Golden Gate Sports
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San Francisco 49ers: A few players critical to team’s success in 2018

By Kevin Saito

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: San Francisco 49ers fans celebrate a touchdown against Los Angeles Rams during the third quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: San Francisco 49ers fans celebrate a touchdown against Los Angeles Rams during the third quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco 49ers
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 31: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Jimmy Garoppolo

Obviously, right?

Garoppolo breezed through his first five games of regular action last season. In leading San Francisco to five straight wins to close out there year, he put up some ridiculous numbers – and managed to carve up what was then the NFL’s best defense in Jacksonville – and took some of the the sting out of what had been a painful season to watch unfold.

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What was most impressive though, was not necessarily how well Garoppolo played en route to pulling the 49er from 1-10 to 6-10 to close out the year, it was how well everybody around him played. Garoppolo’s presence seemed to elevate everybody else’s level of play.

Which is exactly what you want in a franchise quarterback, and is exactly why Lynch and the 49ers gave him a $137 million dollar deal – a deal that briefly made him the highest player in the league.

But, things are about to get a lot more real for Garoppolo and the 49ers. They aren’t going to be able to sneak up on anybody anymore, and there will be a lot more pressure on him and a team that has high expectations, than there was on a team that was 1-10 and going nowhere.

As Garoppolo enters his first full year as a starter – and given the successes he had in his brief stint last year – he’s going to be getting every defense’s best shot, week in and week out. Now that there is a little bit of tape on him, it will be a little bit easier for defensive coordinators to scheme against him.

There is going to be a lot more attention focused on Garoppolo, as well as a lot more pressure on his shoulders. Lynch and Shanahan now have to sit back and hope he can handle it, for as Garoppolo goes, so go the 49ers.