Jimmy Garoppolo Throwing Interceptions In Camp Is A Good Thing, According To Kyle Shanahan
Jimmy Garoppolo has thrown several interceptions in the San Francisco 49ers fall camp so far, but his head coach insists that’s not a bad thing, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports wrote on Saturday. Kyle Shanahan told the assembled media after practice that it’s actually a good thing that his starting quarterback has had some turnover problems in the early going.
Garoppolo has thrown an interception to Richard Sherman two days in a row. Still, Shanahan would rather his quarterback be doing that now than later in the year. Chan pointed out that Garoppolo threw five picks a year ago and then led the 49ers to the Super Bowl. The club is expected to get back there this winter, and they’re going to need their starting signal-caller to get them there.
San Fran’s head coach pointed out that people thought Garoppolo’s turnovers in practice were going to be the death of the squad in 2019. He noted their success instead, while also saying that players gain experience from their mistakes. He added he’d rather they make costly errors now instead of during a game. In camp, it’s much easier to correct the mistakes because there isn’t the emotion tied to them that exists in a real game that counts.
He went on to say that he enjoys coaching through the problems that players like Garoppolo have this time of year. He told the collected media that is his job, first and foremost. He said he understands that when he catches errors now, the team can get better and stop doing them when it matters most.
He added that the interceptions by Sherman showed the defensive back is at the top of his game and playing well so far this summer.
“If you sail one over, or looking too long, knowing where he is, Sherm is going to follow your eyes and come out of nowhere,” he said. “And that’s happened twice in last two days. It’s great to remind them you got to work on your eyes here.”
Despite the encouraging words from his mentor, Garoppolo’s throwing issues have been a concern for 49ers fans well before this weekend. Despite throwing for over 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2019, he also threw the ball to the other team 13 times in the regular season.
He also had two costly turnovers in the Super Bowl. His struggles late in the contest against the Kansas City Chiefs helped his counterpart, Patrick Mahomes, lead his squad on a comeback to win the championship.
