No. 1: The “Chip on the Shoulder” Factor
The No. 1 reason why Jimmy Garoppolo lives up to the hype in 2018 isn’t based off stats, analytics, scheme, supporting cast or anything like that. It’s more subjective.
Garoppolo tasted the spotlight late last season after spending his previous three-plus seasons living in Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s shadow. And depending on how much you believe from the Jan. 2018 story from ESPN’s Seth Wickersham on Brady, head coach Bill Belichick, owner Robert Kraft and the Pats’ own internal struggles — much of which centered on Garoppolo — it’s pretty easy to deduce why the former New England backup would have more than a few things to prove.
Garoppolo alluded to this when he spoke with Bleacher Report’s Joon Lee earlier this offseason, talking about how he felt he was better than Brady.
Even though this is the right mindset for any competitive athlete to have, there’s the inevitability some will take it the wrong way. And yet Garoppolo is now thrust into a position where he can actually prove to the NFL world if there are any truths to such a statement.
There are reasons to believe he can.
Current 49ers edge rusher Cassius Marsh, who spent the early part of 2017 with Garoppolo in New England before both found themselves in San Francisco, pointed out just how effective the quarterback was against the Patriots defense.
“I knew because I was with the Patriots and he would shred our defense every day,” Marsh detailed, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’d shred the first team every day, and it looked no different than when Tom (Brady) was on the field. He’s a much better athlete than Tom; he’s super disciplined and works hard. I’m very happy to have him as my quarterback.”
OK, so that’s a less-known pass-rusher’s sentiment on his now-teammate. One can take it with a grain of salt, but at least it’s testimony Garoppolo has done this sort of thing within the shadows before.
There won’t be any shadows over Garoppolo now, though, meaning NFL fans across the globe will see if the 49ers quarterback can put those defense-shredding abilities to use.
And excel at doing so.
