49ers not concerned by Garcon’s quiet start
Some players perform better in practices than games.
Pierre Garcon is not one of those players.
Early in training camp, when Garcon was largely invisible, his lack of involvement during practices prompted a logical question: Was this the start of a sad final chapter for a 32-yearold wide receiver who missed the final eight games of 2017 with a neck injury?
On Aug. 5, after the 49ers’ eighth practice of camp, head coach Kyle Shanahan brushed aside any concerns.
“I don’t worry too much about Pierre,” Shanahan said. “… We know who Pierre is. We know what he brings to the table. I know what he will be on Sunday.”
In the three-plus weeks since Shanahan’s nothing-to-see-here statement, Garcon slowly has shown signs he’s ready for his 11th NFL season. And on Sunday, a day after Garcon had two
catches for 62 yards in a preseason loss at Indianapolis, Shanahan was asked if Garcon’s relatively silent summer had progressed as expected.
“This year, he looks like the exact same guy as he was last year,” Shanahan said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in Pierre. Pierre is a guy who you always know he is going to show up on Sunday.”
Shanahan knows Garcon better than most. Shanahan was Garcon’s offensive coordinator from 2012 through ’13 in Washington, and Garcon posted career highs in catches (113) and yards (1,346) in their final season together. Last year, after Garcon signed a five-year deal with $17 million fully guaranteed, he was on pace for an 80-catch, 1,000-yard season before his year ended in Week 8 because of a hairline fracture in his neck.
Garcon says his neck is not an issue. Shanahan has suggested the perceived issue of Garcon not being overly impressive in practice has something to do with his style of play. General manager John Lynch has said Garcon “plays angry” and Shanahan has termed him a “bulldog.” And the feistiness that has allowed Garcon to rank sixth among active players in career receptions (604) isn’t fully unleashed until he’s in a game.
“He’s one of the toughest football players I’ve been around,” Shanahan said. “You can really feel his value on game days the most . ... I know when we do need Pierre, he’s always ready to go.”
Shanahan has said the 49ers won’t have to lean so heavily on Garcon as they did in the first half of last season. In 2017, after Garcon was placed on injured reserve, the wide receivers, tight ends and running backs on the 49ers’ roster had combined for 334 career catches, 270 fewer than Garcon.
This year, wide receiver Marquise Goodwin is coming off a breakout season, and wide receiver Trent Taylor and tight end George Kittle are a year removed from strong rookie performances. In addition, pass-catching running back Jerick McKinnon was added in free agency and rookie wide receiver Dante Pettis was added with a second-round pick.
“We’ve got more options this year,” Shanahan said. “… I’m looking forward to this year. Hopefully, we don’t have to put all that pressure on Pierre like we did early last year.”
Garcon might be the “same guy” to Shanahan, but it’s possible he has been replaced by Goodwin as the go-to guy in the 49ers’ offense. Last year, with Garcon was sidelined, Goodwin had 29 catches for 384 yards in the five games quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo started.
Garoppolo and Goodwin picked up where they left off in training camp, while Garcon was flying under the radar.
It’s likely Garcon’s lack of familiarity with Garoppolo, who was traded to the 49ers last year three days before Garcon was placed on injured reserve, has been another factor in his quiet offseason.
On Saturday, after the loss in Indianapolis, Garoppolo said he and Garcon gradually have become “more connected” this summer. And their relationship has developed to the point where Garoppolo has learned this about Garcon: He can be counted on when it counts.
“He’s a gamer, man,” Garoppolo said. “He comes out here and he’s ready to roll. He doesn’t say much on the sideline, but you know he’s ready to roll. I like that.” Adding a running back? The 49ers plan to sign former Humboldt State running back Ja’Quan Gardner to play in their preseason finale Thursday against the Chargers, NBC Bay Area reported. Gardner, who took part in their rookie minicamp on a tryout basis in May, will be signed if he passes a physical. He rushed for 4,825 yards and 62 touchdowns in his final three college seasons.