The public’s expectations for Jimmy Garoppolo will be astronomical in 2018, but they won’t match the standards he has for himself.

That’s the opinion of Steve Young, who qualifies as someone who should know.

The former 49ers quarterback has unique insight into the current 49ers quarterback because they are the only members of this group: QBs who spent four seasons earning a PhD in greatness as the backups to the players regarded as the best QBs of in NFL history.

Garoppolo, of course, is 7-0 as a starter and -- after he was traded from the Patriots in October - he transformed a 2017 NFL laughingstock into a 2018 playoff contender.

So now how will he handle the pressure created by those who expect him to be the next Tom Brady? Joe Montana’s understudy said Garoppolo is uniquely prepared because he’s learned everything from footwork to work ethic by observing Tom Brady.

“Now the expectations are huge, and that’s good,” Young said. “He knows how good you have to be. He’s watched it - so that’s nice. It’s not going to be ‘Oh, Jimmy, the expectations are too high.’ He’s like ‘No, I know how good you have to be. You can expect me to do whatever you want, but I know how good I have to be. I’ve witnessed it.’ It just makes a huge difference. A lot of players don’t have any idea how hard the job is; what really good looks like. And Jimmy’s watched it for four years.”

In one way, Garoppolo’s path will be easier than that of Young, who displaced Montana and had to prove himself to fans who expected the same level of excellence. In contrast, Garoppolo learned from Brady, but he doesn’t have to fill his cleats in New England.

On the flip side, Young assumed the reigns of a powerhouse in 1991 that was one year removed from back-to-back Super Bowl titles. Last year, Garoppolo walked into a mess.

“It’s so hard to come into a team that’s not winning, in midseason, with new coaches and new plays, and just start winning games,” Young said. “That’s just so hard to do. You can try to diminish it, but why would you? You’ve got a 1-10 team that goes 5-0. Jimmy did so much just to stop the madness.”

Twitter: @Eric_Branch