Here’s the New Year’s resolution, Jimmy.
You have to decide if you want to be a football player. Because here’s what I see:
I see a defender who gets hurt too much, whatever the excuse. You can no longer defend yourself on the field. And maybe most importantly, when you throw a pick or turn the ball around, you go straight off the field and shrug like, “Gee, that didn’t work.”
I know Nick Mullens cares. When he throws a pick or stutters, you can see that he wants to explode. I want to tell you, Jimmy, your facial expressions and body language make you look almost like you don’t care.
You care?
From a financial point of view, you are ready for life. Do you want to pay the price to be in the NFL? Do you have the temperament to be a defender? Do you want to be a football player?
George Kittle wants to be a football player. That’s why the 49ers can’t keep him off the field. He insisted on coming back and playing the last two games of a lost season, because that’s what he does. He plays football.
And the 49ers didn’t try to keep Kittle off the field. They are happy to play. When a reporter recently asked Kyle Shanahan why he lets Kittle come back and risks serious injury, Shanahan said, “That’s what these guys do, and if they’re healthy enough to do it, that’s what you do on our team.
Is that what you’re doing, Jimmy?
I haven’t seen you fight to get back since you suffered a sprained ankle on November 1st. I saw you sitting in a suite and taking notes during the games, but I didn’t see you playing. Did you shut up?
Do you want to retire like Andrew Luck did?
The resolution of your new year is to dig deep into your soul and answer these questions.