Jimmy Garoppolo poised to have breakout season with 49ers in 2020
The 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo is poised for a breakout season in 2020
The San Francisco 49ers have been fortunate over the years to enjoy some extremely talented quarterbacks in the organization. When a 49er fan recalls a quarterback great, some of the names who quickly come to mind are likely Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jeff Garcia, Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. 49ers fans have certainly celebrated some epic years cheering for their favorites.
Looking ahead to the upcoming season, the hope is quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will prove he is worthy to join the club.
Garoppolo was traded to the 49ers from the New England Patriots in the 2017 NFL season just ahead of the trade deadline. He would start the final five games for the 49ers and go on to win them. In that 2017 season, the Niners were relying on quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and then-rookie C.J. Beathard. San Francisco had an absolutely abysmal record of 1-10 before Jimmy Gstepped in.
Garoppolo breathed some life into a losing team and gave it a much-needed spark.
At the start of the 2018 season, anticipation and high hopes were at an all-time high. The 49ers had found and secured their quarterback and things were really looking up. In the third game, Jimmy G would end up tearing his ACL and would be out for the rest of the 2018 season. The 49ers would finish the season 4-12.
To say this was a disappointing season for the 49ers, would be an understatement, to say the least.
In the 2019 season, things were really looking up. Garoppolo would lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl. Alas, things did not pan out for the franchise and the Niners didn’t bring home the Lombardi Trophy. While the 49ers would, unfortunately, lose the Super Bowl, the Garoppolo would have a solid season. His interception ratio was higher than it should have been, but he would continue to lead the team to victories.
While Jimmy G has demonstrated a strong performance overall, he still has areas of weakness that need to be corrected. Examples of these include his impulse to throw some extremely risky passes, and his struggle to throw the ball deep.
Since the devastating loss at the Super Bowl, there has been a lot of smack talk about Jimmy G. His missed touchdown pass to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders in the fourth quarter still haunts a lot of 49er fans. While these feelings are certainly valid, it is important to step back and take a broader and more comprehensive look at this quarterback. While the season didn’t end the way fans wanted, Jimmy G had a very solid season coming off such a significant injury.
Let’s not forget he has only played one full season in the 49ers system. In the games he has played, he has shown a lot of promise. He has demonstrated he has a solid grip on the offensive system. He actually reminds me a lot of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Let’s not forget when the 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan, was with the Falcons as an offensive coordinator, Ryan had an incredible season.
The Falcons went to the Super Bowl and Ryan won MVP. Something to think about.
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Now, of course, this doesn’t guarantee Garoppolo will have a fantastic season in 2020, but he has certainly been given the tools he will need to succeed in the offense. He will need to execute and repeat. Additionally, the team added some new and promising pieces for the offense with rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams. The underlying hope in all of us is, with a full season in the offense under his belt and all the weapons around him, Jimmy Garoppolo will have an incredible and unforgettable 2020 season.