We might not see Jimmy Garoppolo or George Kittle back on the field this year. After last night’s loss to the Bills, Kyle Shanahan indicated that both players have a long way to go as they work to bounce back from injury.
“Those guys are working their tails off right now,” Shanahan said (via Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee). “But they’re still part of the rehab, just trying to get back and be a part of this, but it’s not anytime soon right now.”
GM John Lynch was a little more optimistic, saying he’s “hopeful” that Garoppolo and Kittle will be back by season’s end (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area).
The Niners are still technically in the playoff mix, but their odds have dwindled significantly. At 5-7, the reigning NFC champs will need wins against the Washington Football Team, Cowboys, Cardinals, and Seahawks. The double dose of NFC East opponents should help, but if San Francisco should fall completely out of contention, it wouldn’t make sense for the club to rush key players back from injury.
Injuries have ravaged the Niners on both sides of the ball this year. On the plus side, they have returned star cornerback Richard Sherman, though he’s not so sure about his future beyond 2020.
7-9 season coming your way
Yup exactly
Always admire the the new ‘genius’ is 4 seasons below .500.
Yes, because the team should have anticipated half the roster getting hurt at the beginning of the season and prepared accordingly. What do YOU suggest the 49ers have done?
Not to mention, the first three losing seasons involved cleaning up the mess left behind by Baalke and company. Not even a San Fran fan
Thank you wagner13. Spot on.
Not a SF fan either, but those 3 losing seasons supplied the coach with all those studs starting on the D-Line…
While you’re comment about injuries is true, almost every team has had to deal with injuries and Covid quarantines all year long…..team rosters are constantly changing each and every week to deal with all that….teams that are succeeding are finding a way to work through all that…..offensively, if they had a QB who actually lived up to the press clippings and elevated whoever is starting on offense, they’d probably have a couple more wins…..tired of hearing all about the poor Niners and all their injuries! Me thinks its time to stop crying and play ball and see what the future holds!
How’s the quarterback supposed to elevate the team when he is on the sideline? I will admit, Jimmy G is not the most prolific quarterback. However, it is very difficult to win in a pass-first league with Nick Mullens as your starter.
Kittle, their best weapon and possibly blocker, has been out a majority of the season. Their offensive line has been riddled by injuries. That defensive line loaded with talent? Bosa and Thomas are both out for the season. For goodness sakes, they played a game against the Packers starting Richie James and River Cracraft as their starting wideouts! Besides Dallas, there is no team that compares to the significance of the 49er’s injuries
Maybe not number, but I’d say the magnitude of Denver having zero quarterbacks was the pinnacle of significance.
What can I say? Your username certainly checks out lol
Count me as firmly in the “Shanahan is vastly overrated” camp, but Wagner is right. The 9ers and Broncos have been in a dogfight for the most snakebites team team this year, with the Eagles playing for a wildcard. The aforementioned studs on that d-line have all been hurt and missed significant time, and Kittle and Garappolo have as well. It’s a lot to overcome. I know the thinking is always, always “no excuses! Injuries happen!” but there is a point where production keeps getting taken and taken until there’s not much left.
I agree that that Shanahan has too much faith in his system and his stubbornness in allowing deviation in his offense to accommodate player talent has contributed to their lack of success, but realistically, they’ve lost every core element of production that they had. Shanahan did not even have a chance to prove or disprove his reputation. Neither did Garrappolo. They’re not the only ones, I know, but that doesn’t make it less factual. Injuries are not something a team should use an excuse. Us as fans however do need to recognize that injuries or plain bad luck (like having to move your home stadium to a rival facility and a hotel conference room in another state) DO have an effect on a team. I mean, talent and time invested are what makes certain players more or less valuable than others. We can’t accept that and also state that injuries simply do not matter.
Thank you, Ak; well stated
Shocking that Garopahurt is out all year. Wow.