Switching from Garoppolo to Lance is the Best Move of the Offseason By Far
We don't know much about Trey Lance, but we know everything we need to know about Jimmy Garoppolo.
Garoppolo is a game manager who can't manage games. He made 18 starts last season including the playoffs and committed 18 turnovers. Terrible. Plus he scored only 25 touchdowns. Awful ratio.
Garoppolo might be a good leader and a well-liked teammate, but he's a bad quarterback. Any quality starting QB surrounded by Trent Williams, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Elijah Mitchell and Kyle Shanahan should put up far superior numbers than Garoppolo did last season.
We don't know if Lance is a quality starting quarterback yet -- he has played only 2.5 games in the NFL. But I can say with confidence that he's a major upgrade over Garoppolo for the following reasons:
1. Lance will expand the field.
Garoppolo plays football on a tennis court. Almost all his throws are short and over the middle. Lance can throw deep and outside the numbers in addition to short and over the middle, which means the 49ers offense will take advantage of the entire field for the first time in years, and everyone's job will be easier.
2. Lance will make the offense less predictable.
Everyone knows what Garoppolo can and can't do and how the 49ers scheme around his limitations. The book is out on him. Not so with Lance, because he's a giant unknown. He provides the 49ers with the element of surprise.
3. Lance will improve the run game.
Just the threat alone of him running will create bigger lanes for the running backs, plus the threat of Lance faking the handoff and throwing deep will back off defenses, so the 49ers running backs won't have to continuously smash into eight-man boxes -- a staple of the Garoppolo Offense.
4. Lance will improve the third-down offense.
Despite all the talent the 49ers have at the skill positions and left tackle, their offense ranked just 14th in third-down-conversion percentage. Why? Because Garoppolo can't scramble to pick up first downs, he's afraid to throw deep, he's afraid to throw near the sidelines and he's not particularly accurate -- he completed 63.9 percent of his throws on third down last season. Lance should improve the third down efficiency simply by taking advantage of Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings outside the numbers and by scrambling when a lane presents itself.
5. Lance will create explosive plays.
Garoppolo couldn't do that because he wouldn't move or throw downfield. He relied on others to create explosive plays for him. Lance will create huge plays -- gains of 40 yards or more -- with his arm and his legs.
6. Lance will reduce sacks and turnovers.
He'll do this simply by avoiding pass rushers and throwing the ball away -- two things Garoppolo seems incapable of. How many times have we seen him throw an interception late in the down when he should have simply tossed the ball out of bounds? Lance will throw it away twice as much as Garoppolo, because Lance has a high football IQ, and Garoppolo does not.
7. Lance will improvise and go off script.
Kyle Shanahan needs a quarterback like that, because his scripts go haywire in the fourth quarter of close conference championship games and Super Bowls. He needs someone who can overcome his lapses in judgement, which Garoppolo can't do.
Lance at least has a chance.
