Garoppolo misses out on comeback player award
SANTA CLARA >> Jimmy Garoppolo quarterbacked the 49ers to the No. 1 seed and into Sunday’s NFC Championship Game amid a career-best year, all while starting every game coming off knee reconstruction. That was not enough to win him the Comeback Player of Year award from the Pro Football Writers of America.
Instead, that honor went to a quarterback on the team with the NFL’s rushing leader. Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill not only won the PFWA’s Comeback Player of the Year but also the award he more deserves, Most Improved Player of Year.
The Associated Press’ Comeback Player of the Year award will be unveiled with others at the
NFL Honors show on Feb. 1, the night before Super Bowl LIV in Miami. Bryant Young (1999) and Garrison Hearst (2001) previously won that award with the 49ers.
“It’s crazy to look back on it,” Garoppolo said Thursday about his season. “Just watching tape and things like that, you see clips from October or whatever, it seems like a lifetime ago. Yeah, it’s been a whirlwind of a season, especially just personally coming back from the ACL and everything.
“But, it’s a great group of guys to go to battle with, and I wouldn’t ask for anyone else.”
Tannehill missed the Miami Dolphins’ final five games of the 2018 season with a shoulder injury. Traded to the Titans in March, he replaced Marcus Mariota as their starter after a 2-4 start. Then the Titans, with a great assist from NFL rushing king Derrick Henry, went 7-3 in their push to the AFC playoffs, and they next play Sunday for the conference championship at Kansas City.
Tannehill led the league in averaging 9.6 yards per attempt and with a 117.5 passer rating the fourthhighest in NFL history. He and former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna are the only players to win the PFWA’s Comeback Player of the Year and Most Improved Player awards in a season since 2000.
Earlier this week, 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa won the PFWA’s Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, and general manager John Lynch won Executive of the Year.
• Nick Bosa scanned the 49ers locker room and liked what he saw in terms of a full-squad availability for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
“It feels amazing having everyone around on the practice field,” Bosa said. “Having Dee (Ford) on the D-line, and obviously Kwon (Alexander), just his energy makes me happy to see him happy on the field. (Jaquiski) Tartt, everyone forgets to mention Tartt, but Tart’s a huge part of our defense, in the run game as a safety and in coverage.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan had no new injuries to report and everyone “is full go” for the 49ers, including tight end George Kittle, who missed Wednesday’s practice with ankle soreness.
Only Alexander was limited in Friday’s practice. He played 25 of 46 snaps last game, his first action since an Oct. 31 pectoral tear.
The Packers listed only fullback Dan Vitale (knee) as questionable.
• Ford lined up in this position before, one win from the Super Bowl.
“It’s a special situation. I’m blessed,” Ford said at his 49ers locker. “I’m looking forward to better results.”
Last year’s results were career altering. Because Ford lined up offside in the AFC Championship Game, that penalty wiped out a last-minute interception and allowed Tom Brady to rally the New England Patriots past the host Kansas City Chiefs.
Losing to the Patriots 37-31 in overtime ranks “up there” in Ford’s toughest losses to swallow. He held himself immediately accountable for his offside penalty.
Ford hasn’t been penalized once for lining up or jumping offside this season in 226 regular-season snaps, plus the 22 snaps he played in Saturday’s 27-10 divisional-playoff win over the Vikings.
• Kyle Shanahan and Mike Pettine have a history. Shanahan served as Pettine’s offensive coordinator for one season in Cleveland. When it was over, he reportedly gave Pettine a list of 32 reasons why he wanted to quit. On Sunday, they’ll face off with Shanahan as the head coach and Pettine on the other side, as defensive coordinator for the Packers.
This week, a video clip resurfaced of an interaction on the sideline between the two during that 2014 season with the Browns that may, to the outside observer, seem to show strain among the coaching staff.
Shanahan, when asked about it Friday, remembered it differently.
“I think that shows how cool of a guy Mike was and is,” Shanahan said.
It was a Week 8 game against the winless Oakland Raiders. Yet, at the start of the fourth quarter, Pettine and Shanahan’s Browns had failed to score a touchdown and clung to only a three-point lead. A fumble recovery gave them the ball at midfield and a couple quick passes from Brian Hoyer got the Browns inside the 5-yard line.
“This is our chance now to go up two scores,” Pettine says in the clip.
He wanted to switch it up and run the ball.
Shanahan’s face says it all.
“You know what, I trust you,” Pettine says after what feels like an incredulous look from his offensive coordinator. “Call your best play.”
So Shanahan dialed up a bootleg for Hoyer, who rolled out and hit Andrew Hawkins for the score. Cleveland went on to win that game 23-13.
• Garoppolo is not wearing around the two Super Bowl rings he won as the New England Patriots’ backup to Tom Brady. Garoppolo won his postseason starting debut primarily by handing off the ball 47 times. He completed 11of-19 passes for 131 yards with a touchdown and an interception. In the Nov. 24 rout of Green Bay, he was 14 of 20 for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
Shanahan reiterated Friday that Garoppolo evokes the same leadership since the day he arrived in an Oct. 31, 2017, trade.
Said wide receiver Deebo Samuel: “I’ve never seen Jimmy upset. He’s an energetic guy and the leader of the offense. He brings great energy to the team. It’s not like he’s slinging helmets. If we have a quick, threeand-out (series), he’ll go down the sideline, ‘Come on, let’s get ready for the next drive.’ It’s a good boost for us.”
• Lost in the hoopla of Saturday’s playoff-opening win was defensive tackle Solomon Thomas’ production. In just 14 snaps as a backup defensive tackle, Thomas produced a sack, two tackles for loss and much more. “Solomon goes as hard as he can on every play. He’s running around and he caused a lot of havoc in that game,” Shanahan said. “I know when you watch the tape he’s moving around, he’s picking people off and when he isn’t, he’s making some plays and he was very active.”
• Beathard, only three weeks removed from the death of his brother, Clay, earned scout-team player-of-the week honors for imitating Aaron Rodgers. Beathard focused on “quick, cool stuff throwing the ball” in a Packers scheme that is similar to the 49ers’.