49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo has a chance to quell the critics

Overreaction week has been in full effect for the San Francisco 49ers in regards to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Ever since his return to the field on Monday night was a complete debacle. There has been nothing but doubt about his abilities. From the fans to the media, there has been constant overreaction over a simple preseason game. Not to mention that it was Garoppolo's first game in almost a year.

People overreacting because of one preseason performance is nothing new in this league. It's just the unfortunate part about this game. However, Jimmy Garoppolo has a chance to quell the critics this Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Monday night he was limited to only a few series, but head coach Kyle Shanahan has announced today that he wants about entire first half for his starting quarterback.

Shanahan said he’d like to see Jimmy Garoppolo get about one half’s worth of plays Saturday in Kansas City.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) August 22, 2019

Against the Denver Broncos, Garoppolo hardly had a debut due in part to the offensive line woes. Thanks to that, Garoppolo will need to make up good deal of those reps against the Chiefs. Giving him the first half is just the right amount to ensure that he'll be ready for week one of the regular season. You just wonder if the offensive line is struggling again do the 49ers keep Garoppolo out there? Saturday is the last opportunity for him to get live reps.

It's not like Garoppolo is going to play in the fourth preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers. This weeks practice for the San Francisco 49ers is sure to harp on communication for the offensive line since it was severely lacking on Monday night. They cannot afford to have any miscues on Saturday. Otherwise, they will have wasted Garoppolo's last chance to participate in a live game before the season.

At that point, Kyle Shanahan needs to dial up bootlegs that get him on the run. Shanahan is not absolved from Garoppolo's poor play on Monday night. Why he didn't set him up in a better position is beyond me. I understand not wanting to reveal too much of the playbook, but these are precious reps that Garoppolo will not get again. Practice can only do so much. It can never match that of a live game even if it is just a preseason game.

Now I'm not one of the people who are freaking about his performance for the reasons stated earlier. However, if Jimmy Garoppolo plays poorly on Saturday, then some light concern will start to creep. Mainly if his decision making is still horrendous because that is something that is difficult to coach a player out of. The critics will just be an enlarged fire that was just fed by gas if Garoppolo plays terribly. Let me just reiterate again that it is only preseason.

This will be his second game back from a torn ACL injury. Preseason is the time for him to make mistakes and shake it all off. Besides, there was a positive from the Monday night game. Garoppolo did not look scared or shaky in the pocket. That is a sign that he is not fearful of his injury, which some players becomes too conscientious of. While it won't impact me significantly, Garoppolo has a chance to quell his critics that have been overreacting all week by performing well against the Chiefs.