MIAMI -- The 49ers have to be tired of hearing it by now.
In fact, Emmanuel Sanders made that clear Wednesday when he spoke in a nasally voice, mimicking the same general question regarding Jimmy Garoppolo. San Francisco doesn't want to hear about how its quarterback supposedly can't do enough to win, especially after Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones told reporters his defense is going to attempt to stop the run and make Garoppolo beat them.
The Niners' response is simple: Come get these passes from Jimmy G.
"If the game comes down to Jimmy's arm, Jimmy's gonna ball," Sanders told reporters. "I feel like me, George (Kittle), Deebo (Samuel), Kendrick Bourne, everybody, it's just not on Jimmy. It's on us. We've got to get open. I feel like when we get open, he's going to deliver the ball, so it's hard to just say it's on Jimmy's hands.
"I feel like if (Jones is) trying to say if it's gonna end up a passing game, OK then that's cool. I feel like as an offense, we're definitely well-balanced. We can run the ball and we can pass it. But who knows how the game's gonna come? We're gonna go with the flow of the game, see what adjustment we need to make, see how it goes and do whatever we have to do."
Sanders made these comments at a podium that was no more than 10 feet from Garoppolo's. Everyone, including and especially coach Kyle Shanahan, has had to answer this same question. All the while, the quarterback has handled all of this talk about his supposed inadequacies as only he would, brushing it off with his million-dollar, toothpaste commercial-worthy smile.
It's surely difficult to hear such disbelief in Garoppolo's ability, even after he, you know, helped the 49ers to a 13-3 record, the NFC West title, the conference's No. 1 seed and the NFC championship. What more could he do?
Well, he could throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in a Super Bowl-winning effort. That would surely appease the doubters.
Such an output is possible Sunday, as is the exact opposite in a game that can be as unpredictable as it is enjoyable. The 49ers are confident no matter what, though, because despite their great postseason success on the ground, they feel they can win in a variety of fashions.
"I just feel like we're actually just going to play our game," running back Raheem Mostert told NFL Network's Stacey Dales. "We're not necessarily worried about what them or anyone else are saying about us. We're going to do what we do, and if they feel like they can stop it then we're going to go ahead and do what Jimmy does.
"We're gonna have his back. Jimmy's a great quarterback and we feel as though he's done an unbelievable job this season helping us during those crunch moments."
Shanahan said something similar Tuesday, pulling out examples of statistical explosions coming from the arm of Garoppolo. Ah yes, the Arm of Garoppolo. Sounds mythical.
Perhaps it will become part of football lore Sunday.
Super Bowl LIV details
When is the Super Bowl? Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will take place on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. EST.
Where is the Super Bowl? Hard Rock Stadium will host the game in 2020, marking Miami's 11th time as Super Bowl host city.
*How to watch the Super Bowl: Tune in on Fox, with the NFL App, Yahoo Sports App, and on NFL.com. Check out more updates and info here. *
