49ers HC Kyle Shanahan: Jimmy Garoppolo 'is one of the main reasons we’re here'

Garoppolo has toughed out playing through injuries to his throwing shoulder and the thumb of his throwing hand as of late, but the numbers don't lie. As noted by ESPN stats, he'll enter the weekend dead last among the remaining active starting quarterbacks in multiple noteworthy categories. 

Regardless, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner left no doubt on Wednesday he and his teammates are proudly riding with Jimmy G into SoFi Stadium this weekend "because we keep winning" and because Garoppolo is "playing great football." During Thursday's media availability, head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed players having his signal-caller's back ahead of Sunday's outing. 

"They probably feel a need to stick up for him," Shanahan explained, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. "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." 

Warner said Wednesday that teammates admire that Garoppolo is a cool customer who is "literally the same exact person every day, no matter what." Shanahan added Garoppolo "doesn't worry" about outside noise such as what's said on social media or sports talk shows. 

"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," Shanahan said. 

All signs point to rookie Trey Lance eventually replacing Garoppolo as San Francisco's QB1, perhaps as quickly as when the new NFL year opens in March. For better or for worse, the 49ers are clearly Garoppolo's team until further notice.