Jimmy Garoppolo is cleared for full practice, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to get the full football experience in practice. In fact, rookie defensive end Nick Bosa told media members after Monday’s practice that he’d rather hurt himself avoiding hitting the quarterback than hitting him.
“I’ll dive out of the way and hurt myself before I touch him,” Bosa said according to Cam Inman of the Mercury News.
That sounds extreme, but it’s probably the mindset the coaching staff wants defensive players to have when it comes to not getting near the quarterback – especially a quarterback fresh off a surgically repaired ACL.
Garoppolo has full clearance to practice in 11-on-11s and is wearing a knee brace. That doesn’t absolve defensive linemen of the responsibility of not putting the quarterback in danger.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about a play where defensive end Dee Ford wound up around Garoppolo’s knees and said he didn’t see the play, but would likely be bothered by it on tape.
The 49ers need to stay healthy on both sides of the ball, especially when it comes to their edge rushers. Bosa was the No. 2 overall pick and expects to make a big impact as a rookie. Anyone getting hurt would be bad news for San Francisco, so hopefully for them Bosa is never in a position where he has to make that choice.
