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It was always trending this way. Head coach Kyle Shanahan had done everything but rule out Jimmy Garoppolo after his high ankle sprain last week, and finally said on the Murph and Mac Show on Friday that Garoppolo would not play, leaving Nick Mullens to start.
“Jimmy’s not going to be playing,” Shanahan said. “Nick’s on. He’s a machine… It’s going to be the same offense, just a different guy running the huddle and executing stuff.”
Shanahan also confirmed Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman would be out, both with MCL sprains. JaMycal Hasty will be activated from the practice squad.
As for George Kittle, it’s going to come down to a post-practice assessment with Kittle and team doctors.
“Today will be a big day. It’s gotten better each day,” Shanahan said. “I’ll talk to him after, I’ll talk to the doctors after and then we’ll make a decision. I promise you if there’s any hesitation at all in George—which there rarely is—but if there is at all, and if there’s any hesitation in the doctors at all, then he won’t be out there. If all of them are extremely confident—extremely confident—that he can go out there and protect himself and be 100 percent, then I think the decision is already made for me.”
Before the 49ers get to their matchup with the Giants, they’ll get to enjoy some of The Greenbrier resort on Friday, which is general manager John Lynch’s birthday. Shanahan said he and the coaching staff would join Lynch to celebrate.
Whether that includes golf isn’t yet clear. The resort is known for its three golf courses, but Shanahan acknowledged he’s into golf for the, dare I say, vibes.
“I really like to be outside,” Shanahan said. “I really like to listen to music. I like to have some beers and just hang out with guys for four hours and the golf course is the perfect place to do it. But no, I’m not taking lessons. I like to say I have potential, but I’m usually not going to keep my score.”