'Apologize to Mina Kimes on national television' - Stephen A. Smith blasts "idiot" Jeff Garcia after 49ers loss
After the San Francisco 49ers lost in the NFC Championship on Sunday with a 20-17 loss to divisional rivals the Los Angeles Rams, Stephen A. Smith had yet another message to former 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia.
The ESPN commentator and co-host of First Take demanded that Garcia apologize publicly for his remarks to ESPN analyst Mina Kimes regarding her comments about current San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Stephen A. Smith called Garcia an "idiot" and instructed him to apologize.
"First of all, that idiot Jeff Garcia that tried to call out Mina Kimes," Smith said, "we don't hear anything from you today, do we Jeff Garcia? Nothing at all. Nothing at all."
"You should be apologizing on national television to Mina Kimes with your trifling self, that's number one," he continued. "He is trifling for trying to go after Mina Kimes like that. He is trifling."
After saying that Garoppolo was the "definition of being part of the group project that gets an A while doing none of the work," Kimes was seemingly proven right with the display that Jimmy G put in on Sunday. He threw for 232 yards, two touchdowns and one extremely poor, game-clinching interception.
What exactly happened between former 49ers QB Jeff Garcia and ESPN analyst Mina Kimes?
Kimes criticized Garoppolo after the 49ers' 13-10 win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round, where the quarterback threw just 11 times for 131 yards and one interception. He was rightly criticized, not just by Kimes but by other commentators and analysts who cover the NFL. Garcia chose to single her out.
Garcia went on a rant about Kimes, questioning her ability to comment on the NFL as she has never thrown a touchdown or taken a snap and therefore could not understand the ability or mindset that it takes to play the quarterback position.
Garcia also appeared on the radio show 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and instead of apologizing, he chose to double-down on his comments before eventually hanging up the phone in the middle of the interview.
Kimes may have put a nail in the coffin in this particular "feud" with a tweet she sent out after the 49ers' loss on Sunday. She tweeted a GIF in response to the knowledge that Garcia had made his Instagram account private.
@minakimes Jeff Garcia knew that heat was commin… https://t.co/aRQKlhKuVl
https://t.co/L7UTJ8YIZH
Given the past two previous performances from Garoppolo, Kimes was well within her right to criticize what she saw, and in her eyes, it was an underperforming quarterback.
It may well have been Garoppolo's last game in San Francisco as the 49ers will probably look to the future and make Trey Lance, who they drafted with the third pick in the 2021 NFL draft, their starter going forward.