QB Jimmy Garoppolo

QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Press Conference – September 11, 2019

San Francisco 49ers

A little bit less hot here?

“Yeah, a little different. Tampa, it was so thick with the humidity and everything. Yeah, once the clouds came over it wasn’t too bad, though.”

How was the experience here in Youngstown?

“It’s been good. It’s been good. Got some good Italian food lately, so that’s been phenomenal, so that’s always good. Got some good ice cream last night, that was fun. Yeah, Youngstown, it’s been nothing but a good time.”

Is this kind of out of your realm a little bit, playing one away game and coming to a city, not going home and then kind of doing that?

“I’ve done it before in my career. I don’t think I’ve done it with the Niners. I don’t think we have. It’s a little different, gets you out of your schedule, but yeah, you’ve got to adjust to it. It’s part of the season.”

As far as body clock, do you feel like you’re in the Eastern Time Zone now or is it still hard to–?

“Yeah, I think I adapted pretty quickly to it. I felt like going to sleep was a little tough the first couple of nights, but other than that it’s been fine.”

What’s been your focus this week as you return for Week 2?

“You know, just little details offensively, complementing the defense. When they make a big play, how do we answer that up and everything once we get the ball. Yeah, I think we have a good game plan so far and we’ll keep it going the rest of the week.”

Talk about the chemistry you have with WR Deebo Samuel and how he has kind of responded as he kind of gets going in his rookie year?

“Yeah, Deebo, you know, he’s still got a long way to go and everything, but he has natural talent, he’s powerful, he can run through defenders as you saw on Sunday. It’s nice having a guy like that. Just when he’s in tight spots, he makes the tough catches.”

That earns your trust basically, knowing that he’s–?

“Absolutely. Especially when you’ve got a guy on your back, too, and he’s fighting for the ball, you’re fighting for the ball and he makes a good play on it. You love to see it as a quarterback.”

A guy on his back, not your back?

“Yeah, no doubt.”

What did you see when you watched the tape for yourself?

“Things to correct. Missed a couple throws I wish I could’ve had back. Little things, they’re fixable, too. Just got to learn from them week-to-week and keep progressing.”

Were any of the things that you saw things that you probably would’ve seen if you had played a full season last year or things you saw in the five-game stretch at the end of ’17? Just in terms of things that, since you’ve been out for a little while, the rust factor? Maybe you weren’t processing as quickly?

“Yeah, I missed a couple throws that I think usually I would’ve hit. Yeah, that’s just part of it. I think as the season goes on, like I said, you try and keep improving and that’s all you can really ask for.”

You set the bar pretty high for yourself in 2017 just with the way you played. Is it frustrating and do you have to do sort of a mental balance to not get frustrated and understand what goes into the process?

“It’s not frustrating. I know what the process is. You try and perform your best, you try and be perfect every single week and I think that’s, as a team, what we always try to do. It’s real football, so you’re never going to be perfect. You always shoot for that, but it’s a way to keep pushing yourself.”

What’s your process after a series, because now when you’re sitting on the bench, you might have to go out there on the field pretty soon as opposed to last year where that didn’t happen?

“Yeah, it’s a good problem to have, for sure. We try and get over that and look at the pictures as quick as we can with [quarterbacks coach] Shane [Day] and the rest of the QBs, and when the defense is getting turnovers like that, though, you’re never going to be upset about that.”

Do you look at the screen and watch what’s going on?

“I usually feel the reaction from the sideline. If something big happens, a turnover or something like that, the sideline’s going nuts. Like [CB Ahkello] Witherspoon’s interception, I didn’t even actually see that one. Everyone just started going nuts on the sideline. It was, yeah, a great spot to be.”

And run out for the two-point conversion.

“Yeah, exactly.”

Do you keep your helmet nearby?

“Yeah, you’ve got to.”

Youngstown state is an FCS school. You’re familiar with them. The facilities here, how do they compare with kind of what you’re used to?

“It’s impressive. I’ve told some of the guys, this isn’t your normal I-AA looking school, that’s for sure. The stadium, weight room whatever it is, I’ve been to a number of them, and this is pretty impressive.”

How about the knee? What kind of soreness did you have playing your first full game afterwards and what’s the process?

“You know, soft tissue work, get it flushed and everything like that. It wasn’t too bad actually. The flight probably did more damage than the actual game. But yeah, wasn’t anything bad.”

Head coach Kyle Shanahan has been pushing the receiving group just to step forward and seize the opportunities for the past couple of months it seems like. At what point do you, or do you feel the need to do that as well with that group, to sort of push these guys to seize the moment?

“I always kind of do that in my own way. Coaches, obviously that’s their job and everything, but as a quarterback, you’re tied into the receivers just as much as they’re tied into you. Their success is your success and vice versa. We’re always on the same page, always talking. We’ve been having meetings and things like that just to get on the same page. Game planning is a very specific thing, so as long as we’re all talking the same language, it gives us a chance.”

How would you describe your demeanor in those exchanges? I know some quarterbacks, New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Big Ben Roethlisberger can be pretty demonstrative with that. What are you like?

“I think there’s a time and place for that. If you’re just having casual conversation with a guy about it, we try and talk about it as much as we can, whether it’s locker room, this week in the hotel, whatever it is just so you’re on the same page. I think there’s a time and place to be like that and there’s a time and place to be calm.”

Was the time not the place in the huddle after Deebo made his false start? Kyle said he would’ve been open on the play.

“Yeah, you’ve got to move on quickly when it’s in the game like that and everything. Yeah, it was unfortunate, but rookie mistakes. Got to move on from it.”

How did he respond to the criticism from making the mistake?

“With Deebo? Good. He came back and answered with that two-point conversion. That’s a tough play, quick catch, get it in there. Yeah, he had a good mindset the whole day, in the huddle. It’s incredible, the guy doesn’t sweat even in Tampa. It’s mind-blowing.”

On some of the missed throws you alluded to, like WR Marquise Goodwin was just a little behind and the one to WR Kendrick Bourne was too high, obviously you can’t make every throw perfect, but when you look at those, do you say, “Okay, that was probably my mechanics” or what do you think those were?

“Yeah, those were physical mistakes. There’s nothing mental, really, about it. I don’t know, little things, you try and break it down as much as you can, was there a defender in your face? Was there the pocket? Whatever it is. You’ve just got to make those throws. That’s part of what we try to push ourselves. We try and be perfect, and you’re going to make mistakes, but you try and eliminate them.”

A hard follow up to that, what Italian place was it? And are you referring to Handel’s ice cream?

“Handel’s, yeah. Good call. It’s right down the street or close by the hotel. The Italian food, we had some mostaccioli, we went to the York family dinner and everything, so they had it all set up, great spread. Even in the hotel, we’ve had some great, I mean, getting some good bread. It’s tough, you know. It’s the little things like that.”

What flavor ice cream at Handel’s?

“I went cookies and cream and a waffle cone. Very traditional.”

Was that the best ice cream you’ve had?

“It was up there, man. It was really good.”

With WR Dante Pettis coming back from a groin injury, is he moving the same way? Is he moving the same way you’re used to seeing him move out there?

“Yeah, similar. Certain things are a little different. I think Dante, he’s working hard, he puts in a lot of time. Those are the things you’ve got to appreciate. Just getting on the same page with him, I think that’ll help us in the future.”