It would have been the easiest thing in the world for Jimmy Garoppolo to tuck his tail and run. The 49ers had sent a clear message that he wasn't their future at quarterback, the team started 3-5, and the air was filled with everyone from San Francisco to San Jose piling on the 30-year-old quarterback.
But Garoppolo never wavered, never flinched, and didn't blink. He just kept chopping. Because, unlike many of the people who spent the 2021 season teeing off on the 49ers quarterback, Garoppolo knows precisely who he is. And that has never changed.
“Friends, family, they seem to remind me of those things," Garoppolo said Wednesday when asked about blocking out criticism he has faced this season. "I think just knowing yourself and knowing who you are plays a big part in that because if you got lost in it and start believing some of those things, it could take you down the wrong road. It’s just about knowing yourself as a player, as a person, and as long as these guys in this locker room have faith in me and believe in me, that’s all I really care about.”
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE It's that "keep chopping" mentality, the even-keeled approach to living inside a pressure-cooker that has Garoppolo's 49ers teammates prepared to follow him wherever he leads. Currently, that's a Sunday date with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game. A win Sunday, and they'll follow Garoppolo to their second Super Bowl in three seasons.
Garoppolo's playoff numbers have been anything but impressive. He hasn't thrown a touchdown pass in two games, and the 49ers didn't score an offensive touchdown during their upset win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round.
It would be easy to assume that his teammates view his underwhelming postseason play as a red flag in their pursuit of the franchise's sixth Lombardi Trophy. But what is becoming clearer by the game is that Garoppolo's inner calm -- that ability to internalize mistakes and truly believe the 49ers are never out of the fight -- has resonated with his teammates.
“We are able to maintain trust in him because we keep winning," linebacker Fred Warner said Wednesday. "A team’s success is very, very dependent on the quarterback position. So, the fact that we’re winning games is not a surprise. Jimmy is playing great football. It’s a team game. It’s not just dependent upon if Jimmy does well, then we are going to win. No, he does exactly what we need him to and he comes into work every single day, and is the exact same person.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
"He’s not on social media looking at what everyone is tweeting about him. Who knows what he does outside of the building? I don’t know. But I know when he comes inside this building, he is literally the same exact person every day, no matter what. So, I think that’s what we all kind of respect the most is that he always comes to work and is always trying to be better."
RELATED: 49ers' Week 18 comeback vs. Rams altered many playoff fates
Garoppolo's calming influence was key in the 49ers staying the course last Saturday at Lambeau Field. While the offense struggled to score and the 49ers spent most of the game behind on the scoreboard, they didn't panic and just waited for the Packers to make a mistake that opened the door and allowed them to leave Green Bay with a 13-10 win.
Mental toughness has become the 2021 49ers' calling card. That starts with the man spending what likely are his final days as the 49ers' quarterback playing with injuries to his thumb and shoulder. He makes no excuses and has them one win away from a trip to Super Bowl LVI.
“Jimmy G, you can’t say enough about that guy,” George Kittle said after the win vs. the Packers. “The s—t he takes. Consistently people try to pull him down and all he does is try to lead this team. He is the sense of calm in the huddle, he is the sense of calm in the storm. He allows us to play football at a high level.”
“Honestly, I’m impressed with his demeanor, just as a leader,” Nick Bosa echoed. “A lot of people give him crap for whatever. But he is as cool and collected as a quarterback as I have ever had and he’s a perfect guy to lead us to where we need to go.”
No matter what adversity the 49ers face Sunday at SoFi Stadium, Garoppolo will make sure their belief in themselves never wavers. Because his belief in himself doesn't.
And that makes him the right quarterback and leader for this 49ers team.