Nick Mullens is Comparable to a Relief Pitcher in Baseball

Nick Mullens had one good quarter of football in Week 12 against the Rams.

Luckily for the 49ers, it came in the fourth quarter to help close the game out for them. Seeing Mullens flash like that is nothing out of the ordinary. He will have a streak of good passes that can keep the 49ers in the game. In a perfect world, the 49ers would have him dictate the game more with his arm.

The unfortunate side is that he cannot be asked to keep the team afloat for all four quarters. Kyle Shanahan can't hide Mullens for a whole game all the time. The 49ers have to rely on a great running attack and for the defense to force a turnover. I mean, he is a backup quarterback for a reason.

Seeing Mullens continually have some streaky performances, I just couldn't help but compare him to a relief pitcher in baseball.

Like a relief pitcher, Mullens is good for you in spurts. He can have a good "inning or two," or in football terms a good few drives or quarter. But he cannot be relied upon for all four quarters of a game.

Just look at how Mullens performed in relief of Jimmy Garoppolo in both the Jets and Seahawks game.

Coming off the bench and lighting it up is just better for Mullens. Mullens is not someone who will deliver from start to finish. And just like a relief pitcher, you cannot trust them to be the starter and go the distance. They are in that position for a reason because you can only squeeze a streak of a good performance.

Imagine if Shanahan rolled out C.J. Beathard as the starter and used Mullens in a relief role. He could just add onto his genius because Mullens off the bench works all the time. In fact, Shanahan is already kind of doing that when be brings in Beathard for Hail Mary throws.

All jesting aside, my comparison to Mullens as a relief pitcher is exactly why they need Garoppolo back. He may not be a great quarterback, but with Garoppolo he at least gives the 49ers a reliable passer from start to finish. Besides, Garoppolo has not had more than one and a half face value performances, which is Week 1 against Arizona and Week 2 against the Jets.

Until Garoppolo comes back, the 49ers will have to continue to make up for the other "innings" that Mullens fails to show up for.