SANTA CLARA – Through eight practices of training camp, the new radio voice of the 49ers -- one of the most-respected broadcasters in the business – has seen a quarterback who shows some of the signs of the inactivity that comes after spending so much of the past year rehabilitating from a knee injury.
But Greg Papa says he also recognizes the vast potential of sixth-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who has not missed a day of practice this summer since sustaining a torn ACL in his left knee in Week 3 of last season.
“I think he’s been a little rusty, which is to be assumed,” Papa said on The 49ers Insider Podcast. “The guy’s not had that many snaps in the NFL. He only has 10 starts in the NFL, but he’s incredibly skilled.
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“I don’t think he has a weakness as a quarterback. I know some of the analytics on the deep ball, but those balls don’t get completed at as high of a percentage as the other ones because they shouldn’t. The ball’s in the air more. They’re harder to hit, and when you hit one, it’s a big play.”
Ultimately, Papa said he expects Garoppolo to take the 49ers as far as the rest of the team’s roster will allow him to go.
“The bottom line is, he’s good enough to win,” said Papa, who served as the radio voice of the Raiders from 1997 to 2017. “I’m talking about winning the NFC West, winning the NFC, and winning the Super Bowl.
“If you have the pieces around him, a rock-solid football team, Jimmy Garoppolo is a good-enough quarterback to win the whole thing.”
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With the way Garoppolo is able to change arm angles to unload the ball, Papa said he sees similarities with former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, a four-time Pro Bowl performer.
Papa said he does not believe the 49ers have all the pieces in place to win the Super Bowl this season, but he sees a team capable of winning 10 games and earning an NFC playoff berth.
One of the more intriguing areas of the team around Garoppolo is behind him. The 49ers have a deep group of running backs with Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert and Jerick McKinnon, who is attempting a comeback from the torn ACL he sustained a week before the start of last season.
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“Coleman is going to get the lion’s share of the first-and-10, and Breida proved that he’s really good at it last year,” Papa said. “And Mostert, I had no idea he was that good. I just thought he was the best gunner in professional football. I had no idea he was that good of a running back.
“But McKinnon is different. Where he is special is to have guys miss and run routes as a running back like a wide receiver. Now, the question is, off the torn ACL, will he have that change of direction and be able to give you that slipperiness he gave you in Minnesota.”