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Saturday, May 10, 2014

Patriots Finally Get a Legitimate Backup QB: Jimmy Garoppolo

We all know that Ryan Mallett is horrible and will never be a starter in the NFL. Also, Tom Brady turns 37 in August so while he's still playing at a very high level and signed through 2017, it's time to start thinking about the future as well since Mallett's contract runs out this year and there are rumors of Houston wanting him. The Pats showed their true intentions tonight in this most important department by using a second-round pick (62nd overall) on Eastern Illinois' Jimmy Garoppolo.

I actually saw him in a couple games since I love watching the FCS playoffs but I'm not going to be able to dissect his game like I'm Mel Kiper or local homeboy Tood McShay. This is what we know: he's relatively big (6-foot-3, 222 pounds), mobile with a good arm and he won the Walter Payton Award (the Heisman for FCS players). I was hoping that the Patriots would select Alabama QB A.J. McCarron and not just so I could ogle that smokeshow Katherine Webb, he seemed like a perfect fit. Still, Garoppolo is intriguing and the good news is that he might only be the third quarterback this season so he has plenty of time to learn the playbook and get used to life in the NFL.

None of us want to admit it or really think about it (for obvious reasons) but at some point, Brady won't be New England's starting quarterback anymore. Odds are that day isn't too far away so the sooner the Patriots address this the better. As I said, the limited amount that we've seen Mallett in the preseason is enough to show that he's a complete stiff. A very poor man's Drew Bledsoe if you will: huge, cannon arm, not mobile at all and really slow to get rid of the ball. Brady and Peyton Manning are the outliers in today's NFL. You need a quarterback these days that can at least move a little bit so in that regard, Garoppolo could be the guy somewhere down the road. Stay tuned.





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