Kyle Shanahan remains stingy about the official name of the 49ers ’Week 1 opening quarterbacks, but he and Jimmy Garoppolo left some pretty big tips on Wednesday.
Between them:
• While he won’t reveal it, Shanahan said he had a “good idea” that would start against the Lions. “I’ve always had a pretty good idea,” said the head coach of the 49ers, who for months has said Trey Lance would find it hard to beat Garoppolo before the start of the regular season.
• Shanahan said Lance has a set of skills that allow him to get into games and take on some instant situations “and that’s what we’ve been working on”. Shanahan wouldn’t say if such instant situations would come against Detroit and that “we’ll do it when we think it helps us.”
• Both Shanahan and Garoppolo cited the New Orleans Saints, who have pitched quarterback Taysom Hill in their offense over the past three seasons. In fact, Garoppolo chatted with former Saints quarterback Drew Brees when the team was in Southern California last week, and the two specifically discussed what it was like to sporadically leave the games when a younger, older quarterback came in. Phone.
“It’s something I wasn’t used to, I guess you could say,” Garoppolo said. “Only the entrance and exit part. So he was trying to pick his brain, like he did.