Jimmy Garoppolo got a pretty good quarterback tutor after his season was ended by a knee injury. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was busy with the game-to-game preparation of the season while Garoppolo rehabbed and recovered, so he enlisted the help of someone he knew could work with Garoppolo: his father, Mike Shanahan.
Garoppolo talked to NBC Sports Bay Area about that experience. After he was physically recovered enough, he began working with the elder Shanahan in December.
“Literally, everything,” Garoppolo said, via NBC Bay Area. “We watched our offense, our defense, other teams, teams that played two years ago that he thought a clip could help me. It’s applicable in different ways. He’s so smart that it was incredible to have that experience and I thank him a lot for that.”
Kyle Shanahan, meanwhile, said it was good for both parties because it allowed his dad to talk football amidst the holiday festivities and family times.
Garoppolo is very much entering a pivotal year in his career. He got the big contract last year. But between being injured in New England, getting traded mid-season in 2017, and getting hurt early in 2018, he has not gotten many game reps. We’ve seen how productive Kyle Shanahan’s offense can be for quarterbacks as Nick Mullens put up pretty good numbers last season. If Garoppolo is still able to mature by working with one the game’s best at developing quarterbacks, even during a lost injury year, he could be in for big things next season.
