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Garoppolo’s first-start success partially attributable to how his teammates accepted him

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On a Friday travel day, the locker room is strewn with athletic bags, clothes and good-natured ribbing. When quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo stepped into a pair of jeans before getting on the plane, rookie tight end George Kittle stopped him.

“We all wear sweats,” Kittle told one of the 49ers’ newest team members. “Go get a pair.”

Kittle wanted to make sure Garoppolo didn’t feel like an outsider, and as silly as it may sound, that might be one reason Garoppolo looked so comfortable moving up and down the field against the Bears Sunday in the 49ers’ 15-14 win.

Players welcomed Garoppolo from nearly the minute he walked into the locker room. One of the team leaders,
center Daniel Kilgore, said that’s just something he and his teammates have always done.

“I’ve gotten a lot of practice introducing myself, because it’s all brand new” said Kilgore, an easy-going Tennessean who aspires to work with special education kids when he’s done with football. “There’s no reason to be a d—- head. It’s kind of like we are in this together.”

The 49ers turned over nearly half their roster this year. Since Kilgore’s arrival in 2011, the roster has almost completely changed with the exception of him and his best friend on the team, tackle Joe Staley.

Kilgore’s attitude seems to be, we’re all here together and who knows how long we will be together, so let’s make it work.

It’s something Garoppolo felt right away.

“It’s a unique locker room we have in there,” he said..”Since the first day I got here really guys were very welcoming, inviting me over to their place just to hang out.”

One of the first was fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who invited Garoppolo over to Thanksgiving dinner.

“He has just gotten here a couple of weeks prior and I know he didn’t know anybody,” Juszczyk said. “And I didn’t want him just sitting in the hotel. When it’s Thanksgiving, it’s always good to have the future quarterback hanging out at your house.”

What stood out about Garoppolo’s performance in Chicago was the trust he had in his teammates. He trusted that the offensive line would protect, which they did, and he trusted that his receivers would be there when he threw the ball to a spot on the field.

Some of that trust is linked to how Garoppolo’s been treated by the team.

“Just the camaraderie in the locker room, that helps to that so much,” Garoppolo said. “Not as much as timing on the field, but just being on the same page with that guy. Being able to talk the same language as them and see the same things. That goes a long way.”

Players have feelings and to be brought into the fold early and without judgment is something the 49ers did naturally with Garoppolo.

“It’s a very tight-knit group out there and I appreciate that from those guys,” Garoppolo said. “I just got here a couple weeks ago and they welcomed me with open arms. It’s been a fun experience.”