Jimmy Garoppolo prefers to keep his secrets to himself. But there was nothing Garoppolo could do Sunday afternoon when cornerback Richard Sherman stepped to the podium following the San Francisco 49ers’ win against the Pittsburgh Steelers and revealed a surprise about the Niners’ quarterback.
“He likes getting hit, I don’t know why,” Sherman said. “Not every quarterback likes it. It kind of wakes him up.”cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale
About 30 minutes later, Garoppolo would confirm Sherman’s assertion, noting that he has been told before that he seems to enjoy taking hits. If that’s the case, there’s little doubt that Garoppolo had a grand old time in Sunday’s 24-20 win against the Steelers at Levi’s Stadium.
Making his third start of the season and third since returning from a torn left ACL suffered last September, Garoppolo felt more pressure Sunday than he had in the first two weeks combined — in more ways than one. Garoppolo had been sacked once and hit just twice in the first two games.
With the 49ers starting rookie Justin Skule at left tackle and their general preference for dialing up pressures, the Steelers made it clear they intended to throw everything they had at Garoppolo. By the time it was over, Garoppolo had been sacked just one time, but unofficial press box statistics had him taking eight hits. It seemed like many more.
Despite the pressure, Garoppolo didn’t flinch, sometimes even shaking loose from would-be tacklers and either making a play down the field, scrambling for a gain or throwing it away to preserve down and distance.cheap nfl nike jersey
Garoppolo’s toughness served as an example on a day when just about everything that could go wrong did. The Niners turned the ball over five times, including four in the first half. Two of those were interceptions charged to Garoppolo and he had his hand in two botched center/quarterback exchanges. Three of those turnovers came with the 49ers inside Pittsburgh’s 30, turning a game that could have been far more comfortable into a nail-biter.
After a third-down miscue on a snap that hit motioning receiver Richie James Jr. that the Steelers recovered at their 7, Garoppolo was visibly frustrated.
“I was upset,” Garoppolo said. “But the defense, when they’re playing like that, it gives you such confidence on the sideline. So it was just more about getting our guys ready for the next series. They make huge plays like that on defense, it sets us up for success.”