Originally posted by CatchMaster80:
I see people use terms like that all the time but they're really expressing disappointment as much as anything else. We have posters that say this or that player sucks when they really mean he's not a pro bowler or as good as they want. Some expect perfection at every position. Most people that weren't Jimmy fans didn't hate him They just wanted someone a notch above that could stay healthy. That's what happens when you get spoiled by having back to back HOF QBs. Jimmy would have been the best QB in 70 years for the Bears. For theNiners he was maybe the 6th best in that span behind Montana, Young, Garcia, Brodie and Tittle. Alex Smith was probably as good or better but he never had the benefit of playing under a good coach until Harbaugh came along.
Cop out response.
At this point, the people who watched Young are pushing 40, and the people who watched Montana are beyond that. We have an entire chunk of our fanbase that wasn't around for either one of those guys, let alone Brodie or Tittle. In my lifetime, Garoppolo is easily the best QB the 49ers have had since Garcia, and yes that includes even Harbaugh era Alex. I loved Alex Smith and felt he also got a raw deal here, but even at his peak under Harbaugh, he wasn't putting up the numbers that Jimmy was.
Jimmy G is the best QB this franchise has had in decades, and was a key contributing factor to the resurgence of the 49ers under Shanahan. Jimmy was not the only factor, by any means, and Jimmy is far from irreplaceable, and the franchise has made their decision to move on. We had better hope that Brock or Trey are worth it in the long run, because the franchise ran out a damned good QB over a case of "grass is greener". As a 49ers fan who is pushing 40 myself, and spent the majority of my fandom watching the franchise be bottom feeders, this is the 2nd time in a decade that the franchise has pushed out a good QB for the shinier toy. Last time, that shiner toy ended up being a far more incompetent option that tanked the franchise for nearly a decade. I certainly don't want to watch that happen again should Lance be a bust or Brock end up being a flash in the pan (neither of which I am saying will or won't happen. Neither one has enough experience under their belt to indicate one way or another)
My problem never has been the idea of replacing Jimmy G, my problem has always been the false narrative surrounding him (no, it's not just people who want a "notch above that can stay healthy". The entire narrative surrounding him is full blown hyperbole not supported by fact that continues to get fueled and pushed by the media) as well as the single track focus on running him out at all costs, no matter the expense to the rest of the team (i.e. trading away 3 1st round picks to get his replacement)
Jimmy is certainly upgradeable, but I have issue with a front office, a media, and a fanbase, that is so obsessed with blowing up something that has been so successful for us and returned this franchise to respectability after so long of being a bottom dweller. Not very many franchises, and not many QB's, have had more success in the league since Jimmy G came on board as the starter of the 49ers, and I am absolutely flabbergasted at the obsession with blowing that up.
Jimmy is not the sole reason for our success by any means, but he certainly is a positive contributor of that. Not just "along for the ride" and "being carried" by a defense and running game that was completely unable to do it when he wasn't around.
At this point, he's left as a free agent, and my hope is that this is a mutually beneficial solution for both sides - the 49ers can move on with someone they hope can take the reigns for the future (and with 2 young prospects in Trey Lance and Brock Purdy who have both shown promise in their own ways, there is certainly hope), and Jimmy can move on to a franchise and a coach that actually wants him where he won't have to look over his shoulder every step of the way. More important to me is how the 49ers move on from this. Neither Trey nor Brock are guaranteed to succeed long term. All the same people saying that we've seen enough from Brock are the same ones saying the 49ers paid Jimmy G off too small a sample size. Trey Lance has even less than that. It is not a guarantee that either one of them will even be as good as Jimmy G long term, let alone better. Despite what newly blowing trends are suggesting, there is also nothing to indicate that Trey Lance is going to end up being a bust either. My hope now is for one of those guys to take charge and make this team theirs.