SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The 49ers' long-standing mantra of "I Got Your Back" is now being incorporated into the NFL's playoff advertising. It's also being put to use by 49ers players in defending Jimmy Garoppolo.
Defensive end Nick Bosa and tight end George Kittle spoke up after Saturday night's win in Green Bay to say Garoppolo has unfairly received too much, well, criticism, to put in in polite terms.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel fired off an 8:14 a.m. Tweet declaring: "Kraxy how y'all have so much to say about our quarterback ... Check His Win Percentage ... Okay I'll Wait. Pure Winner @JimmyG_10"
Garoppolo is 35-15 as the 49ers' starter since 2017, including a 4-1 playoff record heading into Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
Safety Jaquiski Tartt chimed in off Samuel's tweet and added: "Crazy how the media don't talk about how much we love Jimmy G. The media (needs) to be held accountable too."
Coach Kyle Shanahan appreciated his players' having Garoppolo's back, saying: "They probably feel a need to stick up for him. Social media probably hasn't been that great. I'm glad they're sticking up for him, because what they say is the truth.
"Jimmy is one of the main reasons we're here. He's done an unbelievable job and people don't give him enough credit. We win as a team and that's why he doesn't always have the same stats as the MVP candidates."
Garoppolo has passed for 303 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the 49ers' playoff wins combined against Dallas and Green Bay. Two years ago, he was just 6-of-8 for 77 yards in a run-fueled win to the NFC Championship against the Packers.
He is 6-0 against the Rams since the 2017 finale.
"Jimmy's a very good quarterback and he doesn't worry about any of that stuff," Shanahan added. "He doesn't worry about social media. That's why he's a little similar to me and doesn't have much an idea about that stuff and he never really changes, and that's what people respect the most about of him."
Throughout Garoppolo's hot-and-cold tenure since 2017, he's been highly liked in the locker room, and he's a third-year captain. He's also a polarizing topic among media critics and the team's fans. He rarely posts on his Instagram account, so he only hears from "friends and family" about the hits he takes off the field.
"If you get lost in it and start believing some of those things, it could take you down the wrong road," Garoppolo said Wednesday. "I think 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 belief in me, that's all I really care about."
COACHING MIND GAMES
Rams coach Sean McVay bluntly responded "no" when asked Wednesday if Shanahan is in his head, seeing how the 49ers have won the past six meetings dating to 2019. Shanahan disapproved of the question.
"It's kind of silly. A question like that is just giving Sean and myself way too much credit," Shanahan said. "We're coaches. Watch what's going on on that field the players out there and the people competing. I know he doesn't feel that way and he knows I don't feel that way.
"The entertainment of this business is cool because it brings a lot of fans and a lot of money for everybody. But it's pretty ridiculous. I don't give coaches that much credit."
TRENT WILLIAMS' 'COOLER' PLAY
Left tackle Trent Williams remains out of practice with an ankle injury. Or, shall we say, fullback Trent Williams?
The 49ers waited until Saturday night to spring a new look to a play call Shanahan has used for over a decade: Williams initially lined up as a fullback and went in motion as a lead blocker on two short-yardage runs. It's a role previously filled by fullbacks, tight ends, running backs, wide receivers and, now, a 320-pound, All-Pro left tackle.
"Trent mentioned it to me a long time ago, kind of halfway joking," Shanahan said. "He was the only guy left, and he's probably the best guy you can imagine ever doing it.
"I can't believe it's legal. It's scary for me to even watch," added Shanahan, noting that Williams only practiced it once last week, in Thursday night's walk-through session.
Williams motioned to the right for his lead blocks, and although Elijah Mitchell successfully followed him for a third-and-1 conversion 4 minutes before halftime, Mitchell got stopped up the middle on a fourth-and-1 attempt with 6:10 remaining.
"It's not something Trent had to practice. He had to time out the motion with the snap count and run full speed through the D gap and clean up whoever shows," Shanahan said. "When they showed, they got out of there pretty fast. I thought it was one of the cooler plays I'd seen, because of who was on it, not because of the play we ran."
PRACTICE PLAN
Cleared for full activity are Garoppolo (thumb) and cornerback Ambry Thomas (knee). Limited will be running backs Elijah Mitchell (knee) and Jeff Wilson Jr. (knee).
