Remember when the New England Patriots shocked us and traded away Jimmy Garoppolo last October? John Lynch was aggressive in trying to get the San Francisco 49ers a starting quarterback and they were off to an awful start. When Jimmy got back on the field, he didn’t miss a beat from his brief starts with the Patriots and actually led the 49ers to wins in their final six games of the 2017 season. At one time, the Niners looked to be one of the top two picks in the draft. This was the first full year that Jimmy G was going to be the starting quarterback. Unfortunately, his season has officially come to an end after an MRI revealed a torn ACL.
I knew this was a knee injury of some sorts when I saw him being wheeled off on the cart and I saw him on crutches after the game. Many people were expecting big things from him this season and looking to see what he can do now as the starting quarterback. When I watch him, I like the calmness he displays throughout the game and he learned that from sitting behind Tom Brady. I never see him panic or worry and that’s something you rarely see in young quarterbacks. He’s mobile within the pocket and can move either to the left or right side and make a throw on the run. He loves to sell the play-action and then bootleg out and he’ll run it himself if he needs too for the extra yards. I love the pocket presence he shows and if the receiver isn’t open down the field, he doesn’t force it and that’s another thing you don’t see in developing quarterbacks today. When you’re open, you’re getting the football from him and he can make all the throws from the passes over the middle to hitting his receiver in stride down the field. He has above average field vision and sees the whole field before making a decision. He can also squeeze the football into some tight coverages.
This is a huge blow to a team that was looking to make a name for themselves in the NFC. You’ve seen the impact that he’s already had on the team and he will be missed. I’m wishing him a speedy recovery.
