© Kim Klement | 2019 Sep 8
Jimmy Garoppolo’s first regular season game since tearing his ACL last season wasn’t all that great. He threw a brutal interception that was returned for a touchdown, missed multiple open receivers with passes that were frequently over their heads and posted a QBR of 56.3.
Still, the QB deserves some slack in his first real NFL action in a calendar year. The question is, how long will we have to wait until Garoppolo looks like the electric signal-caller that led the 49ers to five consecutive wins to close the 2017 season?
According to former 49ers hall-of-fame quarterback Steve Young, we might have to wait until 2020.
“You’re coming off a knee, and I just don’t feel like you really drive (the ball),” Young said of Garoppolo’s struggles on Sunday. “It’ll be a year of, you know, they always say the second year from a knee injury, they’re great at the ACLs now, but everyone I’ve ever heard from from this year to 20 years ago, the first year you’re playing, but you’re not 100 percent, and then the second year you feel great.
“I suspect that’s not going to go away. I never had an injury like that, but just talking to guys about driving the ball, it just matters. So I’m sure this isn’t going to go away right away.”
Young predicts Garoppolo will continue to have trouble driving the ball and throwing in front of receivers.
“For righties on crossing routes to their left, you actually you have to really open up and turn and torque over the top of your leg to get the ball actually on target. And so even when you feel great you’re behind a lot on the crossing routes away from your throwing hand and so that probably is a big factor. (Throwing) high is always a factor because you can’t drive and you can’t drop your knee and put the weight on it, so that’s the part that makes the difference.”
Listen to the full interview below, to hear Young on Garoppolo start from 10:00.