Let the Jimmy G era begin

There is a quarterback not wearing #12 for the New England Patriots everyone needs to pay attention to. I’m talking about 2014 second round pick, Eastern Illinois grad Jimmy Garoppolo AKA Jimmy G! I was highly impressed by Garoppolo in his NFL debut. For a guy who never started a regular season, he was incredibly poised playing on national TV against a Super Bowl contender in the Arizona Cardinals. He did not get a chance to lead the game winning drive like I anticipated as the Cardinals drove down for a potential game winning field goal attempt in the 4th quarter.

Outside of a lost fumble, he did not make any other mistakes the entire game. He finished 24/33 (73%) with 264 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int and a 106.1 Passer Rating. This was against a team considered to be one of the top defenses in the league with an elite secondary. Garopollo’s threw the deep ball and utilized intermediate passes and the short game. His most impressive throw of the night was the little slant pass he squeezed between two Cardinals defenders to James White to convert a huge 3rd and 5. The pocket broke down countless times due to the Cardinals pass rush and the Pats depleted offensive line. He handled the pressure well, maneuvering around in the pocket to extend plays while keeping his eyes down field and throwing passes on the move from different release points in pressurized situations.

These are the traits of not a good but great QB. It is rare you see a QB step onto the field for his first NFL game against an elite team and show such a feel for what is the toughest position to play in all of professional team sports. Many were surprised by Garopollo and what he was able to pull off in his first game. The Cardinals are lucky  Rob Gronkowski and the Pats offensive line were not entirely healthy or things could have been worse for them.

Now I know, it was only game one. Garopollo could come out next week and fall completely flat on his face and stink up the joint which would cause multiple trolls crawling in my Twitter mentions talking crazy. Garopollo just has the “it” factor to me and “it” is hard to describe but you just know “it” when you see it. Unfortunately, it will not matter how well Garopollo plays. Bill Bellichick has already firmly informed the media of the team’s support of Tom Brady as their starting QB.  Until then, sit back, relax and enjoy as Garopollo takes the league by storm and shows other potential suitors what he can do. His name will be one of the of the hottest trade targets this off season as New England will most likely look to move him and maximize his value as he enters the last year of his deal next off season.