ESPN’s Ryan Clark praises 49ers while taking another shot at Jimmy Garoppolo

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is now an impressive 13-2 as a starter. 13-2! That includes an 11-2 record as a starter with San Francisco.

Still, that doesn't seem like enough for former NFL safety turned ESPN analyst, Ryan Clark.

You remember him, right? He's the one who called the 49ers "imitators" and "pretenders" when the team started 2-0 and appeared higher than the Buffalo Bills in ESPN's Week 3 power rankings last month.

"[The Bills] should be higher because you know who should be behind them? The 49ers," Clark said in September. "They are pretending. They are faking us out. They are imitators, pretenders, whatever you want to say. They are not the real deal at 2-0."

One reason why Clark felt the 49ers were overrated is Garoppolo, with whom he doesn't seem too impressed.

So how does Clark feel about the 49ers now that they are 5-0? He likes the team, it seems, but not everyone. Clark remains unimpressed with Garoppolo, as shown in the tweet below, which was posted during Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams.

In September, Clark went on to defend his criticisms of Garoppolo during a KNBR interview.

"There are good things about this team," he said, "but I look at their schedule, I look at four of those games may come down to who is a better quarterback; Jimmy G, Russell Wilson, and Jared Goff. And right now, my history lies with those (last two) guys."

Well, Garoppolo's 49ers have already dismantled Goff's Rams by a score of 20-7. True, much of that had to do with the defense's performance, but Garoppolo was the quarterback. They'll have another opportunity during Week 16. As for Wilson, the 49ers will get their first shot at him during Week 10, and another during Week 17.

Injured wide receiver Trent Taylor had a message for analysts, like Clark, who want to call the 49ers "pretenders."