Jimmy Garoppolo said he feels confident that he will be able to play on Sunday vs. the Texans.
We all saw how the injury affected his throws after the injury. I hope this is a joke.
The postseason is a year away. Win or lose the only thing they're playing for today is pride. Another opportunity to advertise your wo...
If he does play, which is going to piss a lot of people off, what does it say about Lance's development. Is it as 49reasons suggest or is a bad selection in the draft? Personally, I think Lance is just plain "raw" and has a much larger learning curve then most other rookie QB's.
ReplyDeleteIs JG a better QB with a bum thumb than Lance is?
If JG plays with that injury over Lance, time to start having some serious doubts about the Lance pick. Even raw, he should by now be at a point you at least can install a game plan around him you feel confident he can execute, if he's as talented as advertised.
Delete
DeleteMatt Maiocco
@MaioccoNBCS
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1h
The #49ers announced they have signed QB Tyler Bray, LB Mark Nzeocha and P Colby Wadman to the practice squad.
Tells me it was a joke. Jimmy ain't playing!
I suffered the same injury tackling this guy. I was 15 at the time and was placed into a cast. We were not allowed to play with a cast on, I removed it after six days and finished the season. The thumb seems fine 55 years after the incident.
DeleteI highly doubt he plays, but also doubt it is entirely mind games. I suspect Shanahan does want him to play if he's able to.
DeleteScooter
Delete"if he's as talented as advertised." "IF" That's the question it raises! And Who advertised it?
We know KS advertised it, and JL rubber stamped it! And if he's NOT as talented as advertised, does that not call into question KS competence to A) evaluate a QB draft candidate? B) to develop the rookie QB after drafting him? And C) The competence of both KS and JL for trading 3 1St Rd and a 3Rd draft pick for a backup QB that after nearly a full season, is incapable of replacing an injured JG?
UC raises the question,"Is JG a better QB with a bum thumb than Lance is?"
If KS starts JG against the Texans, that's what we're going to find out! And if JG is responsible for the 9ers losing, it "is going to piss a lot of people off"
and that will be a colossal understatement, especially if they also lose to the Rams and miss the playoffs.
The first thing that jumped out to me is Lance's throwing motion is much more tight and compact.
DeleteGEEP, if Shanahan starts JG and his thumb injury over Lance this week, and JG plays poorly, Shanahan will be inviting all of those questions this offseason. It will make for a lot of criticism and skepticism heading into 2022. Basically, if JG plays, they have to win and JG has to at least be effective.
DeleteIf Lance plays poorly it tempers some enthusiasm heading into next year, but at least it can be explained as being a rookie.
Imo it will be a big risk for Shanahan playing JG this week.
Let me just add to the confounding way in which Kyle is handling this entire situation by reminding everyone that, despite the fact that the Houston Texans are coming off of a win, they are currently ranked dead last offensively (32nd), and almost dead last defensively (30th). On top of that, the Texans also have a rookie QB who wasn't drafted in the top 3, or even the first round.
DeleteHow in the world does Kyle Shanahan think that this is the way to handle this situation? I understand there is a competitive advantage to keeping a team guessing about your QB, especially when your two potential starting QB's have such glaringly different skill sets. What I don't understand is how this competitive advantage outweighs the way in which this looks from an outsiders perspective.
We've been led to believe that Trey Lance is the future. After all, the 49ers used a franchise record amount of draft capitol in order to get him. We've also been told that Trey Lance is developing nicely behind the scenes. We've been told that he has made big strides recently, and is playing his best football.
So then how could it be possible that a Grade 3 UC Ligament Sprain on the OPOSABLE thumb of a QB's throwing hand, which, according to SportMed, is consider the MOST SEVERE, and is described as: "A complete tear of the ligament resulting in severe pain, extensive bleeding, and swelling. The athlete is usually unable to bear weight on the limb. There may be a feeling of complete dislocation, even though that may not have happened" .... isn't enough of an injury for Kyle to show confidence in his prized rookie?
How does Kyle not understand how bad this looks?
Why wouldn't Kyle take this opportunity to show confidence in Trey Lance, and act like this team can be a very dangerous team heading into the postseason, even with the highly touted rookie QB at the helm? Wouldn't that give his team a much stronger psychological edge than looking like he's desperate NOT to play his prized rookie, heading into the postseason?
Let me just say this one more time - despite having minored in human development - I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE WAY KYLE SHANAHAN'S BRAIN WORKS ... AT ALL, and I have come to the conclusion that I likely never will!
And how does acting desperate NOT to play Trey Lance in this situation do anything other than HURT Trey's confidence? Jimmy Garoppolo has a COMPLETE TEAR of his Ulnar Collateral Ligament in his throwing hand, but somehow even this type of severe injury, which already likely cost the 49ers an important prime time game. Yet, even this isn't enough for Kyle to confidently turn to his rookie QB (who is the backup QB BTW), despite the fact that he's been working diligently to improve his craft for months!
DeleteThis is exactly what I am talking about when I say that a rookie's confidence, IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR to consider. Trey is a human being, after all! He may be a professional athlete, but he's still young and impressionable. I am sure there is some emotional fragility with Trey, just like there is for most normal young people of his age.
This is something Kyle apparently never learned, and it just might be his biggest weakness as a HC. Either that, or he does understand it, he's just too emotionally immature to control himself. Maybe he thinks he's somehow protecting the young rookie, but what he doesn't realize is that, from a psychological perspective, this is almost certainly having the opposite effect on Trey Lance, and by extension the rest of the team!
And for me, I find it absolutely maddening, and I am at my wits end with Kyle Shanahan at this point!
Scooter, I am so upset with the way Kyle is handling this, I am about to start talking about Mac Jones again, LOL!
Delete"If Lance plays poorly it tempers some enthusiasm heading into next year, but at least it can be explained as being a rookie."
Delete100% spot on, Scooter, although I do think Kyle would deserve scrutiny if Trey plays poorly, especially if it doesn't look like he's improved much since his first start, where he was basically used like a glorified power RB!
Don't you agree?
There really isn't a lot of time for working on your craft during the season, or training up a single guy. It's almost entirely game plan related. So if Lance isn't much better than when we saw him last I don't see that as indictment on the coaching per se.
DeleteThe main thing is he should now be more across the playbook, and they should be able to run a more expansive set of plays than in his first start. So if it is just a really limited playset and lots of QB power again, I would be worried.
Sorry, that's what I meant by glorified power-back. Here's my list of expected improvements:
Delete1) The breadth of the playbook should be much more expansive
2) A better understanding of where to go with the football, at least with his initial reads
3) Trey should be displaying more touch on his passes, especially the shorter throws
4) Trey should be more adept at being able to audible in and out of certain plays
5) A tighter, more refined throwing motion
There are obviously plenty of aspects of NFL quarterbacking development that still require actual in-game experience, like identifying disguised blitzing defenders, feeling pocket pressure, quick-decisive decision making, cadence, reading exotic coverage schemes, etc.
1 and 2, sure. 4, maybe, though that is more something that comes with experience than getting across the playbook. 3 and 5, as I said before, hard to work on skills during the season. I don't expect a significant change. If there is an improvement in 3 it will largely just be a confidence and timing thing, more than a change in skill, as I think the main reason every throw was a bullet previously was due to being a bit tight, a bit amped, and a bit late on some reads.
DeleteIf Kyle doesn't think Lance is ready and Trey doesn't give SF as much of a chance to win against this team. Especially so, given Jimmy can't effectively grip the ball and the game plan should be to minimize the qb. Then yes, its a bad look for Trey.
DeleteIf on the other hand, Kyle is simply making the Texans dedicate time to practicing and game planning against Jimmy as well as Trey, then that makes sense. He doesn't owe the fans or media any info regarding this. It doesn't hurt Trey or Jimmy, as he can easily have an internal conversation with them and that doesn't need to be told to anyone outside of the organization.
As for realistic expectations. While he should know the plays at the start of the season, as 49 mention above, understanding his read progressions based on the defensive looks should be something that has improved. As should his presnap reads... but we as fans will not be able to see this.
As to his touch and throwing motion, I don't see that improving during the season as Scooter mentioned. In truth, I am not sure if we will see it at all. This will depend somewhat on Kyle's philosophy regarding throwing mechanics. If his is like Harbaugh... "You throw, how you throw." Then it's unlikely Trey will work on that, even in the offseason. If Kyle, wants his mechanics tinkered with but he cares more about something like a wide base or his feet being aligned then that is likely what Trey will work on.
As for touch, this is a similar issue. Some coaches put the onus on receivers to catch the ball while others want the qb to throw a more catchable ball.
Maybe, Trey will decide to work on that on his own if the coach doesn't emphasize or maybe he wont.
This should reveal some of Kyle's qb philosophy as I would guess he would give some feedback to Trey and what he wants him to work on.
I believe that Trey has the ability to throw with plenty of touch, because I've seen his college game film. Accuracy was an issue, but touch wasn't.
DeleteI happen to believe that it's simply a matter of confidence. When a young, developing QB feels in the back of his mind that he needs to speed things up, perhaps not confident that he is getting thru his reads quick enough, they tend to speed things up. In Trey's case, he has such a strong arm, the way he's speeding things up is by throwing the football at his top velocity. This is something that should have naturally improved at this point IF he's a more confident QB, and I guess that's the question.
So while we should see improvement in Trey's touch, I doubt really expect that we will because I don't think Trey's a particularly confident QB at this stage, and that is a direct knock on his HC, more than his position coach!
Once more thing I hope Scangerello is drilling thru Trey's head every single day, is SLIDING!
As far as I am concerned, working on getting down and SLIDING, should have been a point of emphasis early on in training camp, and especially after Trey's first start VS Arizona. He needs to learn how to use the sliding technique to his advantage, and he needs to learn to use it in order to protect himself! If sliding can become second nature to him, his legs can be one of his greatest assets, but if he doesn't improve in that area, Trey won't last a full season in the NFL, IMO!
BTW, with the risk of sounding like a debbie downer, I don't think Kyle is the right head coach for Trey Lance at this stage of Kyle's career. I don't believe Kyle has the patience, and I think Kyle is far too rigid and set in his ways at this stage of his career, to make this thing work as well as it should.
DeleteI really hate to say this but I am not particularly optimistic about Trey's future under Kyle Shanahan!
I hope to god that my intuition is wrong about this, but it rarely is!
Lets hope that it was a joke if not they can ship Kyle out with Jimmy G cuz this would be a disaster and a disgrace./
ReplyDeleteBTW Trey made significant strides so IT was not a bad pick but Kyle should have gotten him more reps with the starters in TC and Pre season.
Only a blind one or a stubborn one could not see that Jimmy G is what he is a inconsistent QB who wont lift a team despite his winning record and a trip to the SB.
Trey is way more talented from a physical and mental standpoint./
Robber
Delete"Kyle should have gotten him more reps with the starters in TC and Pre season."
YOU SIR, ARE SIGNING TO THE CHOIR!
I just don't understand on what planet would a veteran QB who can't grip a football properly, and who has already shown that he tends to play extremely poorly when he's physically compromised, is a better option at QB than a prized rookie duel threat QB who has been sitting and developing behind the scenes for almost an entire season.
DeleteAnd if Jimmy G, despite a freshly ruptured UC ligament in the thumb on his throwing hand, is still a better option than a QB whom the team just spent 3 first round picks and a third round pick on, and who has almost a full seasons worth of development (scout team, etc) under his belt .... then somebody needs to be fired, ASAP!
I assume that QB Coach Rich Scangarello will be gone after this season, but that's not high enough up the food chain as far as I am concerned, especially if the 49ers end up missing the postseason, which is a real possibility, IMO, if Jimmy is allowed to start ahead of Lance on Sunday.
Can you guys imagine the level of ridicule if Kyle starts Jimmy, and the 49ers lose to the Texans due to poor QB play? I'll be too embarrassed to wear my 49ers gear in public at that point, so I may as well retire it until next season!
I think Jimmy playing is just a smokescreen to keep the Texans guessing. Should be a facinating game....can't wait.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with Shanahan as coach has always been that he is too rigidly tied to his scheme and not being flexible enough to work around the limitations of his "available" players.
This game will show how "flexible/mature" Shanahan can be as a coach, along with what we have with Trey as a QB. Trey better not get injured again coach!
Mugee, I think we agree on this. My hunch is a new qb wouldn't have been signed if they thought Jimmy could/would play. Additionally, I would think if he doesn't practice today then its all but assured Lance will start.
DeleteSpot on Mugeek!
ReplyDeleteIt does NOT appear JG will be the 9ers QB on Sun!
ReplyDeleteJimmy Garoppolo not practicing on Thursday of Week 17
https://dknation.draftkings.com/nfl/2021/12/27/22856048/jimmy-garoppolo-injury-update-news-week-17-49ers-vs-texans-game-status-backup-trey-lance
For the best.
Delete“If he’s the guy we have to go in to battle with this weekend, I have 100-percent confidence he’ll give us an opportunity to win the game,” Williams said. “And we can win the game off his back, not just by him playing solid football.
ReplyDelete“I think he can go in and make the plays that propel the football team to a W. That’s the talent he has, and that’s why he was picked where he was. Obviously, I have a ton of faith in him.”
I hope he is right.
DeleteMaybe I'm reading too much into it, but the start of that quote doesn't suggest he really believes in Lance right now. I mean, if they have to go to battle with him? At best it shows Williams would feel far more confident if JG was available.
DeleteScooter, what caught my eye was the last sentence, first paragraph. “And we can win the game off his back, not just by him playing solid football.
DeleteThe way I see it is that these reactions are a product of a HC who doesn't believe in his rookie QB.
DeleteKyle is the most stubborn person I have ever followed, and it seems clear to me that there is some reason why Kyle really doesn't want Trey to play this season. I don't know exactly what it is, and I don't understand why it is, but something strange is going on with this entire situation and that's the thing that doesn't give me any confidence in Trey at the moment.
This charade of Kyle's, not wanting the Houston Texans to know who's playing QB for the Niners, is the silliest thing I've seen in a while, because Kyle is going to run the football 42-45 times in this game no matter who gets the start, so what's the big secret?
Yeah, it was something of a mixed message. Saying the right things re he believes in Trey, but also indicating he hopes JG is good to go.
DeleteCould it be that Kyle doesn't feel like he's really prepared Trey to start at this point?
DeleteI've been arguing that running the scout team is not anything close to the same thing as running the weekly game plans with the first and second team offense.
Has Kyle dropped the ball? I guess we'll know more on Sunday.
Some good news for 9er fans: RB Elijah Mitchell returned to practice for the first time since week 13,
ReplyDeleteIf Lance starts I surly hope KS calls a better game than he did the first time he started.
ReplyDeleteRunning QB's take the t-e-a-m out of the offense.
QB's that can run are ideal.
What we saw in Lance's first game was a running QB either by choice or design or a combination of the two, regardless, it sucked.