Jimmy Garoppolo said he feels comfortable with his surroundings during his second 49ers training camp.
Well, it pays to know everyone's name.
"I didn't know a couple of the receivers' names when I first got here," Garoppolo told NBC Sports' Peter King when asked about his comfort in Kyle Shanahan's offense. "[I was] trying to figure everything out. I was living in a hotel. ... Comparing then to now, it's night and day. It's not even close. Just the comfort level of being around here, knowing my teammates, knowing the staff and coaches -- it's hard to compare the two. That was a long time ago, it feels like."
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The 49ers acquired Garoppolo from the New England Patriots on Halloween 2017, but he has only played in nine of the team's 24 games since that time. Garoppolo played in six games -- starting and winning five -- during his first season with the Niners, as Shanahan and his staff eased the QB into the team. His 2018 season lasted just over 11 quarters after tearing his ACL in Week 3, so Garoppolo's starting experience in the NFL is fairly limited.
Backing up Tom Brady for the first three years of your career will do that, but Garoppolo noted it has been "a while" since he played in a full season. Doing so in 2019 is at the top of his mind.
"That competitor in you, it starts to come out," Garoppolo said. "Being back out on the field, I remember the first day of training camp I had the little-kid feeling of excitement again. It's fun to be back out here. You want to make it last as long as you can."
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Garoppolo's return to the field hasn't necessarily been perfect, considering he threw five consecutive interceptions in practice Wednesday. But these are still early days, as Garoppolo hasn't yet suited up in a preseason game.
Joint practices with the Denver Broncos on Friday and Saturday -- as well as Monday night's preseason contest -- should provide some insight into what Garoppolo can do. But even coming back from injury, he'll start the season in a better place than he did when he first joined the 49ers.
