3 things Jimmy Garoppolo needs to do to retain 49ers starting QB job
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Turnovers can’t dog Jimmy Garoppolo
Raise your hand if you can recall at least a couple of “boneheaded” throws Jimmy Garoppolo has made during his Niners tenure, particularly those right over the middle of the field where he failed to recognize a zone-coverage linebacker.
Yeah, it’s happened a few too many times.
Even if Garoppolo winds up winning the starting job out of training camp, it won’t take more than one or two awful performances with such turnovers before the fans and media start clamoring for Trey Lance.
The numbers back it up, too.
In 2019, his most successful as a pro and the year San Francisco made it to the Super Bowl, Garoppolo still tossed 13 interceptions and had a 2.7 interception percentage, which was tied for seventh highest in the league that year. Of all the quarterbacks in the top 10 in that category, Garoppolo was the only one to make the playoffs.
Last year, Jimmy G’s interception percentage climbed all the way to 3.6, which would have ranked second worst in the league if had enough qualifying throws.
Overall during his career, Garoppolo owns a 2.7 interception percentage, so there’s going to be a fine line if he expects to stay the 49ers’ starter.