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DENVER – Jimmy Garoppolo reappeared Monday night in a 49er uniform, playing for the first time since the catastrophic injury suffered by his left knee 330 days earlier in Kansas City.
It was not nice to see, at least from the point of view of the X's and the O's.
His first four passes hit the hands of the Denver Broncos. He was only 1 in 6 with an interception, no bags and a score of 0.0 in a series of three.
Other than him, he is in good health – his top priority until the opening match of the regular season of September 8 – Garoppolo looks nothing like the confident, precise and technically sound quarterback on which the 49ers based their futures after its 5-0 start in December 2017.
Garoppolo was not comfortable in the pocket, often with Bradley Chubb putting pressure on the blind side of Garoppolo.
It took six passes before Garoppolo had his first finish, which earned him no win in winning the halfback Matt Breida on the 6-meter line. The last Garoppolo series was doomed once the penalty imposed by goalkeeper Najee Toran had doubled.
The theater player C. Beathard replaced Garoppolo in the first quarter and he had 1:19 left. The first Beathard series ended with a sack and a third-round fumble, reinforcing the 49ers' offensive start.
Garoppolo did not shun. He saw reruns with new quarterback coach Shane Day, and then spoke with halfbacks Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida.
After Garckolo's first pass was overturned by a Denver Broncos defensive lineman, his second attempt ended in an interception. The Broncos then took advantage of this change to score a goal on the field and a 3-0 lead.
The second series of Garoppolo was almost a replica. His first pass was deflected on the kicking line and fell incomplete. Bradley Chubb then lobbied for Garckolo's next attempt, which should have been intercepted but was dropped by De'Vante Bausby.
Completely agree with @ESPNBooger. Jimmy G does not step up. See that sometimes with QB initially after left ACL injury. If they enter their throws, put weight by the foot, the knee is vulnerable if the pocket collapses and someone rolls there / falls. So they avoid it.
– Stephania Bell (@Stephania_ESPN) August 20, 2019
Chubb almost got close to Garoppolo during the interception. Chubb cut inside left tackle Joe Staley and had an open lane in his pocket. A 7-yard pass from Garoppolo was intercepted near the midfield by Isaac Yiadom, with Marquise Goodwin as the target. At least Chubb headed for the appropriate strike zone and tried to wrap Garoppolo around the waist rather than lower the reconstructed knee.
Garoppolo took positive steps throughout his return and had no adverse effect following surgery on October 3 to replace his anterior cruciate ligament.
General Manager John Lynch recently called Garoppolo's rehabilitation "perfect", and the next step for the franchise quarter was to get into an exhibition to eliminate rust and eliminate wrinkles from the offense.
After failing to open for the Dallas Cowboys exhibition, Garoppolo was eager to play the Broncos, who only stopped him once in a joint training session last week.
The temperature at the kickoff: 95 degrees, the hottest for a match in the history of the Broncos, according to the Denver Post.
It's been so long since Jimmy Garoppolo did not play … that the Denver Broncos press announcer just checked with the 49ers of the press how to pronounce "Garoppolo"
– Cam Inman (@CamInman) August 19, 2019
Garoppolo wore the same titanium knee brace he had worn since the beginning of the off-season program in April, though he was barely visible between his gold pants and his red socks.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Saturday that Garoppolo would play "a little" in this game and more in Kansas City on Saturday.
Nick Mullens started the 49ers opener against the Dallas Cowboys, followed by C. J. Beathard and Wilton Speight. Four quarters were in uniform for warm-ups in Denver.
Here is Jimmy Garoppolo warming up with 3 others # 49ers QBs pic.twitter.com/mRZBWU6fFX
– Cam Inman (@CamInman) August 19, 2019
The only veterans who have apparently been healthy are defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and linebackers Kwon Alexander and Fred Warner. Alexander returns from ACL surgery and has not experienced a known setback. The 49ers will probably wait for its start for reasons of caution.
The 49ers who fight and do not fit together are: running back Jerick McKinnon (knee); George Kittle (calf), Levine Toilolo (shoulder) and Garrett Celek (physciall list unable to play) (back); Trent Taylor wide receiver (foot); Offensive linemen Mike Person (foot), Joshua Garnett (finger) and Weston Richburg (PUP, quadriceps); Defensive linemen Dee Ford (knee), Nick Bosa (ankle), Ronald Blair (groin) and D.J. Jones (knee); linebacker Elijah Lee (thumb); side-goers Jason Verrett (ankle), K'Waun Williams (knee) and Jimmie Ward (collarbone).
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