WHAT IF THE PATRIOTS
Let’s turn back the clock. Flip back to Halloween three years ago and alter history. Let’s not trade Jimmy Garoppolo. Let’s not send Tom Brady’s initial heir to the 49ers for a second-round pick.
Pretend Bill Belichick decided to hold onto Jimmy G and let Brady walk instead.
What if that’s how it actually went down? Does anybody wonder what might have been, how things would have turned out if Garoppolo wasn’t shipped out?
And the GOAT fled much sooner? It provides an intriguing script, thinking about all the football storylines the past few years that might have changed, or perhaps, stayed the same with Garoppolo under center.
Do the Patriots still win another Super Bowl? That’s the first question. And where would they be today, in 2020, if Garoppolo was under center instead of Cam Newton? Let’s attack this chronologically. First off, the year Jimmy G was dealt, the Patriots finished with a 13-3 record, and advanced to the Super Bowl, losing to the Eagles in the infamous Malcolm Butler game.
For the sake of having a cleaner exit, let’s say Brady finished the year with Garoppolo as the backup, made that amazing comeback against the Jaguars in the AFC Championship after ripping up his throwing hand in practice, and still had a record-setting performance against the Eagles.
Then have Brady depart during the offseason following that muchtalked about Super Bowl.
After all, Brady did ask out at that point, according to Jeff Benedict’s recently published book, “The Dynasty.” So let’s have team owner Robert Kraft grant Brady’s initial request, allowing him to leave a few years earlier. Enter Jimmy G.
As the story proceeds, the Patriots were in the Super Bowl again, returning the following year. This time, they won. Looking back at that season, the team struggled, the offense especially. It wasn’t until they put more emphasis on the running game late in the year that the Patriots got it together, finishing 11-5 with the AFC’s second seed.
It’s not hard envisioning Garoppolo arriving at that same point, assuming he stayed healthy. He looked good in the game and a half he played, taking over when Brady was suspended at the beginning of the 2016 season. The postseason, however, would have been a different story.
Could Garoppolo have played well enough to beat the Rams in Super Bowl LIII?
Given how well the defense played, holding the Rams, absolutely. Jimmy G could have easily backed a victory.
The problem?
He wouldn’t have gotten that far. He wouldn’t have led the Patriots past the Chiefs in that wild, backand-forth AFC Championship game that was decided cideded in overtime. overtime.overtime
Brady’s performance rm ance in that game went well bey beyond yond Garoppolo’s capability at that t stage. It was a microcosm of why hy Brady BradyB has been great, and why he’s e’s the thet GOAT.
Delivering in the e clutch as he did in that fourth h quarter,q quarter, matching scores with Patr Patrick rick Mahomes, and then in overtime, rtim me, converting three third-and-10 0 situationss situations with the game on the he line,l line, isn’t the norm for most qua quarterarterbacks. But that’s been be een Brady’s calling card ard d for nearly two decades.
Jimmy G still ll hasn’t advanced d to that level just st yet, and may not ot ever hit that stratotosphere.
His performance ce in Super Bowl LIV against the Chiefs fs ilil llustrates the point. nt.
Garoppolo could uld not deliver with the game on n th the he line. He couldn’t connect nec t with a wide-open Emmanuel mm manuel Sanders nearing th the he end zone. With 1:39 left eft in the game, and the 49ers 9er s trailing 24-20, Jimmy G ai airmailed irmailed the throw on the thi third-down ird-down play. He was sack sacked ked on fourth down.
Basically, that was s the ballgame.
But it’s not fair ir tot to judge Garoppolo o en enntirely by his lone e Su-S Super Bowl performance. man ce. Prior to leading g the Niners to the champiham mpionship game, he was pretty good at engineerngin neering comebacks for r San Fran. And if he neve never er left, he might have turned urn ned out better under Belichick lich hick and Josh McDaniels’ guid guidance. dance.
Actually, let’s be e more morem definitive: He would ld have turned out better.
As a poor man’s an’s s
Brady, with his quick reads and quick release, he wouldn’t have fared any worse than the GOAT in 2019 given the lack of weapons. And while Newton brings a new dynamic to the offense with his ability to run, Garoppolo has some mobility, and would have had the team out to a better start.
Why?
He knows the system much better than Newton.
He wouldn’t be a work in inn progress pro trying to learn both thhe the offense of and the receivers on thee the fly. The Pats would probably be 3-32 3-2 a at this stage instead of 2-3, all thingt things being equal.
Let’s remember: He waas was Be Belichick’s hand-picked guy. He saw something in Garoppolo at aat Ea Eastern Illinois, projecting him too to suc succeed Brady, and carry on thee the Pat Patriots’ winning tradition when he was drafted in 2014.
He was also groomed in a an offense Belichick was convinced cconv he would thrive in. Thhe The B Bradystyle offense built on a short shhort passing game was perfect foor for G Garoppolo, given his quick releaase. release. And Garoppolo didnn’t didn’t d disappoint, looking great whenever when given the chance to run thhe the sy system in games. Given his hisstory, history, that wasn’t surprising.
Prior to arriving in the NFL, Jimmy G tended to emmbrac embrace the spotlight, performinng performing his best when the lights cam came on. His reputation was wwas that th of a gunslinger who wwho loved being on the stage, stag at the center off of atten attention. The Garooppol Garoppolo we saw lead tthe the PatriP ots durinng during Brady’s Br absence from a suuspen suspension wass was a far mmore more confid fident quar quarterback than what we’ve seen thus far in San Francisco.
Maybe that’s because Belichick and McDaniels weren’t in runfirst mode back then. They trusted Garoppolo to carry out the offense, and if he could be at least 80% of Brady, they would continue to have sustained success with him.
Now, Garoppolo has also been somewhat injury prone in San Francisco. He’s literally run into several injuries (shoulder, torn ACL). His durability has come into question. Of course that would apply if he had remained with the Patriots.
But there’s also something to be said for having security at the most important position. Had the Patriots kept Garoppolo, all the current uncertainty at quarterback, not knowing if Newton is merely a one-year position holder, or more of a long-term solution, would not apply.
Garoppolo would have been in his third year as the starter, with many more years to come — which is a much better place to be than the current predicament. He would have provided stability, and kept them contending.
Would Garoppolo eventually win a Super Bowl with the Patriots?
Maybe not right away, but if Jimmy G enjoyed some longevity with the greatest coach of all time, it would only have been a matter of time.