Proving time for Jimmy G
Potential starter must step up
FOXBORO — Jimmy Garoppolo hasn’t exactly looked ready for prime time during training camp. And naturally, that has people worried in light of Garoppolo’s potentially heightened role as a result of the Deflategate saga.
He’s the guy who has to be good enough at quarterback for the Pats to survive the fallout should Tom Brady be forced to serve any of his four-game sentence.
He’s the guy who has to make it OK for the defending Super Bowl champs in the opening weeks if Brady’s suspension doesn’t get voided in the ongoing settlement talks.
So what should people expect tonight when Garoppolo takes most of the snaps in the preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers?
Knowing Garoppolo, and his history, he’ll soothe some of those fears about the roof caving in. He’ll inject a little more confidence in the doubters.
While Garoppolo has been somewhat indecisive and guilty of holding the ball too long in camp sessions, he exhibited the same problems during last year’s camp drills. Actually, he was worse.
Then he got into the preseason games, and looked like a world-beater. The Redskins game, in particular, was eye-opening.
Turn on the bright lights, put him on the big stage, and that’s when Garoppolo really gets into gear. That seems to be his MO.
It happened in college during the 2014 Senior Bowl. He was barely a top-10 quarterback, but used his play in the Mobile, Ala., showcase, to jump up as a top-five prospect. That got him a second-round draft selection by the Patriots.
When he got the chance in games last year, particularly in Kansas City, he didn’t look quite so lost or overwhelmed.
Can it really be that simple? Is that all it takes to shake off all the hesitance and uncertainty he exhibits in practice? That was certainly the case last year, but there is so much more riding on Garoppolo now.
He’ll be going up against the top defenses, rather than the second and third units. While he won’t be seeing much in the way of schemes and trickery in preseason games, he can expect to have everything thrown at him during the regular season.
That’s why of late, during special teams drills, Garoppolo and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels have spent time on the opposite field chatting, as McDaniels tries to clear the cobwebs.
Earlier in camp, coaches would work privately with Garoppolo on his coverage recognition and decision making. The goal was to get him to understand and know what he was seeing, and who would be open in those situations.
It’s important to remember Garoppolo is not very far removed from being an FBS quarterback at Eastern Illinois. In terms of development from there, he’s about where he should be. McDaniels is just speeding up the preparation.
Dino Babers, Garoppolo’s coach at Eastern Illinois, wasn’t worried when Jimmy G didn’t look so hot in practice last year. He knew he’d be fine once the games rolled around.
“He’s played a lot of games as a starting quarterback. So he’s used to being in the huddle, he’s used to taking command in the huddle. He’s used to moving the chains and in trying to throw to the end zone,” Babers, now the coach at Bowling Green, said then. “For a lot of people, that should be a stressful situation. For him, that’s a normal situation.”
Unless and until Brady is free of his suspension — and he did appear to have a good day in court yesterday — all eyes will be on Garoppolo, how he looks, and how he progresses.
Tonight’s our first real look. The lights will be on. Let’s see if he rises this time.