Kyle Shanahan Strikes Down 'Lack of Faith' Narrative Against Garoppolo

Jimmy Garoppolo has not been asked to do too much during this playoff run, which has brought into question if the 49ers "lack faith" in him. Kyle Shanahan struck down that narrative today at his presser.

MIAMI - "Does anyone notice how good we were running the ball?"

That is what 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said today at his press conference in response to the "lack of faith" narrative against quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. In the last two games, the 49ers have differed to the ground attack lead by Raheem Mostert.

Because of that, Garoppolo has only notched 27 pass attempts during the 49ers' playoff run. The low number of pass attempts has stirred up a bit of ruckus about whether or not Shanahan has any faith in Garoppolo to lead the team. 

Shanahan struck down that narrative and was even perplexed that his faith in Garoppolo is being put into question. "We weren't just running it to punt to try to win 3-0" Said Shanahan.

"I'd also say one thing you can always look at quarterbacks regardless of how's it going is you can't run the ball if you don't do good on third down. Jimmy has been as good as anyone on third down this year. When we needed him to bring us back at the end of games he's done it."

Shanahan would also refer back to the two third-and-16 plays that Garoppolo converted on the same drive in week 16 against the Rams. Something that should never happen more than once in a game if at all.

The point of the matter is that there zero reason for the 49ers to have any doubts about Garoppolo. This team has been the perfect example of complimentary football. If the running game can't get going, then they can easily lean on the pass. If the offense overall starts out slow, then the defense will keep the game within striking distance.

Just because Shanahan doesn't have Garoppolo drop back 30+ times does not mean he lacks any faith in him. Against the Vikings and Packers, the clear and obvious weakness that those defenses had with the 49ers' offense was the run game. 

So why on earth would Shanahan start going pass heavy in those games?

The run game was working - end of story. It was not a slight against Garoppolo, rather it was the momentum of the game. Not to mention that the 49ers took a commanding early on in both matchups, so the ideal course of action would be to bleed the clock. The divisional playoff game against the Vikings didn't even reach three hours because of it.

By going run heavy and keeping the games short, Shanahan didn't have to reveal too much of his playbook. Now those pass plays that he had in his arsenal for those games will be available in the Super Bowl on Sunday against the Chiefs. The criticism of Garoppolo will continue to be absurd, even if the 49ers win on Sunday without him having a heavy influence.

Nevertheless, Shanahan and the 49ers have the utmost faith in Garoppolo to come through in the critical moments like he has all season long.