Howmuch Brady rubbed off on new 49ers’ QB Garoppolo?
Garoppolo learned from master but now has to transfer that knowledge to newteam
In a perfect world, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will be just like Tom Brady, only more mobile.
Garoppolo has left the protective womb of the New England Patriots, with more than three full seasons soaking up knowledge from the only quarterback to win five Super Bowls.
Jeff Garcia, who knows first- hand the difficulty of avoiding comparisons, has some advice.
“Jimmy has to take everything he learned and not be a chameleon and try to be Tom Brady,” Garcia said. “He’s got to be Jimmy Garoppolo.”
The man counted upon to be the next 49ers quarterback savior makes his starting debut Sunday at Chicago, hoping to blend what he learned from Brady with a new team and coaching staff.
In that way, it’s more complicated for Garoppolo than it was for Steve Young, who took over for Joe Montana. Or Garcia, who took over for Young. Or Aaron Rodgers, who succeeded Brett Favre with the Green Bay Packers.
Those quarterbacks stayed in the same offense, while Garoppolo is learning an entirely different language under coach Kyle Shanahan.
“Obviously they do things differently in New England than what the 49ers are doing,” Garcia said. “But I think he can take a lot of his decisionmaking that he learned from Brady, how to move within the pocket, execute plays, get the ball out quickly.”
Brady’s example goes beyond his playing style. The San Mateo native also illustrated how to interact with teammates and embrace being the face of the franchise.
Greg Knapp, a 49ers offensive coordinator during the Young-to- Garcia transition and quarterbacks coach in Denver with Peyton Manning, has seen how young quarterbacks react to reputation, charisma and production.
“It’s a great way for a young guy to learn dayto- day operations,” Knapp said.
“Just by being in the meeting room and locker room when coaches aren’t there. You see how a quarterback handles the organization, not just the offense. Does he cross the aisle and talk to the defense, the special teams guys? What does he do in the offseason to keep team camaraderie together?
“When you’re a young player and you’re seeing it first-hand froma guy that’s going to be a Hall of Famer, you can’t match that.”
Young, a weekly guest on KNBR 680, said recently that as hard as it was to watch Montana from the sideline, it set a standard for him to match.
“Joe and I weren’t the same players, but I got a sense of what it took,” Young said. “How do you handle success? How do you handle failure? What it feels like when it’s a big game, when it’s important. It’s a leg up for Jimmy, because he’s seen it all and trained for it. When you know exactly what it looks like, it helps you get there faster.”
Rodgers spent three years as a backup to Favre in Green Bay. Their initial relationship was frosty, but warmed over time at the behest of coach Mike Mc- Carthy.
It was an adjustment coming in for a first-round draft pick from Cal, and Rodgers admitted to the Milwaukee Journal- Sentinel in 2008 he was way behind. So he absorbed everything he could from Favre.
“If we weren’t going to be friends yet, fine, but I’m still going to be in his hip pocket until he tells me to get lost,” Rodgers said.
“I’d stick my head in and listen when he’s talking in the huddle. I’d watch him like a hawk. This guy is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play. I’d better figure out what he’s doing.”
Rodgers said he kept journals and entered computer notes for three years, documenting what he’d learned and Favre’s every move.
“Any time he opened his mouth to a receiver, I listened,” Rodgers said.
Heath Evans, an ESPN analyst and former Patriots fullback who played with Brady, said conversations with coach Bill Belichick, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and others suggest Garoppolo operated in much the same way.
“From my understanding, he was basically amirror image (of Brady),” Evans said. “How you study, how you train, how you rest, how you eat. How serious you take the nature of your opportunity to be in the NFL.”
Garcia was 29 when he came to the 49ers, a fourtime Canadian Football League All- Star and Grey Cup winner. But he grew up in Gilroy, went to San Jose State and emulated Montana and Young.
The hope was Garcia would back up Young for a season or two, then take over as the starter. Instead, Young played only three games before leaving with a concussion that ended his career in 1999.
It was still enough time for Garcia, an analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, to marvel at Young’s ability to process information.
“He could just learn the game plan so quickly, repeat it effortlessly, without missing a beat, and be very precise about it,” Garcia said. “Just listening to him talk about plays, concepts and decision-making, I think they were all very important for me in my development.”
Being a sponge for information is wise, but attempting to be a clone of a legend is not.
“You don’t have to follow the book to a ‘ T,’ just get the picture and guidelines but still play your game,” Knapp said. “A lot of that will depend on their ability and the traits they can use.”
Garoppolo, for instance, has mobility which can open up rollouts and bootlegs which aren’t a big part of Brady’s game. Garoppolo’s first touchdown pass as a 49er came on a scramble drill against Seattle.
“There’s going to be some things you don’t see from the New England of- fense that you’ll see from Kyle’s offense that Jimmy really fits in nicely with,” Knapp said. “There are many ways to win games.”
No one knows that better than Brady, and the 49ers are counting on Garoppolo having been a good listener.
• Linebacker Reuben Foster’s first three full games of his career resulted in his first award: the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month. He totaled 30 tackles as the 49ers went 1-2, including 25 solo tackles that led all NFL rookies. “I’m happy where I’m at right now,” Foster said. “Everything is going exactly as I want it. There’s still ups and downs. But how long are you going to let that down, negative energy hold you back?”
“When we drafted him, I thought if he could stay healthy, he’d be the rookie of the year, no question,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. “The defense is built for linebackers to run and hit. For him to gobble them up the way he has, it’s not a surprise. He’s a very talented, instinctual player.”
• C. J. Beathard looks on track to back up Garoppolo on Sunday. Beathard (knee, hip) practiced Thursday in limited action after only watching Wednesday’s session. Practice- squad quarterback Nick Mullens “diced us up” Wednesday as the scout-team quarterback, Saleh said.
• Right tackle Trent Brown (shoulder) and safety Adrian Colbert (thumb) were limited and could be in line to return from their one-game hiatus.
• Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (ankle) did not practice and worked on a side field after stretching with the team. His injury did not appear serious, but if he’s unable to make his fifth straight start, the 49ers could go with K’Wuan Williams, Leon Hall or Greg Mabin.
• Defensive end Aaron Lynch might end his fivegame hiatus, as Saleh spoke highly of Lynch’s effort in practice Wednesday. A calf injury has hindered Lynch, although he was a healthy scratch Sunday..