Garoppolo without knee brace
QB hasn’t been wearing support that he wore during SB run
Jimmy Garoppolo’s trusty knee brace preserved his comeback last season on the 49ers’ Super Bowl path.
So far this training camp, no brace.
Now, keep in mind that the 49ers have only done walk-through workouts and conditioning exercises since last week, and that full team practices don’t begin until this weekend, with pads going on Monday.
“You see he’s not wearing a brace, so that’s the biggest thing that stands out to me,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said Tuesday. “As an athlete, when you don’t have to think about something and it’s not in the back of your mind or weighing on you, it relieves so much stress and you’re able to play so much more freely.
“If he’s not thinking about that knee, it’s going to be a huge advantage from him.”
Garoppolo said last week his knee is “night and day” compared to last year’s training camp.
After tearing his anterior cruciate ligament three games into the 2018 season, Garoppolo returned to start every game last season and take every meaningful snap while passing for 3,978 yards, fourth-most in 49ers history.
“This time last year, it was more so getting back into being in a live pocket, having live bullets flying around me and getting used to that,” Garoppolo said. “So, we’re past that. I haven’t really thought about it in a long time.”
Added Juszczyk: “When you don’t have to think about that stuff, you can go turn it loose.”
Garoppolo’s knee brace spared him from any damage on two scary hits in the playoffs, one against the Minnesota Vikings and then one in the NFC Championship Game that resulted in a roughing penalty on Green Bay Packers lineman Kenny Clark.
When the 49ers began their 2019 offseason program, Garoppolo weighed in with his early impression on his knee brace and perhaps forecast his longrange plans for it: “I wore one initially as a rookie in the NFL, and then I kind of got away from it. I think this year (2019), it’s a certainty, but we’ll see how it goes down the road.”
New left tackle Trent Williams, who will be protecting Garoppolo’s blind side, likes what he’s seen from his quarterback.
“He’s probably the hottest thing walking around the Bay Area,” Williams said. “He is a very laidback, welcoming guy. I can’t wait to get started.”