Rams, last year that win kind of turned the season around in terms of confidence in the offense. Does it help that you are playing a team you’re so familiar with?

“It helped, yes and no. Some things are good about that. Other things, they know us inside and out. We know them inside and out and so at the end of the day, it’s going to be man-on-man. You have to win on your one-on-one battles and let the rest take care of itself, but we got to come in with the right mindset and be ready to play.”