@Bryan Danielson
Ranked tier 3, number 17 right behind Kyler, Cousins, and Goff
17.) Jimmy Garoppolo
Tier 2 Votes: 12 | Tier 3 votes: 37 | Tier 4 votes: 1 |
2019 Tier: 3
Winning is the No. 1 goal, of course, but the manner in which the 49ers won this past season — with an elite defense and a dynamic offensive play-caller who minimized his quarterback at every opportunity, including famously in the Super Bowl — hurt Garoppolo among voters. The run-heavy system coach Kyle Shanahan runs is ideally suited for protecting the Tier 3 quarterback, which might be one reason why Cousins, the alleged “poster child” for the third tier, was a player the 49ers thought they could win with before Garoppolo became available.
“Garoppolo had a good season,” a coach from a rival NFC West team said. “I don’t know why people have a hard time giving him props. I think he is what he is and it’s OK. Not everybody is Aaron Rodgers. We haven’t given out a bunch of ones this year. Can he strap it on his back and win it if he has to? I don’t know if he is that, either. They had such a dynamic run game, he kind of hid in behind that. I think he’s a three and he’s gotta prove it. Last year was his first full year of doing it. That is a good start.”
The 49ers have a 19-5 record when Garoppolo starts. Pro Football Reference credited Garoppolo with four fourth-quarter comeback victories last season. No quarterback had more.
“He’s good, not great,” an exec said. “He does some good things with a good cast. You worry about the deep ball, the consistent accuracy, but he’s not bad. Just when you think he is going to be a two, he does something and you are like, ‘Damn.’ Even in the playoff game against Minnesota, he wasn’t very good. He got lucky a few times and they just ran the ball, played good defense.”
A veteran offensive coordinator said Garoppolo “truly is the closest thing to Cousins” and “a product of what they do” offensively.
“Super Bowl quarterback, he is doing something right,” a head coach said. “When he gets going, he is not bad. You can kind of tell what the coach is thinking with some of his calls.”
