Tom Brady suspension a blessing in disguise for New England Patriots
Could the Tom Brady suspension actually be a good thing for the future of the New England Patriots?
The appeal made by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady regarding his ‘Deflategate’ suspension has officially been denied by the Court of Appeals. It is now extremely likely that the Patriots will be without their star quarterback for the first four games of the 2016 season.
Obviously, the Patriots would rather have Brady on the field leading their offense as much as possible, but they are going to be just fine without him for this short period of time. In fact, I believe this may be a good thing for the future of the Patriots’ franchise.
With Brady being suspended for the first four games of 2016, it is finally Jimmy Garoppolo’s time to shine. The Patriots may not win as many games in the first four as they would with Brady under center, but Garoppolo is a talented quarterback who deserves a certain amount of confidence.
The Patriots selected Garoppolo in the second-round (62nd overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. The Patriots selecting Garoppolo was a relatively surprising pick at the time, as Brady did not appear to be shutting it down anytime soon.
That being said, landing Garoppolo late in the second round was a strong value pick that has provided some nice (apparently needed) security for the Patriots at the position.
Garoppolo was a star quarterback at Eastern Illinois in college, leading an impressive fast-paced offense to a ton of success at the FCS level. An extremely accurate passer with a lightning quick release, Garoppolo earned the Walter Payton award for the most outstanding offensive player in FCS as a senior.
As Tom Brady’s back-up, Garoppolo did not enter the league with much fan-fare, but he is a talented passer who has legitimate NFL starter upside. After sitting on the bench learning from Brady, Bill Belichick and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for two years, I imagine that Garoppolo is very much ready for game action.
Garoppolo has even received high praise from Patriots’ star tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is sure to be a huge part of the early season plans with Garoppolo making his starting debut.
The Patriots are going to put him in an immediate position to succeed through these four games. There may be some early jitters, but I have a hard time believing that Garoppolo will not at least hold serve and lead the Patriots to a 2-2 record through the first four games.
The first game against the Arizona Cardinals on the road will undoubtedly be tough, but the Patriots with Garoppolo under center will likely be favorites at home the next three weeks against the Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills.
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NFL teams are always looking for their next starting quarterback to lead them to the promise land. Not everybody can be as lucky as the Patriots in having a future Hall of Fame quarterback leading them for so long.
Look no further than the massive four-year, $72 million contact that Brock Osweiler got this off- season from the Texans. Osweiler was inconsistent as the Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback for seven games last season, and the Texans made him one of the highest paid free agents of the off-season.
The value of the quarterback position is at an all-time high, and if Garoppolo performs well through the first four games, the Patriots are going to receive trade interest in their back-up from other NFL teams.
Garoppolo’s rookie deal with the Patriots goes through the 2017 season. That means that a quarterback-needy team could approach the Patriots with a trade offer either this season or next off-season, with the idea of making Garoppolo their guy in 2017 and beyond.
Unless Garoppolo comes out and plays at an elite level, I doubt a first-round pick will be in play for the Patriots, but a second-round pick from a team that is desperate at the quarterback position would certainly make some sense.
The Patriots could certainly keep Garoppolo around for the security, but they are extremely likely to lose him when he hits free agency anyway. Belichick would be wise to get value for him while he can.
The Patriots obviously want Tom Brady to be their starting quarterback for every game, but this could easily end up being great situation for the team.
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With Brady due back in Week 5 and so much talent surrounding him on the roster, the Patriots are going to be just fine in 2016 with Garoppolo. That being said, if he can come in and look like a strong NFL starting quarterback through those first four games, this suspension may turn in to a positive scenario for the team.
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