Things get tough for QB’s encore
Texans more challenging than Bears for Garoppolo
HOUSTON >> As much as John Lynch tries not to oversell Jimmy Garoppolo’s potential after “just one start,” the 49ers general manager sounds like so many others willing to lead the Garoppolo Fan Club.
“I could have had five rings if I had a guy like that,” Lynch said with a laugh Friday morning on KNBR 680-AM. “In Tampa, we never had that.”
Lynch, a former All-Pro safety, won only one Super Bowl ring in five playoff trips with the Buccaneers from 1993-2003. Brad Johnson was the Bucs quarterback that championship 2002 season. Four playoff trips the previous five years stopped short, behind Johnson, Shaun King and Trent Dilfer.
Garoppolo’s encore Sunday as the 49ers starting quarterback comes with a bigger challenge against the host Houston Texans (4-8).
Will there be more clutch, third-down conversions? More of that quick release, pocket poise
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and elusiveness? More coolcalm-confident leadership? It all amounted to a successful debut last Sunday in Chicago with a 15-14 comeback win.
So what does Lynch look for in a quarterback? “Do you make everyone around you better?” Lynch said. “With the small sample size we had with Jimmy, he does have that quality.”
Five things to watch
1. RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS >>
Five trips inside the Bears 20-yard line did not produce a touchdown in Garoppolo’s first start. “We kind of knew that’s one of the tougher areas of the field,” said Garoppolo, whose 293 passing yards were the most ever in a 49ers starting debut.
The 49ers lead the league in red-zone penalties (15), and last Sunday’s key culprits were Trent Brown (holding), George Kittle (false start) and Marquise Goodwin (false start). Overall, the 49ers are converting 40.6 percent of red-zone series into touchdowns; only the Indianapolis Colts are worse (36.7).
As nice as Robbie Gould’s field goals are, touchdowns are nicer, such as Garoppolo’s TD pass to Louis Murphy on the final play of a Nov. 26 cameo against Seattle. Meanwhile, Carlos Hyde hasn’t run across the goal line his past six games.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said of the red zone: “If you’re not good at running the ball and you have to throw, they’re going to probably rush three and it’s very hard for five people to get open versus eight when sitting in a small area.” That is what the Bears did. The Texans have the league’s 20th-ranked red-zone defense, allowing TDs 54.3 percent of the time.
2. TRENT TAYLOR’S ENCORE >>
Taylor, as he hoped, is making a name for himself as a rookie slot receiver, and he took a significant step last Sunday making six receptions despite a stomach flu that lingered into this past week.
On draft day, Taylor said: “I always get the comparisons of all the slot guys — like (Wes) Welker, (Cole) Beasley, (Julian) Edelman. That’s what I’ve heard my whole life. But I’d like to get into the NFL and just be my own guy, be who Trent Taylor is.”
Garoppolo complimented Taylor’s “savviness” as a rare trait for a young receiver. Rather than truly compare Taylor’s 5-foot-8 frame to Patriots stars past and present, Garoppolo went for hyperbole, saying: “He’s more like a Randy Moss. No, he’s a really good player though.”
Taylor, in turn, thinks he and Garoppolo already have chemistry on route timing, adding: “The way he got it to me in stride, that’s something you love to see as a receiver. Looking forward to the years to come, you know you’ve got a playmaker back there who’s going to get it to you.”
3. HOPKINS VS. WITHERSPOON >> Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins poses the ultimate test for all 49ers cornerbacks, and rookie Ahkello Witherspoon is especially looking forward to his matchup.
“I like going against the best receivers, so this is my first opportunity to really go up against one who’s known and has been proven in this league,” Witherspoon said. “That’s what I’m really excited for.”
Hopkins already has 1,084 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Witherspoon,
a third-round draft pick, quietly has progressed through five starts.
In studying Hopkins, Witherspoon sees a physical receiver with aggressive hands who takes advantage when he’s given space off the line and will sell the vertical route to get open. Last Sunday, Hopkins had eight catches for 80 yards on 14 targets by Tom Savage, who threw for a careerhigh 365 yards.
4. SHANAHAN VS. VRABEL >>
Coaches this season continue to talk up Shanahan’s shrewd play-calling in his dual role of head coach and offensive coordinator. Having just defeated the Bears and former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, Shanahan now matches wits with Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel, a former Patriots linebacker, turned down the 49ers defensive coordinator job under Chip Kelly last year, ultimately getting promoted from Texans linebackers coach to defensive coordinator.
Could a head-coach opportunity be next for Vrabel as he’s battled to keep the Texans’ 20th-ranked defense afloat without injured stars J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus? “Obviously, I would entertain it, but right now we’re clearly focused on San Francisco, like everybody here,” Vrabel told the Houston Chronicle.
5. EARL MITCHELL HOMECOMING >> Having grown up in the Houston area and playing his first four seasons with the Texans, nose tackle Earl Mitchell is anticipating an emotional return in his first game at NRG Stadium since he left after 2013. “You try to stay in the same mind frame but it’s hard,” Mitchell said. “You have a lot of memories there, your first years of your career.”
His favorite memory was playing on the Texans firstever playoff team in 2011. “That was a great achievement,” Mitchell recalled. “It changed the dynamic for the city and their mindset. For the longest time, I had to convince people there was another team in Texas.”
Mitchell’s primary task this time will be to contain running back Lamar Miller, who is the only NFL player this season with at least 55 yards from scrimmage in every game.
This is also a homecoming of sorts for Shanahan and eight of his assistants who either coached or played for the Texans. That includes defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and special-teams coordinator Richard Hightower, the latter being a Houston native.
“Very down to earth people,” Shanahan said of Houstonians. “Great food out there. I miss the TexMex the most, and the queso.”