Jimmy Garoppolo failed his physical in March, due to a foot injury from December. He has since had surgery, and he continues to recover from it.
He reportedly will be ready to go when training camp begins. That was the report on Tuesday from Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, via NFL.com.
That’s fine. He’s expected to be ready. Just another “nothing to see here” message from a team and a player that desperately need the expectations to become reality.
Obviously, the foot was and still is an issue. In a league where every surgery is a success and every rehab is ahead of schedule, the glass remains half full until the last drop of water evaporates from it.
Time will tell if he’s able to finally pass a physical. And then the time will come to worry that one of the most injured quarterbacks in recent years can manage to stay healthy through training camp, the preseason, and into September.
Everyone who passes a physical and makes it through camp without landing on injured reserve is 100 percent, or close to it, when the season begins. That’s when the risk of something breaking, straining, and/or tearing sets in, particularly on game days.
Garoppolo has suffered plenty of injuries because he’s not particularly adept at protecting himself. His torn ACL happened in 2018 because of one of the most boneheaded blunders imaginable -- a decision to drop a shoulder into a defensive back at the sideline instead of just getting out of bounds.
Some quarterbacks have the awareness to avoid contact. Some don’t. And with each instance of unnecessary contact comes the risk of the next injury.
Tom Brady made it to 45 in large part because he knew how to avoid taking hits, even to the point of developing a late-career habit of chucking and ducking in order to avoid getting blown up by someone half his age. There was a time when quarterbacks were ridiculed for playing it safe. Now, it’s a skill to be admired and emulated.
That’s what Raiders fans need to be concerned about. Sure, the foot may be healed by August. But what else will happen to Garoppolo once he’s taking live reps? Will he minimize the hits he takes, or will he keep taking them, hoping that the next one won’t be the last one he takes for weeks or months?
That, by far, is the biggest risk for any team that puts its eggs in the Jimmy G basket. Far too often, the basket breaks.
