Either a previously weak San Francisco 49ers secondary has turned into the Legion of Boom or quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo struggled big time in practice on Wednesday.
Taking part in their final practice before heading to Denver to take on the Broncos Monday night, Garoppolo tossed five consecutive interceptions in team drills.
The picks went to Richard Sherman, Ahkello Witherspoon, Jaquiski Tartt and Tarvarius Moore (twice). San Francisco’s defense registered an NFL-record low two interceptions last season.
Not great.
“He threw it to the wrong team five plays in a row,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said, via Jeremy Bergman of NFL Media. “I was a defensive coach today, so I was pumped. But no, the defense did great today and obviously he struggled.”
Summer practice is one thing. It’s hard to read too much into what we see. With that said, interceptions on five consecutive passes is a pretty difficult “accomplishment.”
It goes without saying that Garoppolo will be under a microscope in Northern California in 2019. The 27-year-old veteran missed all but three games last season with a torn ACL.
That came mere months after he signed a five-year, $137.5 million extension with San Francisco. Garoppolo has started a combined 10 regular-season games in five years.