Steve Young hasn’t always been a strong advocate for Jimmy Garoppolo to be the starting quarterback of the 49ers. During Trey Lance’s rookie year, Young repeatedly said that the 49ers choosing to continue with Garoppolo was a decision that was “fraught with terror.”
Young was also critical of Garoppolo after the 49ers loss to the Broncos, when Jimmy didn’t exactly take accountability for his poor play.
But the Hall of Fame quarterback was effusive with his praise of Garoppolo after Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers, when San Francisco took care of business and Jimmy G played a clean game.
“When you have no turnovers, clean games, and look, there were some throws that were 50/50, and they go your way, awesome,” Young said Wednesday on KNBR. “I think that was a perfect Jimmy game, right? That was like, ‘Jimmy, do that. Do that every week, and let’s just roll.’ And I think he would say, ‘Great. I got you covered.’
“I’m super happy about that, and I think he should be too because the thing that I was worried about a couple of weeks ago when things were kind of 1-2 and feeling funny, that somehow he and Kyle could get at each other, and there was this thing out of Denver, I was just feeling funny about it. No way.”
Young also said that Garoppolo deserves kudos for his ability to roll with the punches. Not just with all the criticism his play has garnered over the years, but also how he is back to playing quality football after two difficult offseasons.
“He just keeps rolling,” Young continued. “And he doesn’t fall for any of the trips and traps, and the cheap shots, and the things that he could be saying and doing. No wonder the locker room loves this guy. No wonder he can just handle all this stuff that happens to him. He’s like, ‘Yeah, we’re good. Let’s just keep rolling.’ I admire that, and I have to tip my cap to it.”
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