Who said it better: Garoppolo or Lance when it comes to cadence?
SANTACLARA>> Teammates say Jimmy Garoppolo has an edge on Trey Lance, at least from the sound of it, literally.
Garoppolo’s cadence — when he shouts words, numbers, and adjustments before a snap — has been elite and even called “sexy” since he debuted as the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback in December 2017. Sounds great, baby. So what about Lance, Garoppolo’s eventual successor as the No. 3 overall draft pick?
Sounds too much like a soft-spoken, 21-year-old baby?
“Trey’s still working on it. His cadence is a little bit off or different but we’re definitely getting it down,” right guard Daniel Brunskill.
Brunskill cut Lance some slack, adding: “For how much that kid’s had on his plate and what he’s done out there, I mean he’s doing a great job. He’s continuing to improve every time.”
Lance, indeed, has worked on correcting cadence issues that botched plays at the start of training camp.
Garoppolo has never been a loudmouth. Except when it counts.
At the 49ers’ 2019 State of the Franchise event, Joe Staley prompted Garoppolo on stage to share his “velvety smooth voice,” and Garoppolo obliged with “1-18, 1-18, Set, Hut!” Staley’s response: “With that cadence, we’re all coming off the ball firing on all cylinders.” A day earlier, Kittle simply described it as a “sexy cadence.”
It’s only gotten, well, stronger.
“Jimmy’s cadence is more pronounced,” Brunskill said in comparing Garoppolo’s voice to Lance’s. “He’s been in the league a long time, so he has that real, deep voice. He’s very loud and straightforward with his cadence. You know it.”
At a June 2018 minicamp, Garoppolo chastised himself for cadence issues, stating: “It’s all on the quarterback. I’m the one doing the cadence. I have to make sure me and all the quarterbacks are saying it the same way, sounding similar and getting everyone on the same page.”
Switching up cadence with various voice inflections can trigger defenses to jump offside and yield free plays.
Last year, with fans not allowed at most games because of COVID precautions, offenses and quarterbacks’ cadence could take greater advantage of there being no crowd noise.
Some road venues command a silent cadence, such as Seattle and New Orleans. The Lions’ Ford Field is indoors so noise concerns exist, but they also could amid the Eagles’ vocal crowd at the outdoor Lincoln Financial Field.
Added Brunskill: “With Jimmy and how loud he is, it makes it easy, because we can go on a road game and use our normal cadence, so that’s huge for us.”
Of course, a bigger concern heading into next Sunday’s season opener at Detroit is Lance’s right index finger, in which he sustained a chip fracture in the preseason finale and subsequently didn’t throw a ball in this week’s practices.
A quarterback’s velocity — not voice — is what matters more to some.
“We’re not listening for the cadence,” Mohamed Sanu said of he and fellow receivers. “We’re out on an island. We look at the ball and as soon as it’s snapped we take off.
“You’ve just got to know who’s back there and be ready to make a play.”
Sounds easy enough.