Ex-quarterbacks skeptical about 49ers’ rotation
Boomer Esiason, the Bengals’ former Pro Bowl quarterback, recently was asked for his thoughts on the 49ers’ anticipated Jimmy GaroppoloTrey Lance rotation to start 2021.
Give Esiason an “A” for honesty.
“All I know is if I was the No. 1 quarterback, I would always want to be on the field,” said Esiason, a CBS analyst. “I know that would create problems for me, personally.”
The 49ers likely will sprinkle in Lance on Sunday in their season opener at Detroit in hopes the rookie can create problems with his mobility. It’s an arrangement that could last throughout the season, assuming the No. 3 pick doesn’t eventually assume Garoppolo’s starting spot.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan believes Lance can give the 49ers an edge in his off-thebench role. But what about the plan’s potential pitfalls? Will it impact Garoppolo’s rhythm
and performance? Could it create media and locker-room drama if Lance, running plays suited for him against defenses that could be ill-prepared, outperforms Garoppolo? Or will Garoppolo grow frustrated if his backup has more botches than big plays?
Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner recalled this situation from last season: Drew Brees, the leading passer in NFL history, was replaced by mobile backup Taysom Hill, who lost a gamealtering fumble in the fourth quarter of the Saints’ 37-30 loss to the Packers.
Warner was periodically replaced during his career when the Cardinals ran Wildcat formations.
“That’s a level of frustration that’s very hard to deal with because you do feel like you’re the best player for the job,” said Warner, an NFL Network analyst. “And you feel even if you can’t do what another guy can do, that you can make up for it by throwing the football. Or making good decisions. Or running the offense better. And so it is a tough thing. And we all have egos. And we all want to be in there in critical situations.”
Garoppolo undoubtedly would prefer to play every offensive snap. However, it’s also unlikely that he’ll betray any frustration. After Garoppolo deftly handled the fallout when the 49ers invested three first-round picks on Lance, Garoppolo, who was just voted a team captain for the third
straight season, displayed a similar touch this summer. After he rotated with Lance throughout the first two series of the preseason finale against the Raiders on Aug. 29, he noted both drives ended with touchdowns.
“When we’re clicking like that and the defense is scrambling like that, it makes it hard,” Garoppolo said. “We’re trying to win games out there and so whatever it takes, we’re going to do that.”
It hasn’t been just Garoppolo’s words, but his actions. Last month, after Lance threw an 80-yard touchdown pass on his second throw in his NFL debut, Garoppolo was captured in a photo celebrating on the sideline mid-play.
“Our team scored,” Garoppolo said when asked about his reaction. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Garoppolo spoke with Brees last month after the 49ers’ final joint practice against the Chargers and the topic of sharing QB duties was discussed. Brees played the bulk of the Saints’ snaps his final three seasons, but Hill was mixed in each year. Brees, a 13-time Pro Bowl selection, understood why head coach Sean Payton wanted to utilize Hill.
“Whatever we needed to do to win the game, to put ourselves in the best position to win, I was all for that,” Brees
said. “So if that meant Taysom Hill being able to come in and take two snaps at quarterback or 10 snaps at quarterback, if that gave us the best chance to win, I was all for it.”
The 49ers initially planned to have Garoppolo start their second preseason game against the Chargers, insert Lance and then have Garoppolo return in the first half, a plan they scuttled after Garoppolo led a 15play, game-opening drive. Garoppolo said it “definitely would be hard to get in a rhythm like that” when asked about such a QB rotation after the game.
On Sunday, it’s unlikely Lance would enter for a full series, but Shanahan was asked what impact exiting and re-entering the game could have on Garoppolo. Shanahan indicated Garoppolo would have a general idea of how the 49ers planned to use Lance against the Lions so he wouldn’t be “surprised” or “caught off guard.”
“The last thing I’d want to do is rattle him in a game or make him surprised on something that could get him out of his element to compete,” Shanahan said. “So just having the relationship with him where we can be honest about everything and he always understands at least where I’m coming from, I think goes a long way.”
The discussion over whether Garoppolo or Lance would start in Week 1 cooled in recent weeks after the rookie had a torrid start to training camp. On Aug. 13, a day before the preseason opener, general manager John Lynch said of the starting job that “It’s Jimmy’s right now and Trey’s pushing.”
How quickly could that topic reignite if Lance gives the 49ers a boost as a backup on a day when Garoppolo struggles?
“What if Trey goes in and makes a play on third down. Or he doesn’t make a play on third down,” Warner said. “How does the rest of the team see that? ‘Why didn’t we just leave Jimmy in,’ or vice versa. Or, ‘Hey, Trey’s making a lot of plays in situational football that is designed for him to make plays.’ Now are people going to look at Jimmy like, ‘Why isn’t Trey playing all the time?’ …
“I think those are the challenges and the possible pitfalls that are there. Not that they have to be. Not that those guys can’t handle it. And not that Kyle won’t do a great job with it. But I do believe those are all factors in how successful it is.”
“All I know is if I was the No. 1 quarterback, I would always want to be on the field.” Boomer Esiason, former Pro Bowl quarterback