Garoppolo ready for new starring role with Patriots

KYLE HIGHTOWER

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Jimmy Garoppolo spent the first two years of his NFL career firmly in the background of the Tom Brady Show, a role as the understudy least likely to be used.

If he needed any reminder of that status, he got it Thursday when he was greeted by cheers as he walked onto the field for his third NFL training camp. Only, the applause was directed at the guy he will be replacing for the first month of the season.

“Brady! Brady! Brady!” fans bellowed as Garoppolo and his teammates trotted on the field.

There was a fleeting moment last season when the spot Garoppolo now finds himself in nearly played itself out.

Brady had just launched a legal challenge of a fourgame suspension handed down by the league for what it said was his role in a scheme to illegally deflate footballs used in the 2015 AFC championship game.

Garoppolo arrived at camp prepared to step in as the starter, though that evaporated a week before the regular season when the NFL’s punishment was overturned in court. Brady was allowed to play while his case continued to wind through the courts.

A year later the final gavel sounded on “Deflategate” when a federal court reinstated Brady’s four-game suspension and the MVP quarterback reluctantly accepted his ban.

It meant that this time Garoppolo walked onto the field knowing that barring a major development over the next month, he will make his first NFL regular-season start when the Patriots open their 2016 schedule at Arizona.

As dizzying as the last year-plus has been, Garoppolo says he’s embracing the excitement of the moment.

“That’s why we play the game,” he said. “We play to get out there and get your opportunity, and when it comes you’ve got to be ready for it.”

To most Patriots fans, the 24-year-old is still largely a mystery.

Garoppolo has appeared in just 11 games over his first two years, completing 20 passes with one touchdown. It’s probably why the packed bleachers at Thursday’s practice erupted when he channeled his inner Brady during a drill by threading a pass in the back of the end zone to Rob Gronkowski. His former college coach, Dino Babers, compared Garoppolo’s release to that of Hall of Famer Dan Marino.

While he certainly wasn’t rooting for Brady to be sidelined, Garoppolo recognizes what is immediately ahead.

“It’s a great opportunity. You gotta go out there, take advantage of it,” Garoppolo said. “You don’t get many opportunities in this league. You might only get one, so you gotta make the best of it.”

Gronkowski said the only thing coach Bill Belichick has said about the quarterback situation is Garoppolo would start the first four games and Brady would take back over after that. Gronkowski said that clarity has helped void any uncertainty.

“We’re super confident in whoever’s in there and that’s what practice is for, that’s what training camp is for, for everyone to get on the same page,” he said.

For now, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said the plan during camp is to make sure all three quarterbacks get plenty of reps, with now specified first- or second-team designations. That was the case Thursday, with both Brady and Garoppolo taking snaps with likely starters.

Belichick says he wants all three quarterbacks on the roster to be game-ready, including rookie Jacoby Brissett.

“I think we have a good situation,” Belichick said. “We have three players we want to work with. Look, in some other years I’ve seen teams that probably don’t feel like they have anybody, or maybe they have one. … We’ll just see how it plays out.”

While it could be just a byproduct of the role he now is in, Garoppolo found a more than normal gaggle of autograph seekers and people wearing his No. 10 jersey as he left the field Thursday. It’s big change for a fan base that once had trouble pronouncing or spelling his name.

Will this new spotlight help with that?

“It’s a tough one,” Garoppolo said, “so we’ll see.”

Todd Gadberry, Mountain Harbor Resort, said are fair on Texas-rigged worms, Pop-Rs and buzzbaits, with brush piles on main-lake and secondary points producing best results when fished with Texas-rigged plastics. Dropshot finesse worms are working well for

are excellent trolling shallow-running crankbaits and jigging CC spoons.

are fair on live bait in central and east areas of the lake. are good on crickets, maggots and redworms fished 12-25 feet deep.

are fair on minnow or crappie jigs around 20-30 feet deep near brush. are fair on live bait or hot dogs worked 15-20 feet deep.

86-90 degrees, clear, 573.33 feet msl (full pool 578 feet msl).

Local George Graves said fishing is slow because of heat and high water temperatures. A Few fish are being caught in early morning off deep points feeding on the surface shad schools, most any topwater lure in natural-shad colors working and some decent catches coming at night on long mainlake points. Try 11-inch Texas-rigged worms and big spinnerbaits in dark coloring. Some nice are showing up along deep bluff banks near points 14, 15 and 28, taking a Texas-rigged 4-inch finesse worm in green pumpkin/red flake coloring.

are good in deep water, suspended 35-45 feet down, and taking a heavy jigging spoon, a big in-line spinner and heavy swimbaits in white and chartreuse coloring. Look for fish in the lower part of the lake between Iron Mountain and Caddo Bend, especially along the big coves at points 2 and 4. fishing is good for shell crackers off deep oints, working 20-30 feet near bottom with redworms or crickets. Try points in big coves at midlake between Edgewood and Arlie Moore and in big creeks such as Big Hill and Brushy.

are fair at night on trotlines in the same creeks and the big flat around Point 10. Use live small bream or big minnows. angler

high 80s, clear, 402.67 feet msl (flood pool 408 feet msl).