Episodes
Thursday Oct 24, 2019
Wide Write with Rob Newell
Thursday Oct 24, 2019
Thursday Oct 24, 2019
The Jimmy G Question
There is no doubt that great Quarterback play is synonymous with the San Francisco 49ers franchise, be it YA Tittle, Steve DeBerg, Joe Montana or Steve Young, so simply being QB1 on the 49ers depth chart carries with it a certain amount of pressure, so is the current incumbent of that position, James Richard Garoppolo or Jimmy G or even Jimmy GQ as everyone refers to him, the latest in that line or simply put is he the elite level franchise QB that the 49ers fans are looking out for?
When I ask you to think of Jimmy G, what sort of Quarterbacks are you automatically comparing him to? As Harvey Keitel says in the Direct Line adverts, comparing is good, but are you comparing apples with apples? When you think of Jimmy G, you are putting him in the mix comparison wise with Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, even his former mentor Tom Brady I would be prepared to wager, but is that really a fair comparison, are you comparing apples with apples. I appreciate the money that the 49ers paid him, put him in that mix in many ways, which is a little unfair to him. At the time of the contract there was a lot of talk about if Jimmy G would be the choice or would Kyle Shanahan go after Kirk Cousins after their time in Washington remember.
Let me ask you another question, how many games do you think Jimmy G has played? I know he has been in the league for a few years, but how many games has he started? The answer you may be surprised to know is actually 16 games that he has started, so basically, he has the equivalent amount of experience to a rookie QB who has played one season, think Baker Mayfield in Cleveland, Josh Allen in Buffalo, to a lesser extent Sam Darnold for the Jets, does that make you assess what Jimmy has done any differently in that class?
In those 16 starts he has thrown for just over 4,000 yards and thrown 23 touchdowns to 14 Interceptions with a QBR of just over 95, would you be happy with that with a full rookie season? I would bet you would bite the arm off anyone who offered you a debut season like that, oh and let’s not forget his teams are 14-2 over those 16 games. That would be the sort of season that any QB of any experience level would love to have, a career year for most even.
Ok, you will tell me fairly enough that he has been a backup and had experience of coming in an playing mop up duty before starting games, I respect that viewpoint, however I could spend two years learning to fly in a simulator, but when it comes to taking the controls in a real live cockpit and having responsibility for a plane full of passengers, it’s still sink or swim time, just because you have seen it doesn’t mean that you can actually do it. You still must prove yourself, just like the hot-shot rookie coming out of college with his shiny new Heisman Trophy.
So I put it to you that in those like for like circumstances, Jimmy G is the Direct Line and the others named the compare the market of QB’s. Does he still make a bonehead play or two each game, Yes. Do the other second year QB’s do likewise, Yes. Will they grow out of that, if they are elite QB’s then yes they will. In first full season, Brady threw for 2,843 yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as a guide and look what he turned into.
We all want to win, and win now and this season the 49ers are doing just that, but lets give Jimmy G some room to develop into what he is going to be. The money that was paid was the going rate at the time, lets not use that to drag down his performances in our eyes but rather view them in a more illuminated light. This season the Steelers game showed what a tough competitor he is, despite an injury prone reputation previously, and the man finds a way to win. Is he elite? Kyle Shanahan seems to believe that he has the potential and when it comes to offence that is enough for me.
Now on to Carolina.
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