JIMMY HAS IT OVER ROOKIES
Niners QB proving g to be quick study while Trubisky, Kizer zer learn the ropes
We interrupt Sunday’s meeting between the NFL’s only two rookie starting quarterbacks with the following question: Wouldn’t you rather have Jimmy Garoppolo?
No quarterback in the league is riding a longer streak than the Arlington Heights native. Garoppolo has won all three games since the 49ers acquired him Oct. 30 from the Patriots for a mere 2018 second- round pick.
The 49ers gave the Eastern Illinois alum a month to learn the playbook. He made his first start Dec. 3 at Soldier Field and has won as many games as Bears rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky — in seven fewer tries. The Browns’ DeShone Kizer hasn’t won any. When he plays the Jaguars on Sunday, Garoppolo could throw the first 16 balls into the dirt and still have a better completion percentage than Trubisky.
The Jaguars have allowed the fewest points in the league and will be a significant step up from the Bears ( 12th), Titans ( 18th) and Texans ( last), but it’s worth noting, even with a small sample size: If Garoppolo had enough pass attempts to qualify, he would rank 10th in the NFL with a 98.0 passer rating, one spot above the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers.
Want leadership? Smarts? “Inside the NFL” put a microphone on Garoppolo on Sunday. Before the final drive, he told slot receiver Trent Taylor that he wanted to focus on the middle of the field because the Titans’ safeties were “super- wide.” He did that on the first play of the drive and gained seven yards.
Garoppolo then threw a 24- yard pass to George Kittle, minutes after he had told the tight end on the sideline to expect a quick throw because the safeties tended to play deep.
On the play after that, he found receiver Marquise Goodwin for a 14- yard completion. He told Goodwin to bend the route across the field, which he did. By the time Garoppolo spiked the ball to stop the clock, the 49ers were on the 30- yard line with 16 seconds to play. Robbie Gould eventually kicked a 45- yard game- winning field goal. Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Thursday that he knew Garoppolo had something special during the 49ers’ 15- 14 win against the Bears. “Some guys have talent, but you know, they’ve got a lot of tools in their box, but they’re not a good carpenter,” he said. “It’s the same thing with quarterbacks. They’ve got a lot of skills, got a lot of tools, but they’re not a good quarterback. Like a pitcher has got the big arm, can do this, but he’s not a pitcher. You know? “This guy is a quarterback. He knows how to play the position. He’s got good quarterback intangibles.” That’s hard to cultivate in a firstyear player. While the Bears have praised Trubisky’s intangibles, it’s impossible to know how much of Garoppolo’s mastery came from experience and how much from something innate. That makes comparing Trubisky to Garoppolo — who spent 3 ½ seasons behind Tom Brady — more complicated. So does their age; Garoppolo is three years older. The Bears liked both quarterbacks, but Garoppolo and Trubisky likely were never an either/ or proposition. The 49ers had the luxury of waiting to see if the Patriots would trade Garoppolo near the deadline. The Bears had to settle their quarterback problem last offseason, when the Patriots’ asking price was far steeper. The quarterbacks’ financial futures change the calculus, too. The Bears are paying Trubisky about $ 29 million over four years, plus a fifth- year option. Garoppolo’s contract is up at the end of the year. The 49ers can either give him the franchise tag — likely worth nearly $ 24 million — or sign him to a multiyear deal worth probably as much as $ 20 million a year. If Garoppolo finishes the season the way he started it, the 49ers would happily pay that. The Bears, meanwhile, will try to find a coach who could mold Trubisky into a quarterback worthy of that sort of second contract.