How 49ers botched their handling of Jimmy Garoppolo, Trey Lance in 2021
By Peter Panacy
49ers made in-season botches with Jimmy Garoppolo, Trey Lance
It’s understandable why Trey Lance looked so raw and shaky during his lone start of the year, Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals. That’s what lack of reps with first-team units will do.
Yet Lance’s ability to create with his legs adds a new dimension Kyle Shanahan doesn’t and will never have with Jimmy Garoppolo.
But a would-be transition from the veteran to the rookie can’t center solely around legs or rushing prowess. It has to encompass all of Lance’s strengths, including his strong arm and understanding of a pro-style offense from North Dakota State.
Most importantly, reps.
The 49ers offense is limited with Garoppolo. And the Niners lack the overall team talent to overcome his regular interceptions, too, standing in contrast to the Super Bowl team of 2019.
Ideally, the Niners run the ball close to 40 times a game, and Garoppolo is asked to pass no more than 25 times. More runs equal fewer passes, and that’s typically defined San Francisco’s wins this year:
| Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | Opp | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rate | Sk | |
| 1 | @ | DET | W 41-33 | 17 | 25 | 314 | 1 | 0 | 124.2 | 1 |
| 2 | @ | PHI | W 17-11 | 22 | 30 | 189 | 1 | 0 | 100.6 | 0 |
| 3 | GNB | L 28-30 | 25 | 40 | 257 | 2 | 1 | 87.2 | 4 | |
| 4 | SEA | L 21-28 | 14 | 23 | 165 | 1 | 1 | 79.1 | 1 | |
| 7 | IND | L 18-30 | 16 | 27 | 181 | 1 | 2 | 60.9 | 2 | |
| 8 | @ | CHI | W 33-22 | 17 | 28 | 322 | 0 | 0 | 100.6 | 0 |
| 9 | ARI | L 17-31 | 28 | 40 | 326 | 2 | 1 | 100.6 | 5 | |
| 10 | LAR | W 31-10 | 15 | 19 | 182 | 2 | 0 | 141.7 | 1 | |
| 11 | @ | JAX | W 30-10 | 16 | 22 | 176 | 2 | 0 | 126.3 | 2 |
| 12 | MIN | W 34-26 | 17 | 26 | 230 | 1 | 1 | 90.2 | 2 | |
| 13 | @ | SEA | L 23-30 | 20 | 30 | 299 | 2 | 2 | 93.6 | 1 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
Generated 12/8/2021.
Stats don’t tell everything. But it’s noticeable that when Garoppolo has attempted 30-plus passes in a game this season, the 49ers are 1-3. And when he tosses an interception, they’re 1-5.
This puts increased pressure on the offense and defense to win in other ways. At times, such as that three-game win streak between Weeks 10 and 12, Garoppolo didn’t need to hit 30 passes because of the sheer rushing volume while cutting down on turnovers.
Related Story: Jimmy Garoppolo is consistent, and that’s both good and bad for 49ers
Now, does Lance immediately fix any of that? It’s unclear. But teams fielding rookie quarterbacks live with those early growing pains as part of the development process.
When Garoppolo is making those kinds of rookie-type mistakes, too, it’s little more than a botched effort.