

© Cary Edmondson | 2019 Dec 21

Saturday’s Divisional Playoff Game will be an afternoon of firsts.

It’s the 49ers first ever playoff game at Levi’s Stadium, the first playoff game since John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan took over three years ago, and the first ever playoff start of Jimmy Garoppolo’s young career.

Former 49ers quarterback Steve Young knows a thing or two about playoff starts, considering he started in 14 postseason games throughout his decorated career. Some went well, like Young’s six touchdown performance in Super Bowl XXIX. Others not so much, like Young’s back-to-back losses to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game.

Young called on his wealth of knowledge when he joined Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks on Thursday afternoon and gave some advice to Garoppolo before his first playoff start.

“I would tell him that it happens fast, and you’ve got to be super careful every drive,” Young said. “Not that you don’t do that during the regular season, but seasons end really quickly. I remember in the Championship Game against the Cowboys we throw a touchdown and it gets called back and we start to get bogged down, before you know it you’re down 10 and then you’re scrambling a little bit and you know that the clock is running.

“With a do or die situation, I would tell him start early. Do not waste a down. Look, I’ve seen Kyle (Shanahan) install plays, and he is a master at creating plays that Jimmy won’t have to adjust for blitz, that cut the field in half, that make the reads so they’re not as complex so you get yourself in trouble, and see if they can’t run the football and hit George (Kittle) and get some momentum and score some points and then things are really rolling.”

Though Saturday’s game vs. the Vikings will be his first official playoff start, Garoppolo led the 49ers to victory two weeks ago in what was a playoff atmosphere in Seattle. Garoppolo was phenomenal in that game, going 18-22 for 285 yards while posting a QB rating of 118.8.

“So I don’t think Jimmy needs to overthink it or do too much, but just don’t waste a down, and that starts early on. For quarterbacks it’s all personality driven, you don’t want to be desperate, never, but you also want to be ‘on’ every down.”