TIME TO SHINE

A year ago the praise was endless and effusive for the 49ers’ star-bound quarterback. One year — and one reconstructed knee — later, the expectations are far more tempered for Jimmy Garoppolo. The 2019 season should help separate myth from reality.

STORY BY HAROLD GUTMANN

ILLUSTRATION BY DAVE HOMER

As the 49ers arrived at Levi’s Stadium for pre-training-camp physicals, Joe Staley, Richard Sherman and Robbie Gould, three of the team’s most-experienced players, came to the media room to meet with reporters.

Then the franchise quarterback was ushered in.

Jimmy Garoppolo entered and ended up in news conference purgatory, standing between the bank of microphones at the podium and a backdrop with the 49ers logo on it. After a few hard-to-hear questions and answers, a TV cameraman stopped the proceedings.

“If you don’t mind, could you please step up to the podium,” he asked.

“Sorry,” Garoppolo said, taking a small step closer to the cameras.

Last year, there seemed to be few doubts about Garoppolo’s showtime readiness. With much hype and momentum, he entered the season as an NFL starting quarterback for the first time. But his season and the 49ers’ high hopes ended quickly when Garoppolo suffered a torn ACL in week three.

Now healthy and with an upgraded supporting cast, Jimmy G is expected to lead the Niners back to the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, right? Not quite so fast, many NFL experts seem to be cautioning — the buzz of late last summer tempered ever so slightly. Even if he is sound physically, there are questions about whether a player with 10 NFL starts under his belt is comfortable enough in the huddle, in the locker room, under the NFL spotlight to handle the once-predicted star trajectory.

“It’s just part of the job, I guess,” the sixth-year pro said. “You just have to get used to it. It’s a good problem to have. If people aren’t talking about you, then you’re really not doing anything.” an adult film actress in Beverly Hills was filmed by TMZ and documented by media outlets.

Last year most thought Jimmy Garoppolo was ready for the spotlight. But questions remain about his readiness after only 10 NFL starts.

“Life is different now,” he said later. “I’m under a microscope.”

But Garoppolo has also taken advantage of his status – his last Instagram post in July announced his sponsorship with the Bay Area’s premier destination for highline luxury and performance vehicles.

He also has deals with Jordan, Bose and New Era, but those are complemented by more blue-collar endorsements. He was a spokesman for Klein Tools, which his father, Tony, used, and he was part of a promotional campaign for a suit drive by Men’s Warehouse that benefitted men and women re-entering the workforce.

Backing up Tom Brady for three seasons with the Patriots gave Garoppolo a firsthand look at how to handle attention. And in his brief time with the 49ers, Garoppolo has seen both sides of fame.

Winning all five starts to end the 2017 season gave hope to a playoff-starved fan base and landed Garoppolo a five-year, $137.5 million contract, which then was the highest per-year average in NFL history.

The disappointment of his injury-shortened 2018 followed, and Garoppolo’s stock dropped in an annual quarterback survey of NFL coaches and executives by veteran NFL writer Mike Sando.

“It’s crazy what a year can do, I’ll tell you what,” Garoppolo said. “I have so much motivation in myself, and I push myself so much, that’s all I need. All the noise on the outside, you just tune it out. It’s a good thing when people are talking about you.”

After coming out of Eastern Illinois and playing behind Brady, Garoppolo didn’t seem prepared for all the attention that comes with being the face of an NFL franchise. During his first offseason with the 49ers, he expressed surprise that his dinner date with

That personality was forged in the Chicago suburb of Rolling Meadows, Illinois.

Tony Garoppolo, an electrician for 40 years until his retirement on Jan. 1, and Denise, a chef, had four sons who all played football — Tony Jr., Mike, Jimmy and Bill.

Jimmy was a star athlete who also excelled in baseball, basketball and soccer. Neal Zeman, who lived across the street from the Garoppolos and remains one of Jimmy’s best friends, remembers catching Jimmy in Little League, when Tony was the coach.

“He’d strike out three kids in a row, and my hand would be hurting,” Zeman said. “I would just say, ‘Mr. G, he’s throwing real hard today.’ He’s just athletic as hell and great at every sport.”

Garoppolo was not a fiery leader, even as he took over as starting quarterback his junior year at Rolling Meadows High. But his teammates and coaches said he still commanded respect.

A longstanding tradition at Rolling Meadows was to go out the night before homecoming. That often meant the players weren’t at their best for the game.

Some years, it meant an upset loss that damaged their playoff seeding. In Garoppolo’s junior year, it meant total embarrassment against Mount Prospect.

“A group of guys all went out and got hammered, and we got killed 42-7 by our crosstown rival,” said Zeman, who played on the defensive line.

The following season, Rolling Meadows coach Doug Millsaps was determined to end the tradition but seemed powerless to stop it.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Millsaps said. “One of our assistant coaches said to tell Jimmy to talk to the team, and if he doesn’t go out, the rest of them won’t go out. Essentially that’s what happened.

“He made a statement at the end of practice on Thursday, that we have a big game tomorrow night, and he wasn’t going out, and apparently the rest of them didn’t either. That just speaks volumes about the kind of impact he has on people.”

Rolling Meadows beat Mount Prospect 46-38, with Garoppolo throwing for 343 yards and rushing for 98, accounting for three touchdowns. He also recorded a team-high seven tackles and recovered a fumble on defense as a safety.

Former teammates called Garoppolo an “elevator” for his ability to make everyone around him better. He convinced childhood friend Tony Taibi, whose primary sport was basketball, to go out for football when they were sophomores.

After travelling to camps on the weekends and training together during the week – Garoppolo as the quarterback, Taibi as the receiver – Taibi eventually set school records for receptions, touchdowns and receiving yards in a season as a senior.

“It was great to have Jimmy as my quarterback, let me tell you,” said Taibi, who parlayed that success into a college career at Valparaiso.

“He had this unique ability to make people better around him, and not just based on his talent but based on his work ethic,” Millsaps said.

His connection with people

Teammates say Garoppolo’s connection to people and quiet confidence make him a great leader.

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Five key questions