Some members of the football analytics crowd were not happy with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman over what the announcing team had to say about Jimmy Garoppolo during “Monday Night Football.”
The Green Bay Packers got the ball first in their game with the Las Vegas Raiders. They eventually punted, giving the ball to the Raiders and Jimmy Garoppolo. As Jimmy G came out to run the Raiders’ offense, ESPN showed a graphic containing some of the quarterback’s career stats. The first stat was Garoppolo’s career record as a quarterback: 41-19.
Both Buck and Aikman praised Garoppolo over the stellar record.
“That top number, you cannot ignore that. He has been a winner in the NFL. Everyone wants to pick him apart, but look at that top number, and it’s been impressive,” Buck said.
Aikman agreed.
“At the end of the day, that’s all that matters,” Aikman said of Garoppolo’s wins. “And he’s been a big part in a lot of those wins as well. And I’ve always liked Jimmy. When he has protection in the pocket, he can get as hot as anybody.”
A quarterback’s record is regarded by many fans/observers as just as important as a pitcher’s record these days. That means many people believe the stats are very reflective of factors outside the person’s control, such as how good the rest of their team is.
Plenty of fans were quick to point that out via X.
“That’s all the matters,” Troy Aikman about Jimmy G’s W-L record, which, of course, hardly matters at all.
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) October 10, 2023
Troy Aikman "Jimmy was a big part of 49ers wins." No he wasn't sir. I know you love fellow qbs but no he wasn't
— Derek Evans (@DerekEvans20) October 10, 2023
Troy Aikman the game manager praising Jimmy Garoppolo the game manager lol both are mediocre QBs used to being carried by stacked teams.
— Jerry (@JFlo720) October 10, 2023
Aikman and Buck noting Jimmy G's win percentage while ignoring the fact he wasn't the reason those teams were good.
— Mikey Bats (@MikeJBknows) October 10, 2023
Is Garoppolo a “winner” or just fortunate to be on some really good teams? Or is it a mix of both factors?
Garoppolo went 2-0 on the 2016 New England Patriots that won the Super Bowl. He then went 38-17 over six seasons with a San Francisco 49ers team that reached the NFC championship game in three of the last four seasons. The Niners have been able to successfully replace Garoppolo with Brock Purdy, while Jimmy G’s record isn’t looking as great so far with the Raiders. At the same time, not just anyone can quarterback the Niners to wins. In 2017, Garoppolo went 5-0 while San Francisco’s other quarterbacks were 1-10. Trey Lance was also traded away after falling behind on the depth chart. He was 2-2 as a starter with San Francisco.
