Mina Kimes responds to Jeff Garcia shade over Jimmy Garoppolo rant

Mina Kimes took to Twitter on Thursday to respond to yet another online tirade against her – this time from former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia.

The drama began Tuesday, with Kimes effectively saying that 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is along for the ride in the team’s NFC title berth.

“Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t the reason they’re winning,” Kimes said during her appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” Tuesday. “They’re winning with him, but not because of him … He posted the second-lowest QBR in 15 years [against the Packers].”

Kimes said he was “trying to give the game away in the second half” with interceptable balls, and that this has been a playoff trend for him.

“Since joining the Niners, he has two touchdowns and five interceptions in the postseason,” she said. “These are not advanced statistics. The dude is just simply not helping them win.”

Garcia was incensed, and went on a lengthy tirade in a since-deleted Instagram post.

“Who the hell is Mina Kimes and when is the last time she threw a touchdown pass in a game?” Garcia asked. “Never! Ever! has she taken a snap or can truly understand the ability, the mindset, the physical and mental toughness, that it takes to play the QB position or any position in the NFL.

“The fact that there are people out there given a platform to talk about something that they have never done is hilarious and that’s how you have to look at her, she’s a joke! So let’s just laugh at her and support Jimmy, root on our Niners to go out and beat the living f–k out of one more team. That’s what it takes. She will never know that feeling. Can I get an amen? Peace.”

Kimes laughed off the criticism.

“Apparently I was the only person last week to point out Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t play well,” Kimes responded, to a screengrab of Garcia’s Instagram caption.

Garcia frankly could not have done Kimes more a favor if he tried. Sports media executives view reactions like this as proof that talents are cutting through the clutter of the current media landscape.

Plus, Garcia’s criticism galvanized a cohort of Kimes’ colleagues to come to her defense — similarly to what happened after she read an angry email from an online troll — further reinforcing her relevance at ESPN.

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