Jimmy Garoppolo takes it upon himself to name himself 49ers starting QB
There wasn’t much suspense when it came to who the 49ers’ starting quarterback would be Sunday in Detroit. Head coach Kyle Shanahan went into training camp saying Jimmy Garoppolo was the starting quarterback, and he never wavered from that stance despite not openly announcing a starting signal caller. Garoppolo on Wednesday took it upon himself to do so.
In his pre-practice press conference with reporters, Garoppolo said he never doubted where he stood on the 49ers’ depth chart.
“For a while. I told you guys a long time ago, I had a pretty good feeling about it,” Garoppolo said. “Kind of joked about it, but yeah, I always kind of knew where I stood and everything. And yeah, now it’s official, I guess.”
It became clear Wednesday when Shanahan spoke prior to Garoppolo that he wouldn’t come out and clearly state who the starter would be even though it was in plain view a few days out from the opener. The veteran QB taking it upon himself to say the not-so-quiet part out loud put an end to any lingering speculation about the QB1 in Detroit.
Now the question turns to when Lance takes over. There’s some expectation it’ll happen this year, but the 49ers clearly aren’t in a hurry to thrust him into the starting job. If Garoppolo plays well, stays healthy, and the 49ers continue to win at the clip they have when he’s under center, he should hold onto the starting job he ‘officially’ named himself to.
