That’s one way to learn the most difficult offenses in the league.
Jimmy Garoppolo tore his ACL in Week 3 and one of the largest setbacks over the entire scenario was how he’d miss a year in development of Kyle Shanahan’s system. It seems like the 49ers did everything they could to teach what was available during his recovery, going as far as giving him film sessions with Mike Shanahan.
Well, it looks like Garoppolo also has been trying to think like his coach. In an appearance on KNBR’s Fitz & Brooks, Garoppolo went over his recovery and what his schedule was like during the season after going on IR:
“I was still in all the meetings, all the film sessions game planning things, and I traveled to the away games and I was on the field once they allowed me to be. It really allowed me to see the game from a coach’s perspective. I’d have the play call sheet in my hand just like Kyle [Shanahan]. We’d get into third down situations or the redzone and I would try to call the game as if I was the play caller. You get a feel for what Kyle’s thinking and what you’re thinking from the sidelines. Different perspective, I guess.”
That’s one way to learn the playbook! The biggest problem with Kyle Shanahan’s playbook, if there was one, is that it’s so darn difficult. Try reciting this in a huddle. Getting film time with Mike Shanahan is a great move, but seeing where Kyle Shanahan is coming from on the next play is going to help expediting calls in 2019.
You might be thinking this is obvious for an NFL player, but the truth is, we’ve seen situations where the player injured is absent from the building and no one hears from them the rest of the season. Garoppolo is doing everything he can to learn what he could in that awful situation he was put into.
Plus getting Kyle Shanahan’s perspective will help them when they are in a time out situation and need to settle on a play.
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