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49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 31: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 31: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Why Jimmy Garoppolo Improves in 2018

Well, for starters, Jimmy Garoppolo won’t be working on a dialed-back version of Kyle Shanahan’s offense, which is one of the most complex in the NFL. Garoppolo has last year’s work in addition to offseason preparations. All that should translate well over into 2018 and justify the massive five year, $137.5 million contract he received this year.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Let’s look at a comparison here. In 2015 — Shanahan’s first year as offensive coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons — quarterback Matt Ryan had a 21-to-16 touchdown-to-interception ratio with a passer rating of 89.0.

Shanahan’s second year, in which Ryan subsequently received the league’s MVP award, the Falcons quarterback tossed 38 touchdowns against seven interceptions, leading to a passer rating of 117.1.

This isn’t to say Garoppolo is on par with Ryan. The former’s sample size (seven starts) is simply too small.

But if you compare Garoppolo’s 7-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio last season (1.4), it’s not far off from Ryan’s in 2015 (1.31).

OK, enough of that. What also matters is how Garoppolo commands the offense. If you haven’t done so, you should read Pro Football Focus‘ take on Garoppolo possibly being the next elite quarterback.

And here’s the big gist:

"The 5-0 record, 28.8 points per game, and 8.8 yards per attempt are all obviously great, but almost every single advanced stat we have backs it up as being for real. 35.2 percent of his attempts this season were positively graded, by far the highest of any quarterback in the NFL. MVP candidates Carson Wentz and Tom Brady didn’t even crack 30 percent. … Over his five starts, Garoppolo completed 63.2 percent of his passes in the intermediate range at 10.8 yards per attempt. That’s where the elite quarterbacks make their money, and Garoppolo is following that blueprint to a ‘T’."

Still not convinced? Chew on this from Niner Noise’s Chris Wilson: