The quarterback carousel continues to spin in the NFL, and among the teams looking to get into the mix are the San Francisco 49ers – but not everyone is convinced that Jimmy Garoppolo is the best solution to last season’s problems.
Legendary Niners linebacker Patrick Willis told Fox News in an interview this week that he believes San Francisco should stay with Garoppolo despite a season full of injuries, adding that he has already shown the franchise that he can make her a candidate to the Super Bowl.
“I think they saw him at his best,” said seven-time Pro Bowler. “Now, if they get that defense, the same type of defense that they had when they went to the Super Bowl and he can stay a little bit healthy, then yes, obviously they can win with him.”
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Willis, who was called up by the 49ers with the No. 11 pick in 2007, explained how injuries play a big role in management’s perception of his value as a player – a situation Garoppolo is facing.
“The sport is very interesting, and being in the NFL is even more interesting from the business point of view, as well as just the performance,” he explained. “It’s that saying, the cliché of ‘what have you done for me lately.'”
“In football, it’s really about [that mindset], and injuries are one of those things that can make a team really suspicious when it comes to you, especially if you’re not able to get over the injury and still act. “
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Garoppolo was chosen by the New England Patriots in 2014, where he remained on Tom Brady’s reserve for four seasons before being traded mid-season for the 49ers. He started a few weeks later, and in 2018, he was offered a five-year, maximum $ 137.5 million contract.
Garoppolo’s first season as a 49ers starter came to an end quickly when he tore his ACL in Week 3; however, he would recover quickly.
Garoppolo would take the Niners to their first 8-0 start since 1990 and take them to the Super Bowl, where they would end up losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the final minutes of the game.
A persistent ankle injury in 2020 caused the young defender to enter and leave the field, and with names like Deshaun Watson and Russel Wilson circling as possibilities, Garoppolo’s future with the team has become obscure.
Willis understands the fight better than anyone.
Patrick Willis (No. 52) of the San Francisco 49ers dismisses the team before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi Stadium on October 5, 2014 in Santa Clara, California (Michael Zagaris / San Francisco 49ers / Getty Images)
“I personally went through it a little bit because of some injuries, but I was still able to find a way to perform and be productive, and with Jimmy, I feel that, yes, he did have some injuries, but I feel that right now. .. I feel it can be difficult. Part of it is probably like, I’m here, but I’m not seeing my coaches necessarily come and say like they did a few years ago, ‘this is our guy.’ ”
Willis said he has dealt with a series of injuries over his eight seasons in the NFL, but it was all a question of mentality. He remembered a saying that teammate Justin Smith used to say.
“He once said, ‘Dude, if we only played when we were feeling good, we would never play.'”
Willis explained that when he played the game, he felt that the players “were as safe as you were being productive”.
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“You can only stay somewhere for a long time before you start to be welcome, and at this date and time, it’s like everything is in random order, repeat, shuffle really fast, that is, if you are not relevant and isn’t keeping it warm, so they’ll mess up and move you somewhere. ”
He continued: “When I joined as a newbie and had that season of newbies that I had, I knew right away … I had to go with this.”
Willis had a year of debut in the books.
He led the league in tackles, received both the All-Pro and Pro Bowl from the first team, and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He would have six seasons with 100 or more tackles and was nominated for six more Pro Bowls.
Since retiring from the NFL, Willis has joined CoachTube.com, an online platform that offers instructional courses in a wide variety of sports.
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He said he became involved as a coach for linebackers around 2017, after feeling the need to share what he learned over his eight years in the NFL.
“I learned a lot of information while playing and I would love to share and reciprocate it.”
Willis said he saw the platform, which offers predominantly trainer-to-trainer training, really “took off” when the pandemic hit all levels of sports, school and college, were forced to go virtual.