New England Patriots: Jimmy Garoppolo needs to turn frustration into motivation

Two big mistakes left New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo frustrated following a 27-23 preseason loss to the Houston Texas.

Take away two big mistakes, including a head-scratching interception and Jimmy Garoppolo played a pretty solid game for the New England Patriots in the team’s second preseason game against the Houston Texans.

Fortunately, it was just a preseason game.  Unfortunately, if Garoppolo makes the kind of mistakes he made in the 27-23 loss, he may not last too long as a starter (when he gets his chance.)

The Eastern Illinois product went 15-for-23 with 145 yards and a touchdown, but a poorly thrown ball that resulted in an interception is the play his night was most remembered for.

With the team leading 23-20 early in the fourth quarter, Garoppolo scrambled out of the pocket and tried to throw the ball away, but instead it landed in the hands of Texans defensive back Denzel Rice leading to the go-ahead and winning score.

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Following the game, Garoppolo expressed his frustration with the play and also his frustration with not having an opportunity to attune for the mistake.

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"“Yeah, I avoided the D-end at first and I was just trying to throw it away and didn’t put enough on it,” Garoppolo said in the post-game press conference.  “Bad play.  Rough way to end the night and it’s frustrating when you can’t go out there and make up for it.”"

Despite pleading to get back in the game, Garoppolo was pulled and the bad play was his last play of the game.  However, it wasn’t the only bad play the 2014 second-round pick took responsibility for.

Taking responsibility

He coughed up the ball during a blind side hit earlier in the game.  Although the offensive line could take most of the blame, Garoppolo showed leadership in taking responsibility for the turn over.

"“I am the quarterback.  That’s must my fault,” Garoppolo said.  “They have been great.  The whole O-line, however it is in there.  They mix-and-match a lot and coach (Dante) Scarnecchia does a great job with getting them ready.  They have done a phenomenal job for us.”"

Jimmy Garoppolo will get an opportunity to make up for his mistakes in the team’s next preseason game against the Detroit Lions.  He needs to find a way to turn that frustration into motivation.

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That’s what the good quarterbacks do.