Tom Brady sharing reps with Jimmy Garoppolo at Patriots OTAs

By Kyle Franzoni | May 29, 2015

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

With his suspension still under appeal, the New England Patriots are splitting reps between Tom Brady and back-up Jimmy Garoppolo.

With Tom Brady’s suspension still up in the air, the New England Patriots used the first day of organized team activities, or OTAs, to prepare for the possibility that he won’t be under center for the first four weeks of the season. According to NFL Media’s Randy Moss (through NFL.com’s Marc Sessler), the Patriots were splitting the first team reps between Brady and back-up Jimmy Garoppolo when the team ran its initial 7-on-7 drills Friday.

At present time, Tom Brady is suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season, a result of his involvement with the now infamous Deflategate scandal. While both Brady and the NFL Players Associaton have appealed the suspension, it is expected that the future Hall of Fame quarterback will receive some sort of suspension from the NFL.

If that happens, the presumption is that back-up quarterback Jimmy Garopplo would take over as the team’s starting quarterback for those weeks the Patriots are without Brady.

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Drafted out of Eastern Illinois with the 62nd pick in the 2014 draft, the second-year quarterback has yet to see much action in the NFL. As a rookie, Garoppolo appeared in just six games for the Patriots but looked solid, completing 19 of 27 passed for 182 yards, one touchdown, and a quarterback rating of 101.2. However it is that inexperience, coupled with the inevitability of the suspension, that is perhaps driving the early rep split with the Patriots.

For their part, neither Bill Belichick or Garoppolo would elaborate further than the typical Patriots jargon when it comes to media relations.

"“Everybody’s working hard, trying to get better. That’s what we’re all doing,” said Belichick"

Despite only having one year in the Patriots locker room, Garoppolo was no looser with his tongue than his coach.

"“I just have the mindset I’m trying to get better. That’s all you can control at the end of the day.”"

Regardless of how coy the two were being with the media, the likelihood of Garoppolo being the team’s starter at the beginning of the season is fairly obvious. The team opens its preseason schedule with the Green Bay Packers on Thursday August 13th and begins its Super Bowl defense on Thursday September 10th against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

According to the Boston Herald, the early results were promising, with Garoppolo completing 8 of 11 passes in the 7-on-7 and 8 of 11 in the 11-on-11 drills today. That performance included a touchdown to wide receiver Aaron Dobson in what was dubbed a “well-timed slant pattern” in the end zone.

While all of the attention after practice was put on the split of reps, Brady himself was absent from the post-workout interviews and did not speak to the media. However, the Patriots will remain under heavy media scrutiny while the appeal works itself out.

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