San Francisco 49ers: 5 simple reasons Jimmy Garoppolo gets even better in 2018
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: A Fuller Understanding of Kyle Shanahan’s Offense
Kyle Shanahan operates arguably the most complex offensive system in the NFL today. When working, though, it’s highly effective. The only problem is it can take a while to learn.
San Francisco 49ers
To understand this, let’s look back at Shanahan’s first year as offensive coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons back in 2015. Shanahan’s offense that year — despite a crop of talented contributors like quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman — finished seventh in total yardage (5,985) but only 21st in points scored (339).
A year later, after having learned the system, Atlanta’s offense became prolific, finishing second in yards gained (6,653) and tops in points scored (540).
The Niners were forced to spoonfeed Jimmy Garoppolo various portions of the offense in short notice last year, as broken down by ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. Garoppolo had just four weeks between his trade from the New England Patriots and his first start with the 49ers in Week 13 last year against the Chicago Bears.
Not exactly a lot of digest time.
Shanahan eluded to how it will be different this season, via Wagoner:
"It’s nice to start from scratch and to go at a slower process. He got a crash course, and he did a helluva job picking it up, but some things he’s out there and he’s just going, but he doesn’t truly understand why and things like that. But he did a great job of getting through the week to where he had a chance to do it on Sunday, and now where the rush isn’t quite the same, I think you start from the beginning, start on the first page, not the 50th page, and you get a better foundation."
Next: Envision a 49ers Offseason Without Jimmy Garoppolo
So, if you were impressed with Garoppolo over five starts last year, just imagine what a full offseason of study will do.