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Jimmy Garoppolo: 3 ways 49ers QB can improve his numbers in 2020

By Nathan Bannerman

Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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49ers Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Accuracy will be the focal point for Jimmy Garoppolo in 2020

In his first season as a starter, Jimmy Garoppolo completed more passes than Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young did back with the 49ers in 1992. Unfortunately, Garoppolo also threw for almost double the interceptions.

But here’s my issue with the interception stat line, for any quarterback really: it does not include tipped passes. Looking back on Garoppolo’s season, at least half of his interceptions were just off the fingertips of his receivers.

Now there’s an argument which can be made two ways here. On one side, you can say his receivers need to be able to catch the ball. Quite a few passes were relatively catchable, but the receivers just couldn’t get control.

On the other side, you can argue Garoppolo needs to be better. He’s the one throwing the football. And that’s the argument I’m taking here. Some of the passes Garoppolo threw were slightly off, making it extremely tough on the receivers to make the play. But it goes beyond just the interceptions.

With a completion percentage of 69.1, Garoppolo was the fourth most-accurate quarterback in the NFL. However, I’m going to nit-pick Garoppolo’s throws. He got bailed out a few times by his receivers. Quite a few of his passes were behind or just above his opponents.

Here’s a highlight package from the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers:

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1219439469708763136

If you watch his third pass in this package, it’s a play-action attempt to running back Raheem Mostert. Mostert then breaks out of the backfield, makes a catch and gets wrapped up right away by the Packers. If Garoppolo could’ve taken just an extra half-second to fire the ball into the running back’s hands, Mostert might have been able to break the open-field tackle.

The stats don’t lie: Garoppolo is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. But if he’s able to lead his receivers so they can make the catch in stride, rather than slow down or stop their route, he could easily lead the league in many important stats in 2020.