The San Francisco 49ers generated plenty of hype last year with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo set to enter his first season as a full-fledged starter. Unfortunately, things quickly came to a halt in Week 3 when he suffered a torn ACL.

Despite the injury, expectations still seem to be as high as ever in San Francisco. According to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk, Garoppolo is not worried about the pressure going into the 2019 NFL season.

“It’s more I put pressure on myself to perform at a high level, regardless of the situation. I don’t know. It’s kind of something I was born with or whatever you want to call it. It’s the competitor in you. You want to go out there and perform at a high level. That’s why we put in all this time, to be honest. You have to. You can’t just throw the helmet out there and expect to get a W. You’ve got to earn it. That’s one of the great things about this league is nothing is given. You’ve got to earn everything you get.”

It is encouraging to see that Garoppolo is not buying into all the noise regarding his status as a starter. He began his career as a prized backup to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady before the 49ers made quite the investment to make him their franchise quarterback. Despite entering his sixth year in the league and signing what had been the largest contract in NFL history at the time, Garoppolo is still considered to be an unproven commodity.

Although their plans have been a bit delayed, the 49ers are still holding out hope for a potential resurgence in 2019. There is no question that each team in the NFC West features a promising talent under center. As a result, Garoppolo will be playing under a bit of a microscope moving forward. It is safe to say that any amount of success San Francisco enjoys this season will be indicative of his performance.