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Jimmy Garoppolo: 'We're Moving in the Right Direction'

The San Francisco 49ers recorded their first road win of the season over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Much of the credit goes to Robbie Gould, who accounted for all 15 of the 49ers points against his former team. That includes a game-winning, 24-yard field goal with just :04 remaining in the game to give San Francisco a 15-14 victory.

In his first start as a member of the 49ers, Jimmy Garoppolo completed 26-of-37 passes for 293 yards and an interception. San Francisco managed 388 yards of total offense while dominating time of possession. The 49ers offense was on the field for nearly 40 minutes in Chicago.

Take a look at what the 49ers locker room had to say following their Week 13 victory.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on his confidence in Jimmy Garoppolo:

"I had a lot. I thought we had driven the ball well all game. Jimmy doing it and the rest of the offense I thought we moved the ball well. We did not capitalize enough in the red zone, I think we are 0-5. Had some rough penalties which set us back at some bad times. The third down to Trent (Taylor), which I believe was 3rd-and-11 or 3rd-and-10, that was a huge play in the game by both of them. The line had a good pocket which allowed them to progress across the board and Trent made a hell of a play and got a good run after the catch."

Shanahan on his overall assessment of Garoppolo's first start:

"I thought it was a real good first start. He handled the offense well, definitely moved the chains and moved the ball well for us. It will be fun to get back and to watch the tape and when you go through this stuff it is nice to be able to coach off of this stuff. It will give him a chance to get much better and we went through the whole process this week, just what it is like being in our scheme and being the starting quarterback and now he has a game to really learn from – what was good, what was bad and makes it more fun to go into next week."
Shanahan on Garoppolo's chemistry with teammates:

"We have not caught the ball real consistently this year and the guys had the best game with catching the ball. Especially with Marquise (Goodwin) with 8-of-8, I believe Trent (Taylor) was 6 and 6. Both of those guys stepped up huge were huge and Jimmy gave them some good balls and those guys did a good job getting open. Trent did a hell of a job, he had the flu this morning and was throwing up all morning and he battled playing that game and played very well too."

Shanahan on Garoppolo being the tipping point for the 49ers:

"You know, not just the quarterback but the whole team. We gave it back to them and our defensive got off the game and we had a chance to go down the field and make it a two-score game at the end and our defense held them and we were able to flip field position so I am going to say we got it at like the seven on the last drive. I want to say there was about five minutes left or four and half minutes left, Jimmy made a bunch of plays on that drive and I thought we ran the ball well and I thought we blocked well. Our receivers made some plays and we were able to finish it running and to take the clock out so I thought it was a huge team win and I thought everyone contributed. Special teams had the tough punt return but they rebounded well but that kid (Tarik Cohen) is a hell of a returner. But most of all for Robbie (Gould) for being five for five on those field goals and for Robbie coming back to where he spent most of his career is a huge day for him and a perfect time for him to do that for us."

Shanahan on going 0-5 in the red zone:

"Yes, definitely. After the Seattle game just throughout the week, we have been really trying to emphasis learning how to win. We have not done that much around here lately and it does take time to learn how to do that and I really challenge the players not to care about the score and not pay attention to that stuff that does not affect anything. We had to play every single play like that moment is a key play in the game, whether that is three – three or fifty to fifty and I think that allows you to score touchdowns when you have moved the ball and got some penalties and came up short, it allows you not to lose your confidence and to play your hardest and to always win and today was nice because we ended up overcoming some things and it paid off in the end. I think that is the type of stuff you can learn from and hopefully lead to more."

QB Jimmy Garoppolo on making his first start in his hometown:

"Pretty normal. I get butterflies before every game. I think if you don't then you're playing for the wrong reasons. It was a normal pregame and everything. I thought we came out with a lot of energy." 

"I tried to say all week that it's just a normal game. Obviously I've never come back to Chicago like this, so it's exciting. I had a ton of people here today. It was one of the more fun games I've been a part of."

Garoppolo on the third down throw to Taylor in the final minutes:

"Great protection up front, I thought all day those guys gave me a lot of time. You know, it's a good pass rush they went against. I was clean for the most party today, so that plays a huge role in all third downs and big plays like that. But Trent made a great route, hit him, and he got some yards after the catch so it was exciting."

Garoppolo on facing his hometown team:

"Yeah, you always dream of it as a little kid. I can remember ever since I was in elementary school, really. You always have that dream of playing in the NFL. You don't really know if it's going to come true or not but it's crazy how things work out. I don't know, everything happens for a reason. It's just pretty crazy."

Garoppolo on his comfort in Shanahan's gameplan:

Check out pregame photos from the Week 13 matchup between San Francisco and Chicago.

"I think this is the most confident I've been since I've gotten here for sure. And I think every week it will just keep getting easier and easier. We'll start putting more things in, adding to the repertoire and everything. I think we're moving in the right direction."

Garoppolo on failing to find the end zone:

"Being in the NFL, this is my fourth year, you see a lot of different games, different ways to win. It's not always the prettiest win but at the end of the day you want to get the W. The red zone, that's a tough area. It's just like third down, you know, tight windows, and you got to get on the same page with guys. I've only been here a short while so it's going to take a little time but I think overall we're going in the right direction."

K Robbie Gould on the team win against the Bears:

"Yeah, I mean we talked as a team coming in here trying to find a way to win. Pretty excited about the guys. Defense played extremely well. Our offense found a way to win the game. This one's kind of bittersweet for me. I'm excited about those guys. We talked about trying to put together a run here to get ready for next year. The guys, everyone included, it's a total team win."

Gould on getting a win against his former team:

"I played a long time here. I was going against a team that I have a lot of respect for, but just coming back to a place where it is the greatest sports organization. Greatest group of fans I've ever been a part of. Now to be a Niner and see the faithful how great they've been with us through thick and thin, this one means a lot to me a lot of different ways."

Gould on his game-winning field goal:

"That one was pretty special for me. I was pretty excited. To go out there and do your job and have some fun and compete against, I have a lot of people I have respect for. To come in here get a win like that and kick a game winner, I don't think I could have written it any better to be honest with you."

Gould on his return to Chicago:

"It was less emotional cause I'd already been through it. It was great to see everybody. This organization meant a lot to my career. If you look at the heartbeat of where I grew up, it was in that locker room across the hall. I was with guys like (Brian) Urlacher. It was guys like Olin Kreutz. It was guys like Patrick Mannealy, Brad Maynard. Jay Cutler. The list goes on and on. Today, for me and my family and for the organization, I'm just happy we got a win."

WR Marquise Goodwin on building chemistry with Garoppolo:

"He's a professional. We both professionals. He's been in the game for some years now. Got a couple rings, so no big deal. He's a phenomenal athlete. Phenomenal leader. That was all him. I had the easy job today. I just had to catch the ball. He put it in perfect positions for me to make the plays."

DL Solomon Thomas on Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky:

"He's a great quarterback. He has a lot of potential. He's going to be a great quarterback in this league. It's fun going against him, but it was more fun to get a win."

Thomas on the 49ers offense controlling the time of possession:

"That was huge. We always felt fresh. Jimmy (Garoppolo), the whole offense, the o- line, Marquise (Goodwin), Trent (Taylor), they played amazing. That was helpful for us. It really helped us out throughout the whole game."

"We want to get it done. We want to do our part and make sure we give the offense a chance to go win."Thomas on what Garoppolo brings to the 49ers:

"We try and play as hard as we can to go win. Jimmy went out there and played amazing. Great tempo. Good chemistry with the offense. He's an amazing quarterback. We're lucky to have him. We just played as hard as we could, like we always do, and wanted to go win."

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