Garoppolo’s injury led to Bosa, big turnaround

SANTA CLARA >> As Jimmy Garoppolo stepped off the media stage, Nick Bosa walked onto it, and that succession perfectly symbolized the flashpoint to the 49ers’ 2019 turnaround.

The Garoppolo-Bosa connection is a driving factor why the 49ers are playing Sunday for the NFC Championship trophy, which glistened on display next to the media podium between the 49ers’ and Green Bay Packers’ helmets.

A national reporter bluntly outlined it for Garoppolo on Wednesday: The star quarterback’s season-ending knee injury in Week 3 of 2018 sparked the 49ers’ freefall to a 4-12 record, which, in turn, set them up to draft Bosa with the No. 2 overall pick.

“Things have a way of working out,” Garoppolo responded. “I always told myself it was a blessing in disguise. We got Bosa out of it, so that’s a pretty good tradeoff, I guess.”

Bosa, next on the podium, recalled how delighted he was to join

the 49ers after the Arizona Cardinals passed on him. Bosa envisioned as an immediate contender by, as he said, “just being a football fan last year and knowing what kind of players they had on the roster. I didn’t know to what extent how good the depth was, but I knew of the top teams picking, I knew this was the most playoff-ready team.”

Bosa helped turn the 49ers’ defensive line into their most feared unit, and after racking up nine sacks in a rookie-of-the-year worthy regular season, he produced two of the 49ers’ six sacks in Saturday’s playoff-opening win over Minnesota.

“Bosa has definitely been a difference-maker,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I’m very glad we have him. I don’t wish 4-12 on anybody, but after going through it, it was nice what it brought us.”

Garoppolo rebounded so well from his knee reconstruction that he’s started every game, played an overlooked role in securing the No. 1 seed and raised his overall record to 20-5 as the 49ers’ starter since December 2017.

Asked by a national reporter why Garoppolo does not get enough acclaim, Shanahan had a simple explanation: Garoppolo is fueled off wins, not how much he passes to key those victories.

“That’s just how this world works. You’ll get credit if you win a Super Bowl or MVP,” Shanahan said. “We ran the ball last week so people will

say Jimmy didn’t throw the ball enough. We don’t have to win a game a certain way. I know Jimmy doesn’t care how we win it. A lot say it doesn’t bother him but I promise it doesn’t bother him. I’ve never had to call him in to talk about it.”

Garoppolo echoed that sentiment, saying: “As long as we win, I’m pretty happy. As long as we win.”

• Defensive end Dee Ford suited up and stretched before practice, then retreated to a side field with a trainer to do individual conditioning. Don’t be alarmed. He did not have a setback from his 22-snap return last Saturday after missing most of the previous six games with a hamstring injury.

Ford had one of the 49ers’ six sacks in their 2710 win over the Minnesota Vikings. “His get-off on the edge opens up a lot of spots for everybody else and himself,” Shanahan said. “Dee Ford is explosive and knows how to get to the quarterback. The more he’s out there, whether he gets the stats or not, it helps everyone else.”

Running backs Tevin Coleman (elbow) and Raheem Mostert (calf) practiced in full, and linebacker Kwon Alexander (pectoral) remains limited after playing his first game since Oct.

31.

• As for Garoppolo’s counterpart, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Shanahan said: “There’s probably not anybody on the planet who throws better than him.”

Garoppolo said a lot impresses him about Rodgers: “The way he processes information quickly, the way he can scramble and

make throws on the run. I love watching his film. It’s impressive. He’s done it at such a high level for a long time, you have to tip your hat to him.”

• The 49ers are in the championship game for the 16th time, having gone 6-9 previously and winning their last entry, in the 2012 season.

Three years removed from the media hoopla of a Super Bowl run with the Atlanta Falcons, Shanahan downplayed the props at Wednesday’s press conference: “I know by this (NFC Championship) background and these helmets next to me, there’s a lot more dog and pony show and stuff, but hopefully our players know it’s just Wednesday, like it’s been all year.”

• Shanahan and several players remarked how the team’s widespread love of each other is a key factor in their success. They style in which they play, meanwhile, is something Shanahan has long tried to mimic from the Warriors’ recent NBA championship runs.

“I’ve always been a fan of them, and even before I got here just watching how they play,” Shanahan said. “I remember saying even in Atlanta when we were there (in 2015-16), ‘I want our receiver group to be similar to the Warriors to where, who knows who the starter is, they all play.’ Andre Iguodala, I think, wasn’t the starter and was the NBA championship MVP.

“You’ve got an MVP, you’ve got a defensive MVP, you’ve just got guys who seem not to really care how it gets done and just go out there and ball, and see where the defensive weakness

is and wherever that ends up, that guy shoots.”

• Wide receiver Jake Kumerow is cousins with Bosa, and even though Kumerow is five years older, both just enjoyed their first full regular seasons. Kumerow spent 201518 bouncing between practice squads with the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots and Packers, and most of last season was on injured reserve.

How did he shape Bosa’ development, aside from catching fish off a dock when Kumerow visited the Bosa family in Florida? “Not much,” Bosa said. “He’s a great friend. We grew up together. He lived in Chicago. We would visit and just have really good times together. I wouldn’t say he was a mentor to me or anything because I had my brother and my dad for that.”

Kumerow has just 12 receptions for 219 and a touchdown in 14 games and four starts this season.

• New Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is targeting 49ers assistant Joe Woods as a prospective defensive coordinator, according to NFL insider Jim Trotter.

Woods, 49, is concluding his first season with the 49ers as defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator. He has experience as a defensive coordinator having served in that capacity with the Denver Broncos in 2017-18.

Stefanski and Woods ought to know each other well, having worked together with the Vikings from 2006-13, Stefanski on the offensive side of the ball and Woods in charge of defensive backs.