It is unclear whether the New England Patriots will have quarterback Tom Brady to lead them into the first four games of the 2016 season. If they don’t, however, backup Jimmy Garoppolo seems to be taking big strides towards being the starting guy for the team.
Garoppolo will be the guy to take over for Brady during his four-game suspension to open the season, if it still stands after his second appeal of the suspension.
If he has to take over the reins from the four-time Super Bowl champion, he has a vote of confidence from the top receiver on the team.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski spoke with Christopher Price of WEEI on Tuesday and praised the third-year quarterback. He said he will be more than ready to lead the offense if he has to play to open the season.
“He’s doing great – definitely,” Gronkowski said of Garoppolo. “You can see a huge development over the last two years in the way he handles the offense now. He’s doing a great job going out there, listening to coaches and just working together with the whole team.”
The Patriots selected Jimmy Garoppolo out of Eastern Illinois in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, hoping he could possibly be the next great quarterback once Brady decides to retire. It looks like he will be getting his chance to play much earlier than he expected.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
