49ers’ George Kittle continues to defend Jimmy Garoppolo from critics

George Kittle continues answering questions about 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and the tight end continues to have his QB’s back.

Kittle appeared on ESPN Radio’s “Golic & Wingo” on Friday, and the All-Pro said he thought Garoppolo has faced additional criticism this offseason “because there’s nothing going on.”

"I think Jimmy's done nothing but work his a-- off and work really hard,” Kittle said (h/t 49ers WebZone). “He's been ballin' out. We don't make it to the Super Bowl without him. … [They] always judge you on wins and losses, so I think Jimmy is doing a pretty good job of that. And overall, he's just a fantastic person, a great leader for this football team.”

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Garoppolo is 19-5 in the regular season as the 49ers’ starter since San Francisco acquired him in 2017. The 49ers went 3-10 to finish the 2018 season after Garoppolo tore his ACL against the Kansas City Chiefs, but Garoppolo has faced the same question that has dogged countless quarterbacks on contending teams: Is He Elite?

Some metrics peg Garoppolo as a top-10 QB, while critics are quick to point to the former New England Patriot’s underwhelming performance against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. Facing scrutiny comes with the territory of being a franchise QB, let alone one for a team spoiled as rich of a quarterbacking history as the 49ers.

Garoppolo’s competing with the legacies of predecessors Joe Montana and Steve Young as well as the play of his peers.

"The criticism that he gets, it is criticism,” Kittle continued. “He's the franchise quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, so he's always in the spotlight and I think he handles it incredibly well. I'm just excited that he's my quarterback, and I get to keep catching passes from him."