So Chris Simms, noted prolific QB (12 career TD’s vs 18 career INT’s) believes that the San Francisco 49ers have the advantage over the Minnesota Vikings at the quarterback position. His main reasoning you ask? Because Jimmy G is unflappable. Now I’ve been racking my brain trying to remember when Jimmy really showed us just how calm, cool, and collected he is. Did he have some big playoff wins I can’t remember? Surely if he’s so unflappable he must have been clutch in at least a wild card game right? Maybe even a late game winning drive to get to a conference championship? A clutch game winning drive to get into the playoffs??? I don’t know, nothing comes to mind.
So why is Chris Simms so certain Jimmy Garoppolo is the better quarterback? Must have been those 10 games he started over the course of 5 years. Must have really showed out in 2015 when he threw 4 passes. Or maybe Simms is thinking of 2017, when Jimmy G started 5 games and threw 5 interceptions? Ice. In. His Veins. It could have been 2019, when Garoppolo played the only complete season of his career. Nothing says unflappable like 13 picks in 16 games. Jimmy was just so damn solid, so clutch, so fearless in that 2019 regular season, where he never played in a meaningful game. It’s not exactly like had to fight and claw his way into the playoffs. Want to hear something scary? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Want to have a nightmare? The Bengals. I’ll put you on the edge of your seat. The Cleveland Browns, AND the Washington Redskins. Oh no, I don’t even want to say this one. The Arizona Cardinals. Can’t say I’m surprised that Garoppolo was never fazed this year when he was playing BIG 12 scout teams.
Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Chris Simms also said that Jimmy G is better, simply because he has the better offense. Sure, like they wound’t trade Mostert or Coleman or Breida for Dalvin Cook in a heartbeat. Thielen and Diggs? Kyle Shanahan day dreams about have those studs as his starting wide receivers. Surely George Kittle is better than Rudy though, no doubt about it. Kittle has the receiving yards advantage, and let’s be fair, its not even close, and same with total receptions. But when it comes to scoring points, Rudy has 6 TD’s, Kittle has 5. Well maybe the 49ers just run the ball into the end zone more than the Vikings. We should check. The top 3 running backs for San Francisco scored 15 rushing touchdowns. The top 3 running backs for Minnesota scored 17 rushing touchdowns. As for QB stats? Nearly identical when you consider that Kirk did not play in week 17. The biggest statistical difference? Interceptions. Kirk “The Interception Machine” Cousins has 6 (huh?), Jim has 13 (yikes). DO NOT TELL SIMMS. Don’t do it.
Let’s face it, Chris Simms doesn’t believe in Kirk Cousins. That’s it, that’s all he had to say. Don’t act like Jimmy G is such an amazing, clutch quarterback with a vastly superior offense. It’s simply not true. The 49ers are extremely talented, but does Minnesota not have one of the most talented rosters in the league?