New England Patriots Preview: Quarterbacks
By Varun Tekur
Get to know the New England Patriots Quarterbacks!
As the dog days of summer drag along, Patriots fans can take solace in the fact that football season is right around the corner. Very soon, many people will be spending their Sundays engrossed in the fantasy football frenzy and with their eyes glued to the plethora of NFL games on TV. Patriots training camp is slated to begin this month on July 27, and Gillette Stadium should be filled with fans when New England takes on the New Orleans Saints during their first preseason game on August 11.
Each week leading up to the first Patriots preseason game, I will preview one of five groups of Patriots players: quarterbacks, running backs and offensive linemen, wide receivers and tight ends, defensive linemen and linebackers, and defensive backs.
This week, I will be discussing the team’s quarterbacks. The Patriots are led by arguably the best NFL Quarterback of all time, Tom Brady. With Brady at the helm, a chance at the AFC’s #1 seed and a run to the Super Bowl are always possibilities.
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However, Brady’s appeal of his four-game suspension was denied by the US Second District Court of Appeals, so unless Brady’s suspension is overturned in the Supreme Court, it will stand. This means that the Patriots will most likely be forced to start young signal caller Jimmy Garoppolo for the first four games of the season. Rookie Jacoby Brissett appears to be favorite to hold the backup quarterback job while Garoppolo starts.
Jimmy Garoppolo
Since being drafted in 2014, Garoppolo has not had much regular season experience, completing only 20 regular season passes for 188 yards and 1 touchdown. Most of his snaps have been taken during relatively in low pressure situations, such when the Patriots are blowing out other teams or are being blown out themselves. This will be the first time that Garoppolo is has to play in situations which significantly affect the team’s season, and it should be interesting to see how he performs.
Although losing one of the best quarterbacks in the league and replacing him with an inexperienced 3rd-year veteran is generally a huge blow to a team, the Patriots are skilled enough to make it through the first four games just fine.
And luckily for New England, their schedule helps them, too. A week 1 match-up on the road in Arizona will be tough to win, but after that, the Patriots take on the Dolphins, Texans, and Bills – teams with combined record of 23-25 last year. The Patriots can easily win all three of these games, especially when you consider that these games will be played in front of a wild crowd at Gillette Stadium.
Brady’s suspension will certainly frustrate the team and its fans, but it will give New England an opportunity to further evaluate Garoppolo’s potential. If he performs extremely well, he could be seen as Brady’s successor in the eyes of the coaching staff and team management. Otherwise, New England can look to groom recent draft pick Jacoby Brissett into their starting quarterback of the future or they can evaluate other options in upcoming drafts. Garoppolo’s contract expires after the end of the 2017 season, so the Patriots have to make a decision within the next year and a half on whether they should re-sign him or to let him go.
Tom Brady
Brady may still be able to play during week one if the NFL season if his appeal is heard by the US Supreme Court. However, the team should prepare as if he will not able to do so. If Brady indeed misses his team’s first four games, he will come back with a hungry and ultra-determined attitude that is bound to strike fear in the rest of league. Brady is one of the most competitive players in football, and will look to build off a season in which he threw for 4770 yards and 36 touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl for the 11th time.
At age 38, Brady is not young by any means, but he has adapted his game to keep him healthy and suit his skills as he ages. Instead of slinging many deep passes like he did during his prime, Brady relies on quickness and intellect to dump the ball off to slot receivers like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola and also loves to target 6′ 6″ tight end Rob Gronkowski, who often sheds off defenders and turns Brady’s passes into long gains. This year, Brady gets to work with not one, but two massive tight ends, as the Patriots acquired Martellus Bennett from the Bears this offseason. Even if Brady’s physical tools regress, expect Brady to dominate as he always does by outsmarting his opponents and getting the most out of the Patriots extremely talented offense.
Jacoby Brissett
The Patriots selected the 6′ 4″, 235 lb Brissett with the 91st Overall Pick in this year’s draft. He will most likely not see the field in 2016, but can serve as a backup for Garoppolo during Brady’s suspension. Brissett has the ability to throw a deadly deep ball and is also a mobile quarterback who can escape pressure in the pocket and gain yards on the ground. As a Senior at North Carolina State in 2015, he threw for 2662 yards and 20 touchdowns while also rushing for 370 yards and 6 touchdowns.
He has very intriguing potential if he gets up to speed with the NFL’s level of play, as his combination of size, speed, and throwing power can help him become a scary dual threat quarterback if he develops more. By holding backup and third string duties during this season, he can receive lots of valuable advice and mentoring from Brady over the course of the year. However, there is also a chance that Garoppolo gets injured or plays very poorly while Brady is suspended. In this scenario, the Patriots would most likely sign a veteran to start in place of Garoppolo, but they could also (but probably won’t) hand the reigns to Brissett if they feel as though he is ready to run the offense.
The Patriots’ quarterback situation this year is more intriguing than usual due to Brady’s suspension, and New England fans will surely be keeping a close eye on it all season long.
Next: Red Sox: Shine in All-Star Game, Road Ahead
Keep it locked here at Chowder and Champions for continued Patriots coverage and watch out for next week’s preview of Patriots running backs and offensive linemen.