The New England Patriots will be without quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the season, assuming the NFL shoots down the suspension appeal from the NFLPA. Normally, losing a Hall of Fame QB and the reigning Super Bowl MVP for any amount of time would spell doom for a team. But the Patriots are uniquely prepared for his absence and don't seem to be fretting it all that much.
"I think one of the hardest things to do in the NFL is draft and develop a capable quarterback, and after watching 2014 second-round pick Jimmy Garoppolo on Friday, it looks like the Patriots are on the right track with him," ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss wrote. "Tom Brady has set such a high bar in New England that it's easy for observers to take high-level quarterback play for granted in a practice setting, where receiving the play-call, quickly ensuring everyone is aligned properly, making any checks and then delivering the ball on time and accurately is essentially the goal. Garoppolo looked sharp to me in all those areas Friday.
"Prior to organized team activities, I sensed confidence from the Patriots' coaching staff that if the team has to turn to Garoppolo early in the season should Brady's suspension not be overturned that they would still be competitive. Friday only reinforced that thought. There's obviously a long way to go (the real football starts when pads come on), but when I think of all the backups to Brady in recent memory, I'm not sure there's one who has as much promise as Garoppolo at this point."
Garoppolo made the most of extremely limited playing time last season. He completed 19 of 27 pass attempts (70.4 completion percentage) for 182 yards and one touchdown in six game appearances. His only extended action last year came against the Buffalo Bills in the regular season finale where he completed 10 of 17 passes (58.8) for 90 yards with no touchdowns and no scores. Overall, he finished the year with a 101.2 passer rating.
Although it's only OTAs, it's encouraging for Patriots fans to hear that Garoppolo looks sharp. Remember, the Pats went just 2-2 to open last season and that was with Brady at the helm. Garoppolo doesn't have to do much better than that to be successful in his stint as the starter.
