QB Jimmy Garoppolo Press Conference

QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Press Conference – October 27, 2022

San Francisco 49ers

After a game like that, or actually a few games offensively, everybody’s got their theories and their reasons why things aren’t going the way that they should be. And one of them that’s being talked about now is that the 49ers aren’t the same once they get off their script. That they’re really good early and then it kind of teeters out a little bit. Fair, not fair? What do you think?
“Everyone has their opinions. That’s not changing any time soon and I wouldn’t expect to. I don’t know, it’s hard to pinpoint one exact thing that this is the reason that we’re struggling, or this is the reason, whatever. I think it’s a combination of things. Script is nice and everything, it gets us off to a good start, but we just have to execute the plays. It’s about making plays out there, staying on the field on third down, being able to run the ball. I think all those things play a key.”

How has the chemistry building been with RB Christian McCaffrey over the first couple of practices?

“It’s been good. It’s been good. Trying to get as much time together as we can, just talking, trying to get on the same page. But he sees the field very similar to a quarterback. He just has a good feel for space, as all our backs do. I think all those guys do good on choices and things like that, but it’s really just when you can feel that zone and feel that space in there, it’s always a nice thing.”

The last couple times you’ve faced the Rams, they’ve done a pretty good job of stopping the run. I think 50 rushing yards in the NFC Championship game and 88 a few weeks ago. How hard are they selling out to stop your run game?
“No different than any other team. I think it’s just when two teams know each other as familiar as we do and coaches and schemes, all that stuff I think comes into play. It makes it difficult to run the ball. When you have that many bodies in there and things like that, it just gets tight, so sometimes you got pass to set up to run and vice versa.”

How have you kind of come along with WR Danny Gray as he gets more incorporated in practices? What are you seeing from him in practice?
“Danny is, all these young guys, the mental capacity for this offense, you got ways to go when you’re a rookie and especially when our core guys have been doing this for however many years together. Things keep evolving and growing and it’s the rookie’s job to catch up as quickly as possible. And I think Danny’s doing a good job of that. He gives us some good plays. The dude’s fast as hell. He really is. And there’s a place for that. We just we need to find it.”

I know it’s not just one thing, but you have a lot of talent for being 3-4. Why do you think this hasn’t totally come together just yet?
“We’re only seven weeks into this thing, so obviously we’d love to be 7-0, but there’s a lot of football left. So, it’s one of those things that, whatever the offseason was, we need to get to where we need to get more quickly and just with a sense of urgency. I think that’s the biggest thing. I think you feel it in the locker room. I’ve felt it throughout the week, honestly, just there’s a sense of urgency with the guys. And we have to do this together. No individual’s going to do it on his own. We have to do this as a team. And I think that’s what has made us great in the past here. We just have to get back to that.”

I imagine you’re having a dialogue with the quarterback coach Brian Griese on the sideline at halftime during games, you had a relationship with former quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello, Brian’s new. How is that dialogue during games coming along?

“It’s been good. It’s been good. Obviously. I think we got room for improvement. We could grow together, and we are throughout this whole year, but it’s pretty cool. I’ve never had a quarterback coach that played quarterback. I think I’ve said this before, but he just sees it as a quarterback. It’s different. Everyone thinks they see it as a quarterback, they don’t. So that’s the reality of it. But you know when you have a guy that you could talk the same language with, and [QB] Brock [Purdy] and [QB] Kurt [Benkert] have been great too, just all talking the same language, seeing the same picture. It allows you to play a little more free.”

Head coach Kyle Shanahan talked yesterday about how, with almost an entirely new coaching staff on the offensive side, how it’s changed his process. Do you feel that change in your position as well?
“Oh, yeah. Yeah. It’s definitely different. Whenever something’s new, new coaches, new players, whatever it is, it’s always going to be a little different. But that’s what I was kind of saying. It’s our job as players to catch up as quickly as possible, get on the same page. There’re no excuses at this point. We’re in the season, we’re in the grind of it, and we just have to play catch up now.”

You guys have been outscored 49-13 in third quarters, why do you think that is? What’s happening there?
“I don’t know. I don’t know. I think coming out to play ready in the third quarter, I think is a big part. Honestly, that’s the first time I’ve heard that stat, so I’m not too positive what the reasoning is for that, but we definitely need to fix that. I think the third quarter is where a big momentum shift happens and we need to fix that.”

The different sense of urgency is that it’s late October, a couple more games it gets a little dicey or where do you think that comes from?
“I think it comes from the leaders in the locker room. I honestly do. It comes from the coaches too, need to have a sense of urgency, but I think the leaders, we’ve been in similar situations to this. I’m not going to say we’ve been in this exact situation, because every year’s different, but we’ve been in difficult spots before and I think what’s gotten us out of it in the past is just coming together as a team, being together and having that sense of urgency that we need to fix it, we need to fix it now, and it’s worked well for us in the past. We just need to get back to that.”

After the game on Sunday, WR Brandon Aiyuk was talking about how everybody needed to look inward and really focus on what they need to do on the field. Have you seen him change to more of a leader in that way in his third year?
“Hell yeah. Yeah, B.A. has taken some big steps. Really in the last couple weeks, it’s been awesome. It’s been really cool to see. B.A. is a pretty quiet guy overall, but when he gets talking and he’s saying things to younger guys and you see it, just his demeanor, how he carries himself, his presence is felt. I’ll say that. And it’s really cool to see that happen.”