49ers Should Start Trey Lance Against the Cardinals in Week 5
Jimmy Garoppolo could still start for the 49ers in Week 5.
As it turns out, all he is dealing with is a contusion, so he is not expected to miss any significant time. On a conference call Monday, Kyle Shanahan said he does not expect to immediately rule out Garoppolo against the Cardinals.
"It wasn’t as bad as we thought it might’ve been," said Shanahan. "Seeing him today, he's in a lot of pain. He’s still sore. Hopefully by the time he comes in Wednesday, if it's getting better, then he'll have a good chance. Looking at it as a bruise. If it hasn't improved at all by Wednesday, it’ll probably be a little bit longer.”
For now, the 49ers will treat it as if Trey Lance will be the lead man. If Garoppolo starts to deem his calf as more manageable by the day, then they will hold out hope for him to play. So the 49ers are going to prepare Lance just in case they do not want Garoppolo to risk it.
“Every week you want to tell him to approach it like you're the starting quarterback," Shanahan said about Lance. "But this is the first week going into it that he's legitimately got up a chance to on the first play. So, he's got approach it that way, learn from the stuff that he did last night, and come in ready to go on Wednesday.”
Regardless of Garoppolo's status, the 49ers should start Lance Against the Cardinals.
Whether or not Shanahan is set on giving Garoppolo the starting reigns back, why risk Garoppolo worsening his calf? Of all the injuries Garoppolo has sustained with the 49ers, this is definitely the most bizarre. If there is anything the 49ers should know by now with Garoppolo it is that they cannot rush him back. He is injury prone and that goes the same with re-aggravation. Remember what happened last season when they rolled him out too soon from a high-ankle sprain? It just isn't worth the risk.
Besides, now is the perfect time for Shanahan to see what he has with Lance. Evaluating Lance fairly was not possible against the Seahawks since he played without any practice with the starters. All Lance has done since the regular season is run scout team, which doesn't improve him, only his teammates. It is time for Shanahan to stop shirking away at his responsibility of developing Lance. Now that he has a half of football under his belt, Shanahan was able to actually coach him.
"I was talking to him about how he felt in there," Shanahan said. "You always picture your first NFL game and when you got to go in there and I know he's been in for some plays, but not really to do every single play like that. And just getting in and out of the huddle, being with the guys, I think he enjoyed the moment. I thought he did a good job making some plays, especially when some weren't there with his feet. A couple of passes I know he'd like to have back, but it was really just getting that experience and talking to him about how it was and all the things that can happen on each one of those plays and how it pertains the next week too.”
Starting your first game on the road against strong team such as the Cardinals is not ideal. But neither was being thrown into the fire against the Seahawks. The 49ers can't coach scared. If they work with Lance enough this week during practice to get him prepared and comfortable, then it will not matter too much that it is the Cardinals they are facing.
Let Lance finally test the waters so you can see what he needs work on.
