PatsFans.com Menu
PatsFans.com - The Hub For New England Patriots Fans
New England Patriots > Patriots Blog

Rookie Jimmy Garoppolo Plays Well in Mop-Up Duty

Ian Logue
Ian Logue on Twitter
Sep 30, 2014 at 9:39am ET







Jimmy Garoppolo came in and played well in mop-up duty Monday night. (USA TODAY Images)

Generally speaking the only time you hope to see anyone other than Tom Brady throwing the football is if the Patriots firmly have the game in hand and Bill Belichick decides to be be generous enough to let the guy behind him into the game.

On Monday night it was the other way around, as the Chiefs were having a field day getting to Brady and hitting him, including two forced fumbles, one of which they recovered.  Following a 39-yard interception that was returned for a touchdown and put Kansas City's scoring total at 41, Belichick took Brady out before it could get any worse and allowed rookie back-up Jimmy Garoppolo to make his NFL debut.

Overall Garoppolo played fairly well while he was out there, finishing 6-of-7 for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Here's a quick run down of his numbers by down:

1st Down: 4-of-5 (80%) 22 yards, 1 TD
2nd Down: 2-of-2 (100%) 48 yards
3rd Down: no attempts

It's tough to read too much into his play considering it came in garbage time in a contest where the game was well in hand.  Bill Belichick laughed off the notion that there's any reason to evaluate the quarterback position, but the bigger story is the fact that he looked more comfortable out there than Ryan Mallett ever did during his tenure here in New England.

Hopefully for now, this will be the only time he sees action for the rest of the season.  The good news is Garoppolo has at least shown that should Brady ever get hurt that he can remain poised enough to lead the offense.

“Obviously, first time, there’s a bunch of learning experiences, it’s a good experience in general to get that out of the way,” Garoppolo told the Boston Globe. “We’ll go back, watch the tape, and I’m sure there’s a bunch to learn from.”


More News Headlines:

MORSE: 5 Thoughts as Wolf Underwhelms with Patriots Free Agency Class

MORSE: 5 Thoughts as Wolf Underwhelms with Patriots Free Agency Class

By: Mark Morse
The final straw broke the camel’s back.  When Tyron Smith signed a one-year deal with the NY Jets, this transaction spelled the doom of rookie…
15 hours ago
Monday Patriots Notebook 3/18: News and Notes

Monday Patriots Notebook 3/18: News and Notes

By: Ian Logue
While there has been some speculation that the club might be willing to entertain offers for the #3 overall pick, it sounds like New England…
17 hours ago
Patriots Add Vikings WR Osborn

Patriots Add Vikings WR Osborn

By: Ian Logue
The Patriots may be having a tough time attracting high-end talent when it comes to wide receivers, but that hasn't stopped Eliot Wolf from trying…
1 day ago
Patriots News 3-17, Free Agency, The Dynasty, Mock Draft 1.0

Patriots News 3-17, Free Agency, The Dynasty, Mock Draft 1.0

By: Steve Balestrieri
The only way I wouldn’t stand pat at #3 is because I’d have serious concerns about either Maye or Daniels being “the guy”
2 days ago
Friday Patriots Notebook 3/15: News and Notes

Friday Patriots Notebook 3/15: News and Notes

By: Ian Logue
The Vikings are among several teams who have been pondering a move up the draft board, but a move on Friday signals that they may…
4 days ago

Search For Links: - CLOSE
For searches with multiple players
add commas (Ex: "Bill Belichick, Devin McCourty")