It's time for Jimmy Garoppolo to step up and do his job

By Bill Clements

Do your job. That’s been the mantra of Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots for a long time. Well, it just so happens that there’s a job opening for the New England Patriots, albeit a temporary one. It’s arguably the most important job on the team, starting quarterback.

That’s right folks, the Jimmy Garoppolo era has begun.

We all knew this was coming, just not this soon.

On May 11, 2015, NFL commisioner Roger Goodell suspended Tom Brady for the first four games of the upcoming season. No matter how much of an “open mind” Goodell has on June 23rd when he hears Brady’s appeal, Tom Brady will not be the starting quarterback for a portion of the Patriots season. Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be the starting quarterback of the defending Super Bowl champions to start the season. It’s a reality that Patriot nation must come to grips with, effective immediately.

Luckily, this kid is good, really good.

There’s a lot to like about Jimmy Garoppolo. At 6’2″ and 225 pounds, the former Eastern Illinois Panthers starter has good size for an NFL quarterback. He has a lightning quick release, and he’s elusive for his size. In other words, he won’t be taking a lot of sacks for holding onto the ball too long.

He also throws an extremely accurate deep ball, something that Tom Brady has been known to struggle with in the past (not counting the Randy Moss years). He ran a spread system in college, where his receivers ran mostly option routes. And anyone who knows anything about the Patriots spread offense or 2-minute offense knows how effective they are in that system.

Above all, though, what should comfort Patriots fans the most about Garoppolo’s ability is his decision making. In his senior season at Eastern Illinois, he threw 53 TD passes and only 9 interceptions. That’s nearly a 6 to 1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Ask any NFL quarterback if they’d like to have that statistic even one time in their career. I’m willing to bet that most of them would be ok with it.

Something the Patriots have been known for is drafting and signing “smart” football players. If Garoppolo’s football intelligence can read an NFL defense as quickly as he releases the football, the New England Patriots, their fans and the rest of the NFL are in for a big surprise.

It’s time to find out Jimmy. Do your job.

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