Garoppolo Proves He’s One of the Game’s Best
Jimmy G. and Shanahan make the magic happen
A pre-season projection by National Football League (NFL) analyst Kyle Rank pegged the 2019 49ers to go 3-13. The 49ers responded by winning their first 8 games of the season – leaving Rank to proclaim himself “an idiot.”
Going into the 2020 NFL Playoffs, the San Francisco 49ers enter the tournament as the National Football Conference’s (NFC) top seed. Contrary to preseason rankings, the team now has championship aspirations, along with the pressure of bringing San Francisco their sixth franchise title.
Led by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and third year coach Kyle Shanahan, this year’s team draws strong similarities to when the Niners first raised the Lombardi Trophy in 1981.
In 1981, future Hall of Fame quarterback, `Joe Montana, and head coach Bill Walsh were in their third year together.
After two struggling seasons without reaching the playoffs, Montana and Walsh put it all together. That season, Montana and Walsh clinched the NFC number one seed after winning their last regular season game on the road.
In similar fashion, this years’ 49ers Week 17 road win in Seattle captured the team an NFC West Title and the Conference’s number one seed.
Both the 1981 and 2019 teams had identical divisional finishes in their first three years. As well, both squads were longshots to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of each season.
Before the season began, this 49ers team had 40-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, while the 1981 Niners were 50-1 to win — before they ultimately did. From years 1979 to 1981, Montana and Walsh lead the Niners to place fourth in the NFC West in their first year, third in their second year, and first their third year with a record of 13-3.
Nearly 40 years later, Garropolo and Shanahan have lead the 49ers along the exact same pathway.
They have had identical NFC West finishes in the past 3 seasons, culminating in a 1st place finish in the NFC West and a 13-3 record.
Joe Montana was elected to the Pro Bowl, the NFL’s all-star game, in 1981 along with five other teammates. Despite outperforming Montana in several offensive categories during the 2019 campaign, Jimmy Garropolo did not make Pro Bowl Roster. Garropolo had more passing yards (3,978), a higher completion percentage (69.1 percent) and more total touchdowns (27).
When asked about his comparison to Montana, Garoppolo called it an honor.
“I’ve got a long way to go to catch up to those two,” Garropolo said. “They did some great things around here.”
Garoppolo can begin “playing catch up” by bringing home the Lombardi Trophy to the Bay Area for the first time in 25 seasons. In Montana’s first playoff run during the 1981 season, he began by throwing for 304 yards against the New York Giants in the Divisional Round.
The ensuing week, he tossed three more touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game versus the Dallas Cowboys, including the famous touchdown reception nicknamed “The Catch.”
In Super Bowl XVI versus the Cincinnati Bengals, Joe Montana continued to lead the 49ers and won the first of his three Super Bowl MVP Awards.
A generation ago, a dynasty began with a quarterback/head coach combination that ended up winning six NFC West Titles and three Super Bowls in eight glorious seasons.
Shanahan and Garoppolo have the skills and assets to begin their own dynasty.
When asked about Garoppolo’s connection with Shanahan, the quarterback lamented how Shanahan makes his job very easy.
“His mind is incredible, just how he thinks,” Garoppolo said.
The two have been on the same page all year, specifically because of Shanhan’s ability to create game-changing plays.
“He's two plays ahead while we're running the current play and it makes everything so easy," Garoppolo added. “And when he gets in a rhythm like that, it just puts everyone in a good position."
The 2019 Niners have the opportunity to begin something special.
To go along with Garoppolo’s excellence, the 49ers have gotten breakout seasons from All-Pro tight end George Kittle and running back Raheem Mostert.
After completing a successful regular season that parallels that of ‘81, all that is left for Garoppolo and Shanahan this year is a Super Bowl title.
Will they end with the Lombardi trophy in hand? Only time–and a few more wins–will tell.
Contact Nic Carpino at ncarpino@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.