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For whatever reason, I expected “more” from Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch’s presser on Monday. It didn’t feel like we learned anything new. Here are today’s links, mainly from the press conference.
“I’m sure Jimmy was a little pissed off from it just like I would be,” Shanahan said Monday. “But me knowing Jimmy, he will be fired up and come in and work his butt off. The more mad Jimmy gets, usually the better he gets.”
Shanahan has said numerous times that Garoppolo plays better after he has taken a hit or two in a game. The quarterback’s adrenaline gets going and his productivity increases. He also has been to shake off his own mistakes.
On the 13 drives following interceptions in 2019, Garoppolo’s last full season as a starter, the QB completed 36-of-39 passes for 341 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 120.2 passer rating.
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“Our feeling was that these guys are going to go a lot higher than people realized,” he said.
Lynch said the 49ers spoke to several teams in early March but that the conversations didn’t really take off until after the first two weeks of free agency when teams’ rosters were more settled. He said the 49ers’ inquiries always had more “traction” with Miami than other trade partners, and on Friday morning — before he and assistant general manager Adam Peters watched BYU quarterback Zach Wilson throw — the deal was finalized.
Lynch quoted former 49ers and Stanford coach Bill Walsh: “‘You’ve gotta beat your opponent to the punch.’ And we felt like it was a matter of time before the first (quarterback) domino fell, and we wanted to be part of that.”
49ers 7-round mock draft: Trey Lance’s pro-style offensive experience makes him the right choice
Round 2 (No. 43): Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia
The 49ers need to find a starter-caliber cornerback on Day 2. Stokes checks a lot of boxes: He played against top competition in the SEC, he’s 6-1 and nearly 200 pounds and is one of the fastest players in this year’s draft class. With savvy veterans like Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams, Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt elsewhere in the secondary, this seems like a perfect year to break in a rookie outside cornerback.
Alabama’s Mac Jones on the 49ers: ‘It takes one team to fall in love with a guy’
“What separates me is my preparation and my ability to take what I learn from the coaches’ meetings and my meetings and then apply it to the field,” the Alabama quarterback said during a Monday video news conference. “I’m going to do exactly what the coach tells me to do. I’m going to play within the framework of the offense.”
Those phrases — “I’m going to do exactly what the coach tells me to do” and “I’m going to play within the framework of the offense” — don’t exactly grab headlines. They’re boring sentences. But they also might be music to the ears of someone like Kyle Shanahan, whom many see as the true star of the 49ers offense (and who probably wouldn’t disagree with that assessment) and who is seeking someone who can operate his system to its full extent.
“We’re in a situation where when you bring in a rookie quarterback, to me it’s always better, especially on the team that you have, if you’ve got a veteran starter there already who you like and you’re comfortable winning with, that’s usually the direction you want to go,” Shanahan said. “And not throw someone else out into the fire until they’re fully ready, and that’s the situation we’re at. ... I think Jimmy, it’s going to be hard to find a quarterback who gives us a better chance to win than Jimmy right now, especially even a rookie in the draft. ...