NFL icon Steve Young has issued a massive challenge to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the 2020 season: earn the trust of head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Young, who forged his legendary career donning the 49ers uniform, appeared on KNBR 680 earlier this week to share his thoughts on the relationship between Garoppolo and Shanahan. Amid the quarterback's obvious talents, Shanahan opted to run the ball instead of letting Garoppolo do the passing chores.
For Young, Garropolo should put in some more work to earn his stripes.
“There's something about Kyle and him that you felt through the playoffs, a lack of trust,” Steve Young said of the 49ers QB, as transcribed by 49ers Webzone. “And whether it was true or just perception, it doesn't matter, at some level. That's the number one thing, if I were Jimmy, that I would be focused on is making sure both truth and perceptually, that Kyle trusts me and is willing to put the ball in my hands at any time, at any place, in any form, and continually.”
In 2019, Jimmy Garropolo completed 69.1 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,978 yards for 27 touchdowns. Moreover, he just had 13 intercepted passes en route to helping the 49ers secure the best record in the NFC.
Despite his stellar numbers, however, the 49ers had the fourth fewest passing attempts (478). Meanwhile, they ran the ball 498 times, which the second-most in the NFL.
At face value, this seems to paint a bad picture at the 49ers coaching staff vis-à-vis their quarterback. But as Young pointed out, it's just a matter of trust — something that can be developed over time.
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