There's a little bit of panic starting to set in in New England, and the main source of that panic is their quarterback dilemma. We all know Tom Brady is suspended until week 5, and that's not going to change. But when Jimmy Garoppolo got hit as he threw on Sunday and took a big hit and stayed on the ground, Patriots nation collectively held their breath. Garoppolo did not return to the game, and following the game the Patriots released a statement saying Garoppolo suffered an AC joint sprain.
If all goes well, Garoppolo could be the back-up on Thursday nigh against the Texans. However, the Patriots would prefer him to be the starter. jacoby Brissett has only been in the NFL for two and a half months and he's already going to be thrust into the spotlight in a desperate situation for the Patriots. Getting your first NFL against the reining Defensive POY isn't exactly ideal either. The Texans run defense is one of the best in the league, so the Patriots will be forced to throw the ball. With an already banged up O-Line and an inexperienced QB, things may not go so well for the Pats on Thursday. However, if the Patriots do find a way to develop a gameplan in which they can have Brissett control the game and take down Houston, Belichick should personally be handed the COY on the damn sideline. Red carpet and all. The Patriots will certainly need everyone healthy and ready to go for Thursday, yes, that means you too Rob. Brissett will need all of his weapons on their 'A' game in order for them to pull out the win and improve to 3-0. With only 2 weeks until Brady returns in Cleveland, at least New England will only have to deal with this QB situation for a short amount of time. Let's hope Brissett is up for the challenge Thursday night.
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First off, there is a purpose to this article. Not just to brag about Tom Brady, the best quarterback of all-time, because everyone already knows he is. Well, most people at least, not including Max Kellerman of course.
As I was making my morning commute, I was tuned into Toucher & Rich on 98.5 The Sports Hub and they had a special guest on the show. The overall discussion was Tom Brady but, the conversation shifted to if he was the best in the NFL. Well, this idiot went on to say that not only was Tom Brady not the best, but Phillip Rivers was better. Alright fine, it's early, I'll let it slide. He continues to say that Eli Manning is also better than number 12 as well. Now, folks, there has to be a line somewhere, and my line is drawn way before Eli Manning. We're talking about the same guy who had help in the form of the luckiest catch in Super Bowl history (David Tyree), and a blown coverage by the lowly Sterling Moore in 2011 to help set up the game winning TD. This guy then says that Brady has had help his entire career and it's the supporting cast that makes Brady, not vise versa. Are you kidding me? Let's just take a look at some of the Hall of Fame players Brady has had compared to Phillip Rivers and Eli Manning or Drew Brees even. Brady has had Randy Moss. That's the only player that he has had as legitimate deep threat, as well as Hall of Famer. (Patriots HOF doesn't count here) Rob Gronkowski will most likely one day be a HOF'er, fine. But, he's also a once in a lifetime type of player. Chances are, you might never see someone with his size, speed, and ability to catch the football again. Phillip Rivers has had LaDanian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, and, although not a Hall of Famer, Keenan Allen. Drew Brees has had a marvelous career as well, and I give him a lot of credit for what he has done but, how many of his TD's went to Jimmy Graham? And how many yards did Reggie Bush gain for that offense? And Eli Manning? Well, he's had Victor Cruz, Jeremy Shockey, Mario Manningham, David Tyree, Tiki Barber, and of course, Odell Beckham Jr. Shall I go on? The guest also went on to say that Julian Edelman came in as a star and helped out Tom Brady immensely. Let me start by saying that Edelman wasn't even a receiver in college or high school. He only transitioned to receiver when the Patriots threatened to cut him at the start of his career. He was originally a quarterback out of Kent State who did not even get invited the Combine. So, now that we know Brady has never had the same amount of weapons that Brees, Rivers, or Manning, let's look at the numbers and records that Brady holds over all three of these QB's, even without the star players. I'll start with something easy, QBR. Brady's career QBR is 96.4, while Manning comes in at 83.6, Brees at 96.0 and Rivers at 95.5. Winner: Brady Now, let's move into the next category, career record. Brady: 172-51 Manning: 98-86 Brees: 124-93 Rivers: 92-69 Winner: Brady Now for a very crucial stat, completion percentage. Brady: 63.6% Manning: 59.4% Brees: 66.4% Rivers: 64.9% Winner: Brees. Now, I understand people will hate on me for "making excuses" but like I said earlier, it's kind of hard to miss Jimmy Graham. Brady on the other hand, has had Donte Stallworth, Riche Caldwell, and Jabar Gaffney all in the same season. Next up, Yds/TD Brady: 58,028/428 Manning: 44,394/297 Brees: 61,326/432 Rivers: 41,690/282 Winner: Brees (Keep in mind, Brady would take this however, he missed the whole 2008 season) Now, for a stat every quarterback dreads, interceptions. Brady: 150 Manning: 200 Brees: 205 Rivers: 282 Winner: Brady And now, the moment you've all been waiting for... Playoff record and Super Bowls Brady: 22-9/4 SB's Manning: 8-3/2 SB's Brees: 6-5/1 SB Rivers: 4-5/0 SB's Winner: Brady Well, there you have it, a complete breakdown as to why Tom Brady is just simply just that much better than the rest of the QB's in the NFL. So, if any of your friends want to say Eli is better than Brady for his 2 Super Bowls over him, just pull up this article to shut them up. On Sunday night, everyone in the world thought the NFC 2015 Runner-Up's would steamroll the AFC 2015 Runner-Up's, as they were the heavy favorites at home (-9.5). However, don't tell that to Bill Belichick. His Patriots were relentless and found a way, as they usually do, to win a football game. If the odds weren't already stacked against New England being on the road without their best player, Tom Brady, try having no Rob Gronkowski either. Or Sebastian Vollmer. Or Rob Ninkovich. Or Dion Lewis.
Many questioned how well Jimmy Garoppolo would handle the pressure of his first NFL start, and it didn't get off to a great start. It looked like it might be a long night for the Pats when Garoppolo overthrew Chris Hogan on a 10 yard out route. However, he bounced back quickly, and found Julian Edelman for three straight completions before getting the Patriots on the board first with a beautiful strike to a wide open Chris Hogan to put the Pats up 7-0. On the ensuing drive, Garoppolo looked good again, bringing the Patriots into Cardinals territory. But the drive stalled and the Patriots settled for a 47 yard FG from Stephen Gostowski. 10-0 Patriots. Now fast forward to the fourth quarter. The Cardinals woke up late in the game, putting together a beautiful drive that resulted in yet another TD for Larry Fitzgerald, the 100th of his career. That put Arizona in the lead 21-20 with 9:46 remaining. Groppolo lead the Patriots on the field, needing just any type of score to regain the lead. The drive did not start off well, Garoppolo would be sacked by former Patriot, Chandler Jones. Then, he mis-fired to RB James White. On 3rd & 15, Garoppolo found Danny Amendola for a 32 yard gain that had New England back in business. Garoppolo kept the drive going by escaping a couple sacks, and extending the plays with his feet by moving in and out of the pocket. He nearly picked up a critical first down that would have given the Patriots a shot to go for a touchdown but instead, he came up short and the Patriots took the lead back on another field goal. 23-21 Patriots. The Cardinals came out, determined to bury the injury/suspension stricken Patriots for good, and they looked like they might do just that early in the drive. But, a holding penalty set them back 10 yards and set up a 2nd & 19 with 1:51 remaining. From there, the Cards couldn't move the ball and they decided to try and win the game on a FG from Chandler Cantanzaro. He was a perfect 27/27 from inside 45 yards but, when outside of 45, he was a miserable 1/5. Make it 1/6. Cantanzaro hooked a 47 yarder wide left, and gave the Patriots their first win of 2016 and also, Jimmy G's career. Garoppolo couldn't have played much better than he did, except for the fumble, he was near perfect. 24/33, 264 yards, 1 TD. He showed much better things than what we saw in the pre-season. His pre-snap reads were good, he got rid of the ball much quicker, he showed excellent pocket presence and the ability to make plays with his feet. If Garoppolo can win a game as big as that one, there should be no reason why he can't beat Miami, Buffalo, and Houston. Patriots QB Tom Brady's suspension officially started at 4 p.m on Saturday afternoon. He will not be allowed to return to the team until October 3rd. We will not see Brady on the field until October 9th when the Patriots take on the Browns in Cleveland. Even though the real Tom Brady won't be with the team, his spirit will. The Patriots payed tribute to their best player in franchise history with a huge banner on each side of the lighthouse in the north endzone of Gillette Stadium. The banner will serve as just little friendly reminder as to who's team this is, and will continue to be, once he returns. Sorry Mr. Garoppolo.
But, as the Patriots philosophy has been for years, they focus on the task in front of them, and that task is to defeat the Arizona Cardinals. In order to do that, the Patriots defense will need to bring their 'A game'. Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald of course, will be a scary duo to try and stop but, the rest of the Pats' secondary will be tasked with locking down John Brown and Michael Floyd. Also, the front seven will need to keep Cardinals star RB David Johnson in check. However, that will be easier said than done. At the end of the day, if the Patriots do what they always do, minimize turnovers and create opportunities, they will have a chance. As for when Tom Brady comes back, you thought he was mad last year? Just wait until he takes the field in Cleveland. He might throw 7 touchdowns. In the first half that is. SCORE PREDICTION: Patriots 23 Cardinals 31 Until Tom Brady returns in week 5 in Cleveland, it will be Jimmy Garoppolo under center. Or, at least that's what everyone thinks. Last week after the Patriots 19-17 win over the Panthers, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked which of the three QB's he'd give the start to. Belichick left open the possibility of rookie Jacoby Brissett being at the helm to open against the Giants at MetLife Stadium this Thursday night.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Brissett, he was the Patriots third round draft choice out of NC State, originally a transfer from University of Florida. Brissett has looked very impressive so far, both in camp and in games. He's poised in the pocket and doesn't get flustered by pressure, and when he does need to scramble, he has the ability to make plays with his feet. Thus far in the preseason, Brissett is 25/35 (71%), and progressed in each game. He went 7/13, 9/13, and 9/9. Coming into the draft, Brissett was not valued as highly as he is now. The scouting report was that he was bothered by pressure, and had the worst deep ball in the draft. Well, not only has Brissett showed he's not bothered by the pressure but, he had what is probably his best throw of the preseason on a deep pass, one that bounced off his wide receivers' fingertips that would have been a sure TD. Jimmy Garoppolo hasn't looked that impressive like we all thought he would, and probably should be. The one thing that stands out about Garoppolo is he holds onto the ball way too long. He takes forever to read defenses and make a decision on where to throw the football. You watch games and see Tom Brady get the snap and the ball is gone within 1-3 seconds. Garoppolo is a totally different story, you see him holding onto the ball for 4-5 sometimes even 6 seconds. Knowing how poor the Patriots offensive line is, that's going to spell trouble if it continues. If Garoppolo struggles in the first few weeks, I think we will get to see a glimpse of the future. What do YOU think? Have your say in the comments below. |