Here’s your New Year’s resolution, Jimmy.
You have to decide whether you want to be a football player. Because here’s what I see:
I see a quarterback who gets hurt a lot, whatever the excuses. You can no longer defend yourself on the field. And perhaps most importantly, when you throw a pick or turn the ball, you kind of step off the field and shrug, like, “Wow, it didn’t work.”
I know that Nick Mullens cares. When he throws a pickaxe or fumbles, you can see that he wants to explode. I want to tell you, Jimmy, that your facial expressions and body language make it look like you don’t care.
Do you mind?
Financially, you are ready for life. Do you want to pay the price of being in the NFL? Do you have the temperament to be a quarterback? Do you want to be a football player?
George Kittle wants to be a football player. That is why 49ers cannot keep you out of the field. He insisted on going back and playing the last two games of a lost season because that is what he does. He plays soccer.
And the 49ers didn’t try to keep Kittle off the field. They are happy for him to play. When a reporter asked Kyle Shanahan recently why he is letting Kittle come back and risking serious injuries, Shanahan said, “This is what these guys do and if they are healthy enough to do that, it’s what you do in our team.”
Is that what you do, Jimmy?
I haven’t seen him struggle to return since he suffered a sprained ankle on November 1st. I’ve seen him sitting in a suite and taking notes during games, but I haven’t seen him play. Did you shut yourself up?
Do you want to retire like Andrew Luck did?
Your New Year’s resolution is to go deep into your soul and answer those questions.