Will Jimmy Garoppolo play vs. Giants?
A high ankle sprain may wind up not knocking 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo out of any games. Optimism about his Week 3 status the Monday following the injury he sustained early in a Week 2 win, doesn’t mean he’s certain to suit up though.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday indicated Garoppolo’s injury is mild enough that the team isn’t ruling him out for their upcoming bout against the Giants just yet.
“We’ll see how that goes this week,” Shanahan said of Garoppolo’s ailment. “(He) does still have a chance because the severity is not real bad, but it is a high ankle.”
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport on Monday reported Garoppolo is considered “day-to-day” and has “a very outside shot of playing at playing this week.”
Garoppolo’s injury may not be the only obstacle he’s facing though. The MetLife Stadium turf was a key talking point following an injury-riddled Week 2 matchup between the 49ers and Jets. Several 49ers players were outspoken about the quality of the turf, along with Shanahan. He said the playing surface was a topic of discussion all game for San Francisco.
“That’s as many knee injuries and ankle stuff and people getting caught on the turf as I’ve even been a part of,” Shanahan said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I know our players talked about it the entire game, just how sticky the turf was. Unfortunately it’s a place we got to go back to next week.”
The 49ers will play the Giants at MetLife Stadium for Week 3, and the turf will continue to be a factor in the team’s preparations.
Tight end George Kittle is trying to work his way back from a knee sprain. He was on track to join the team in West Virginia after Week 2 so he could try and play Week 3. Shanahan said after the game that the turf would be a factor in deciding on Kittle’s status.
He doubled down on that in his Monday press conference.
“Yeah, we always will think about that with everything, especially with George coming back and especially the issue with the field,” Shanahan said. “So, I know nothing’s changed with me with the field yet. I haven’t been able to talk to anyone. I know (general manager) John (Lynch) talked to (NFL executive vice president of football operations) Troy (Vincent) earlier today and they’re definitely looking into it. So, hopefully at some time we get some answers back that can make our players feel a little bit more at ease playing it next week.”
It stands to reason that if the turf factors into Kittle’s return, it’ll also play a role in whether Garoppolo comes back without missing a game. However, Shanahan didn’t mention it when discussing his quarterback’s availability.
“No, Jimmy’s our guy and if he’s good to go and the doctors say he’s healthy and he can go out there and protect himself and if Jimmy feels confident in doing it and gives us the best chance to win, in that case, then Jimmy will be out there. If Jimmy’s not safe and he can’t protect himself, then we’ll go with Nick,” Shanahan said.
As we saw this week though, Garoppolo’s ability to protect himself may be less of an issue than the turf. The 49ers haven’t been shy about holding a player out in the short term if they think it’s better for them long-term, and Garoppolo is a player they can’t afford to lose for a large portion of the season. If the team doesn’t get the answers it wants from the league on the playing surface at MetLife Stadium, it’s easy to see San Francisco sitting Garoppolo until they’re back home in Week 4 even if he is feeling good enough to play.
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