New England Patriots fans must be praying Tom Brady doesn’t miss a snap this year, because it appears Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t up to the task of starting quite yet.
The second-year quarterback out of Eastern Illinois received extended playing time on Wednesday but didn’t handle the increased workload well, as Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports:
“…the backups drew the vast majority of the reps, and Garoppolo had his worst practice of camp. He completed 15 of 33 passes, and some of his worst bids were a sailed deep ball to Jimmay Mundine, an errant pass behind Michael Hoomanawanui and a screen pass that got broken up by Trey Flowers at the line.”
Howe also noted Brady went 5 of 5 during his limited time on the field, which just further highlights Garoppolo’s miserable outing.
It’s certainly way too early to be overly concerned with Garoppolo, and one practice doesn’t define anything. However, it isn’t encouraging that the young quarterback stunk up the joint the first time he received ample opportunities to shine.
Garoppolo barely saw any action as a rookie last year and only came into the game for mop-up duty. He did show up well in this role, however, completing 17 of 27 passes (70.4 percent) for 182 yards and one touchdown. It’s worth noting that opposing defenses weren’t exactly sharp during the time he saw action, though.
Hopefully he can bounce back from Wednesday’s frustrating outing with some strong performances in the days to come to build some much-needed confidence. It won’t be ideal to have the young quarterback enter the season struggling mentally if Brady’s suspension is upheld.
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