Garoppolo cleared for 49ers training camp
SANTA CLARA — The 49ers will have their franchise quarterback ready and available when the team takes the field for its practice over the weekend.
Jimmy Garoppolo took his mandatory physical Friday and was fully cleared following the left ACL tear suffered in a Week 3 loss at Kansas City last season.
“It’s officially official,” Garoppolo said. “I’m good to go . ... I’m really happy with where I’m at. I think (it was) a very successful summer. I got a lot done, just things we wanted to work on. It’s really coming together now. Now it’s time to roll.”
Garoppolo said he worked out with a number of his pass catchers over the past month since the team had its mandatory minicamp in mid June. He was limited to seven-on-seven drills throughout the offseason program and will have to re-adjust to being on the field with defensive linemen bearing down on him, even if they aren’t permitted to hit him during practice.
“I think all those things will just happen kind of naturally,” Garoppolo said. “In practice, we’ll
try to make it as game-like as possible. I think those moments, it’s a matter of time before they happen. When they do, I think we’ll approach it and see how it goes.”
Garoppolo spent some of the recent break in Los Angeles working with noted quarterback coach Tom House, who has worked in the past with Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Alex Smith and Matt Ryan.
“It was a really good session with him,” Garoppolo said, declining to offer specifics on areas of his game he worked on.
In terms of Garoppolo’s return to game action, coach Kyle Shanahan was noncommittal about a plan beyond the preseason opener Aug. 10 hosting the Dallas Cowboys. Garoppolo will sit out, then Shanahan will see how things go on the practice field before determining if Garoppolo will play in the following two exhibitions against the Denver Broncos and Chiefs, both on the road.
The 49ers will have two joint training camp practices in Denver before capping Week 2 of the preseason with a Monday night game Aug. 19. Garoppolo indicated those practices could be more valuable than preseason game action.
“Those practices, they get heated now, a little more than preseason games in general do,” he said. “I love that stuff, especially when you get three or four days against a team and you really get to compete against each other. That’s the fun part of this. Training camp can get tough at times. You’re going against the same defense day after day, then to get a little break, a change up, and get to hit someone else. That’s always a good thing.”