SANTA CLARA, Calif. — If you’re still waiting for Kyle Shanahan to announce Jimmy Garoppolo as the 49ers’ season-opening starter, the coach refers the court to his July 27 testimony.
“I’m not going to answer that, because I feel all you guys have to do is look how I’ve talked since July 27 at my (camp-opening) press conference,” Shanahan said Wednesday, four days before the 49ers open at the Detroit Lions.
“I almost wish I wasn’t being hardheaded with it but I feel you guys are being hardheaded by keep asking. I feel I’ve already answered it, so I’ll keep it at that.”
Back on July 27, Shanahan stated that Garoppolo is “coming in as the one and Trey’s coming in as the two.”
Lance’s availability as Garoppolo’s backup remains in question, however, at least for Sunday’s opener, because of a right index finger that kept Lance from throwing a football the past 10 days.
Other injuries impacting Week 1: wide receiver Jalen Hurd (knee, likely going on injured reserve), cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (knee) and defensive linemen Javon Kinlaw (knee) and Kevin Givens (hip).
Despite Lance’s flashy plays in practice and the preseason, he never fully threatened Garoppolo’s starting-job security, though a transition is expected at some point this season or next year because of Lance’s acquisition with the No. 3 overall draft pick.
“I never said they were competing. I said whenever one guy gives us a better chance to win, we’ll never hesitate to make that decision,” Shanahan said.
“When you look at a rookie quarterback, I don’t think anything’s been consistent,” Shanahan added. “It’s been up and down, some good, some bad. It’s also exactly what you expect to.”
Surrounding Garoppolo (and Lance) is potentially the best supporting cast — and a finally healthy one — in coach Kyle Shanahan’s tenure. Not only is Garoppolo (ankle) coming back from an injury-plagued 2020, so are George Kittle (knee, foot), Raheem Mostert (knee, ankle), Deebo Samuel (hamstring) and Brandon Aiyuk, who missed time with COVID and ankle issues last season and currently looks OK after hamstring tightness last month.
This season-opening assignment for Garoppolo didn’t seem like such a lock after a stressful offseason, in which the 49ers looked at other quarterbacks (see: Matthew Stafford, Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers) before even drafting Lance.
Echoing what Shanahan said, wide receiver Deebo Samuel noted that Garoppolo has looked on top of his game since organized team activities in spring.
“Jimmy came back with more oomph to him and it carried over to camp,” Samuel said. “You can tell when he calls the plays and the energy in the huddle.”
Garoppolo has answered Week 1 challenges before, such as starting in 2016 in place of a suspended Tom Brady for the New England Patriots, and being ready for the entire 2019 haul after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament the previous season.
Garoppolo’s injury history isn’t all that prompted the 49ers to draft Lance. Yes, a 24-9 overall record as the 49ers’ starter is impressive, but there’ve been hiccups even when he’s healthy, including in two of the past three season openers.
Here is how Garoppolo has fared in Week 1 starts:
2016: New England at Arizona
Win, 23-21
Stats: 24-of-33, 264 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, 2 sacks
2018: 49ers at Minnesota
Loss, 24-16
Stats: 15-of-33, 261 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions, 3 sacks
2019: 49ers at Tampa Bay
Win, 31-17
Stats: 18-of-27, 166 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 1 sack
2020: 49ers vs. Arizona
Loss, 24-20
Stats: 19-of-33, 259 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 3 sacks
Overall, Garoppolo has a 60.3 completion percentage as a season-opening starter with an 83.8 passer rating. Those numbers are below his average over 48 career regular-season games: 67.5 completion percentage, 98.9 passer rating.
