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It’s time for the 49ers to panic about Jimmy Garoppolo

By Rucker Haringey

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 11: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to the start of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Levi's Stadium on October 11, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 11: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to the start of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Levi's Stadium on October 11, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The 49ers have a roster capable of winning a Super Bowl title, but the poor play of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is killing the team.

Jimmy Garoppolo’s return to the field was supposed to buoy the 49ers offense in their Week 5 matchup against the Dolphins. Instead, his putrid play allowed Miami to enter the half with a  30-7 lead.

It’s time for 49ers officials to admit that Garoppolo is the team’s biggest limiting factor. Kyle Shanahan is one of the top offensive play-callers in the league and even he can’t find a way to mold Garoppolo into a usable signal-caller. It’s hard to envision a scenario in which Garoppolo leads San Francisco to any sort of playoff success in 2020.

The Dolphins have a talented secondary but the rest of their defense doesn’t conjure up images of the Steelers’ Iron Curtain of the 1970s. This is a group that San Francisco’s offense should have enjoyed success playing against.

Going 7-of-17 for 77 yards with two interceptions is one of the worst halves of football an NFL starting quarterback has played this season.

The biggest problem with Garoppolo’s struggles this season is that’s impossible to point to any one thing that’s really dragging his game down. He’s looked below average when he’s given time to throw on rhythm. His performance is wretched whenever he’s asked to improvise and make a crucial throw under pressure.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, they’re stuck with Garoppolo for the rest of this season. Shanahan and his staff aren’t going to turn the offensive keys over to Nick Mullens or C.J. Beathard on a permanent basis anytime soon.

Garoppolo did get benched for the second half against the Dolphins, but expect the 49ers to stick to their ludicrous explanation that it was just to protect the quarterback’s health. They’re going to ride with Garoppolo as their starting quarterback for as long as possible.

Next. Chase Claypool is becoming a star for the Steelers. dark

Even if his performance improves significantly, he’s not going to ever be good enough to lead this team to the promised land. Shanahan’s scheme has done an exceptional job of propping him up for the majority of his time in San Francisco.

The wheels are coming off now though. It’s time for the 49ers to mash the panic button.