If you think Kyle Shanahan is going to tell you who his starting quarterback is on a Monday, let alone a Friday, well, you must not know Kyle Shanahan.
The 49ers head coach has continued to leave open the door for Jimmy Garoppolo to start this week, though that seems unlikely, given Garoppolo’s history of struggling with injuries, and the fact that a torn ligament in his right thumb could prevent him from properly gripping the football.
While ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the 49ers were optimistic about a Garoppolo return this weekend, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has said it’s far less clear what Garoppolo’s status is.
He reported that the veteran will need surgery this offseason on the thumb, while Shanahan on Monday again refused to confirm that will be the case. He instead pointed towards surgery being unlikely in the near future. Rapoport said on KNBR on Monday that the reports are mixed, with some folks suggesting Garoppolo won’t play again this season, and others saying he has a chance to return this week.
Whatever the reality is, it appears more likely that Garoppolo sits another week, rather than starts. Shanahan said after the 23-7 win that Garoppolo is unlikely to be 100 percent, but might not need to be to play.
“If Jimmy’s a hundred percent healthy and could do everything, like perfect, then I would definitely go with Jimmy,” Shanahan said. “I’m not just going to throw a guy in after one game like this, when Jimmy’s been doing it for us all year. I think it’s going to be hard for Jimmy to be a hundred percent, which is how most people are right now at this time of year. But Trey did a good job, if Jimmy can’t go, we won’t hesitate at all. But if we feel Jimmy can go and play confident, then Jimmy will be out there.”
On Monday, Shanahan said that the 49ers will create a game plan for both quarterbacks and that he hopes Garoppolo can practice on Wednesday.
With the questions in mind, the focus remains on Lance, who had a shaky start, but settled down and impressed in the second half.
“I felt pretty similar watching the tape as it did live,” Shanahan said. “I thought Trey did some really good things. He was thrown in a real tough situation in terms of where our team was at, how big of a game that was basically being a playoff game. I thought he went in there, handled the pressure real well, got off to a slow slow start, him and the rest of the offense, which I thought put a little bit more pressure on him also and to watch him just respond especially after that pick, I thought he had a real successful day and got to get his first win off his back.”
Shanahan also said it’s fair to say that Lance’s throwing motion is probably less loopy, and has tightened up a bit since the start of the season. He pointed to Lance working diligently to improve that motion.
Since that part of the year, Shanahan also said he’s grown more comfortable now, as you’d expect, in creating a gameplan and calling plays for Lance.
“I feel real good with it, especially only doing that twice,” Shanahan said. “That’s something that you always, player and coach, always get more and more comfortable the more games you get.”
The main reason Shanahan has provided in going away from Lance packages is that he had a hard time discerning how defenses would react to him on the field, making it difficult to get into a rhythm. He didn’t comment on whether that makes him more likely to use those packages if Garoppolo returns.