Changing fortunes, but not attitude
The last time things went south for Jimmy Garoppolo, a West was responsible.
On Dec. 13, 2013, in a quarterfinal playoff game, Towson running back Terrance West rushed for an FCS-record 356 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-39 win over Garoppolo and Eastern Illinois. In a season in which Garoppolo won the FCS equivalent of the Heisman Trophy by posting video-game numbers, he had, by his standards, an ordinary game: He threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns, and averaged a season-low 6.4 yards per attempt.
“That,” Garoppolo said, “was one of the toughest
games of my career, honestly.”
What’s the point of bringing this up? Well, Garoppolo’s last college game is also the last time he’s ever lost as a starting quarterback. And that means there’s something he’s yet to answer at the NFL level: How does he handle adversity?
His 6-0 record means that’s an unknown, but his 49ers coaches and teammates aren’t worried about his reaction to inevitable losses.
In fact, Garoppolo’s intangibles, which are of paramount importance at his position, have been as impressive as his on-field performance to his new coaches and teammates.
Left tackle Joe Staley, a Michigan native, has discovered something of a kindred spirit in his teammate from Arlington Heights, Ill. Staley’s biggest takeaway after two months with Garoppolo: He might have movie-star looks, but the son of an electrician and cook is not Hollywood.
“You see two games on film (with the Patriots) and you kind of expect what he’s going to be (as a player),” Staley said. “But you really can’t tell what type of person he is — I didn’t know how he was going to be as a human being. He’s a really high-character guy. He comes from a real salt-of-the-earth, blue-collar Midwest family. He’s just a good all-around dude. That’s one of the things that strikes you.”
Despite his new-guy status, Garoppolo has made the 49ers his team in eight weeks. That has plenty to do with the position he plays, and how well he’s played it: His 4-0 record after inheriting the starting role on a 1-10 team illustrates the importance of elite QBs in the NFL.
Still, his personality has also won over the 49ers.
“I think the same reason the players enjoy playing with him and playing for him are the same reasons I enjoy coaching him,” quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello said. “He’s just a really solid genuine individual with a real positive attitude. And who wouldn’t want to be around that?”
Perhaps no coach has spent more time with Garoppolo than Scangarello, who has served as his point man as he’s learned head coach Kyle Shanahan’s dense playbook. They spent much of the bye week together in mid-November when Garoppolo was about two weeks into his tenure.
At the time, Garoppolo’s life was sleeping and learning. And not much has changed.
“He was living in a hotel and now he’s got an apartment with just a bed in it,” Scangarello said. “He’s here as much as he can be. And we grind and have fun with it. I think Kyle appreciates it. I appreciate it. And it’s helped all of us form a relationship quickly that you need to be successful so that there’s trust.”
Garoppolo still hasn’t absorbed the entire offense, but his football knowledge has helped earn his teammates’ trust. Garoppolo wore a microphone during a 25-23 win over the Titans and could be heard instructing teammates on the sideline before the game-winning drive. After offering route-running suggestions to wide receivers Trent Taylor and Marquise Goodwin, he completed passes to them of 7 and 14 yards, respectively, to set up Robbie Gould’s walk-off field goal.
“He was probably born with that gift,” Scangarello said of Garoppolo’s leadership. “And people gravitate to him. That’s an exciting trait to have. You like to have that in your quarterback. I think the players feel that, the coaches feel it, and the organization feels it.”
Garoppolo insists he’s fully not aware of the Bay Area buzz he’s created by resuscitating a moribund franchise, although he acknowledges his family and friends have clued him in.
“I hear about it from people,” he said. “It’s cool to hear about, but we have a job on Sunday. And if you get caught up in all the noise, you’ll be distracted and have no chance.”
In the past month, Garoppolo has led two game-winning drives, directed a victory over the AFC South champion Jaguars and inspired his teammates to begin discussing their 2018 playoff chances on the heels of an 0-9 start in 2017.
Another impressive feat: He hasn’t changed along with the 49ers’ fortunes.
“He seems the same today being with him as he did (two months) ago when we got him,” Shanahan said. “I think that’s the key to everything. You find out a lot about people through adversity, but you also do through success.”
Garoppolo, whose last regular-season loss came against Northern Illinois on Sept. 21, 2013, is one of eight NFL quarterbacks since 1970 to win his first six starts.
This week, however, he referenced a background that wasn’t all about success and suggested it helped shape him. He was barely recruited out of high school, lost a playoff game in his final college start and spent his first three-plus seasons in the NFL as a backup.
“You learn things about yourself and how you bounce back from adversity,” Garoppolo said. “I’ve had plenty of it in my career. I’m sure it’ll happen (again) at some point.”