If there is a flaw in your game, it's better to identify it in June than in September. The nice thing about having a three-time first-team All-Pro cornerback on your roster is that he has seen countless quarterbacks over his illustrious career.
Quarterbacks in the NFL can't be complacent. They must always adapt to an ever-changing league and evolving defenses. There is not as much game film available on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as some of the more seasoned veteran signal callers in the league, but offseason acquisition Richard Sherman already identified a minor flaw in his play.
"[Garoppolo's release is] definitely pretty quick," Sherman said last week. "It's not [Aaron Rodgers] quick, but it's definitely quicker than most quarterbacks. You can't (let it) really affect how you play, but you just need to read him. Hand off ball, he's letting it go, and you have to be decisive. If he takes his hand off the ball and doesn't throw it, I think he'll throw guys off. When he takes his hand off the ball, you've got to be ready to break."
Of course, Sherman also noted that it's evident Garoppolo learned a great deal serving as Tom Brady's backup in New England and that he isn't the type of quarterback who will be impatient and force the football into dangerous situations.
The identified flaw, coupled with seven games worth of film (five in Kyle Shanahan's offense) on the quarterback, may allow observant defenders to get a better read on his throws and make a play for the football. Luckily for the quarterback, he still has months to work on the minor flaw.
"He's watching everything," Garoppolo said of Sherman. "Yeah, the defense has told me [about the flaw]. But, at the same time, I use that against them because they're thinking that. It's a game of cat and mouse. It always is. They're reading you, you're reading them at the same time. It's a 'who flinches first' type of thing."
While not all of Garoppolo's five interceptions through five starts last year were entirely his fault, the goal is to get that average down significantly.
"The more you can minimize those, the ball is the most important thing when you're playing a football game," Garoppolo said. "Usually if you lose the turnover battle, you're going to lose the game. I think just minimizing those, not taking unwanted risks and knowing when to and when not to. I think those are important. That's what practice is for. You learn what throws you can make with which guys and which guys are going to protect the ball better than others. You learn how to trust one another in practice."
Garoppolo's presence was one of the factors in Sherman's decision to sign with the 49ers this offseason. The cornerback also shared some of the positives he has observed in his quarterback over the past three months.
"He's been phenomenal running the team," Sherman said. "He's just another one of the guys. He carries himself well. He executes the offense great. He goes through every single read. His mind works really fast, which is cool to see, and I've had a great pleasure watching him and looking forward to trying to take it from him a few times (in practice)."
Until recently, all Sherman has been able to do is observe Garoppolo during practices. His recovery from a ruptured Achilles in November has sidelined the former Seattle Seahawk for most of the team's offseason program. He has, however, taken advantage of the situation by helping coach up the young 49ers defensive backs.
The 49ers players will not reconvene in Santa Clara until the start of training camp in late July. That will likely be Sherman's first opportunity to go against Garoppolo on the practice field. He was just recently -- during the team's minicamp last week -- allowed to take part in individual drills. Sherman expects to be fully cleared by the 49ers' medical staff for training camp.
Facing a healthy Sherman in practices will help Garoppolo elevate his play and potentially allow the 49ers to pick up right where they left off in 2017.