Former 49ers Pro Bowl safety Donte Whitner is tired of Jimmy Garoppolo’s platitudes, especially in the wake of his dismal performance on Sunday night.
Here’s what Garoppolo said after the 30-18 loss in which he threw two picks and lost a fumble. Disclaimer: You may have heard this before.
“Whatever play is called, we just have to go out there and execute it,” Garoppolo told reporters after the loss. “It’s just about putting in more time, more effort, staying longer, putting in more hours. It’s the little things at this point. The NFL is a crazy thing, one week you’re on top, one week you’re at the bottom of it. Every team has their ups and downs, and we’re (on the lower end right now) but we can fight back.”
Whitner wants more accountability.
“I hear a lot of excuses coming out of Jimmy [Garoppolo’s] mouth,” Whitner said on NBC’s Postgame Show. “Jimmy, we understand that. You’ve been saying that forever. ‘We have to execute,’ yeah you can’t throw the ball to the defense. You have to take care of the ball when you’re in the pocket. The ball is slippery, you’re holding it like nobody is going to tackle you. These are things that lead to losses. Turnovers directly correlate with wins and losses.
“I hear a lot of excuses there. With better leadership, with better throws, with a better understanding of the offense. With a little more fire and they possibly get out of here with a win today. I understand everything he’s saying, but they still have to make the correction. You better do it quickly, or it’s going to be Trey Lance’s turn.”
Regardless of his comments, it’s probably Trey Lance’s turn after Sunday’s debacle. It’s fairly clear at this point that the 49ers aren’t making a Super Bowl with Garoppolo, and the incentive to play him seems to be at an all-time low.
Shanahan said he’d “guess” Jimmy will start again next week, which isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, and probably won’t be true if Lance returns to health.