Jimmy’s test soon
Garoppolo judgment to come in games
FOXBORO — If you’re looking for answers as to why Jimmy Garoppolo has been in a funk during training camp, you probably won’t find them during the joint practices with the Jaguars this week.
PATRIOTS BEAT Karen Guregian
As we saw yesterday, this was mostly the Tom Brady show. The threetime Super Bowl MVP got a majority of the reps as the starter. He had most of the work, not to mention all of the fun, during one stretch connecting on back-to-back bombs to Brandin Cooks and Chris Hogan. Brady was in fine form, even if his numbers (23-of-35) didn’t quite bear that out. Garoppolo? He got the backup reps. The insurance policy reps. And while there’s been a bit of panic over Jimmy G given reports of his sloppy summer performances, and the fact the Patriots supposedly turned down a king’s ransom for him during the offseason, there wasn’t much to tell from his 7-for-11 effort against the Jags. Not from a reassurance level, anyway.
Like Brady, he wasn’t helped by a few drops from his receivers. Overall, nothing really stood out in terms of a trend, although he did make a terrific throw to Jacob Hollister, zipping it to the perfect spot in the end zone to hit the tight end in stride during 7-on-7 drills. On the downside, he sailed another over Dwayne Allen’s head in the end zone during the 11-on-11 period. Allen had no chance. But again, the sample size wasn’t big enough to make much of a judgment.
If you want a better idea of what’s going on with Garoppolo, look to the first preseason game with the Jaguars Thursday, and continue with the Texans and Lions after that. That’s when you should be taking notes. The preseason games are the Jimmy Garoppolo show. That’s our litmus test for him this year unless Brady gets hurt.
As we’ve seen in the past, Garoppolo has performed better when the bright lights go on. He was excellent last year filling in for Brady during the Deflategate suspension. He started the first two games of the regular season before he was injured.
He sure looked like he belonged as a starter, going 24-of-33 for 264 yards and a touchdown in beating the Cardinals in Arizona Week 1, then putting together a Brady-like effort in a half against the Dolphins (18of-26 for 232 yards, three TDs) before getting injured in another win Week 2.
This year, his only showcase could be the exhibition games, so it’s up to him to shine there. Asked why he seems to perform better when it matters, he didn’t have an answer.
“I try to come out and perform the same every day, whether it’s game, practice, whatever it may be,” Garoppolo said last week. “I don’t know what it is. It just seems to work out that way.”
The ultimate goal, of course, is for Jimmy G to be more like Brady, and be more consistent with his performances, whether in practice or games. Garoppolo still might end up as the heir to Brady. And the desire is for him to be maniacal and relentless, working overtime to correct whatever has caused him to be so sloppy and inconsistent on the practice field. The desire is for him to raise the level of the people around him.
But then again, not everyone is Tom Brady. Not everyone has those unique qualities.
Garoppolo’s teammates aren’t worried about him succeeding if called upon, like last year. They think he’ll be just fine.
“Jimmy’s a good football player,” said running back James White. “He’s going to do what he has to do. I’m just going to do my job, and execute. I can’t worry about Jimmy, but if I do my job, that’ll help Jimmy.”
There should be some concern with Garoppolo’s play, of course, but hold off the panic buttons until after the preseason. With him, we’ll have a better idea after the lights go on.