Who will win the backup QB job?

PatsWickedPissah · Jun 4, 2014

JAG is also our newbie QB's initials. I think you know that but this is for those who do not.

Tunescribe · Jun 4, 2014

PatsWickedPissah said:
JAG is also our newbie QB's initials. I think you know that but this is for those who do not.

Yes, I knew that. They truly are unfortunate initials for an NFL player, though.

JoeSixPat · Jun 4, 2014

Everyone's gotta be pulling for Garoppolo - and that he does so well he prompts Belichick to decide to use the 3rd QB spot for added depth elsewhere as he's done in past seasons.

Whether he'll actually play that well - who knows - but as a 2nd rounder, I'd have to say the expectation is that he CAN displace Mallett

Tunescribe · Jun 4, 2014

From what little I've seen of Garoppolo on tape, he seems to have a quick release and is pretty accurate. Should be an interesting preseason battle between him and Mallett.

voluntarysaftey · Jun 4, 2014

If Garopollo shows any promise during OTAs / early preseason, I vote for trading Mallet if we can get a 3rd or 4th rounder in next year's draft or get a cheap backup at another position of need for him. We probably couldn't have gotten that in this year's draft, but maybe a team would be willing to discount the value of next year's 3rd/4th.

If Brady does go down, I'd rather the reps go to Garopollo than Mallet at this point -- even if Garopollo isn't as ready as Mallet -- because I'd rather be focused on taking a long-ish term approach and developing Garopollo.

RayClay · Jun 5, 2014

Unless they are offered and do trade Mallet, I think they want Garoppollo to learn without that pressure this year. The Patriots have had success slowly working QBs in and I believe that's the plan now.

Interesting fact I ran into in an old news article about the 2001 season. Belichick specifically told a reporter he wanted Huard as Bledsoe's backup instead of Brady, because he had NFL experience. Of course, Brady had been around a year and when Bledsoe went down, got the battlefield promotion, a fair surprise at the time.

Damon Huard, meanwhile, has been the unquestioned No. 2 quarterback of the Patriots for about a month. There's a reason why, Patriots' coach Bill Belichick said.

"Damon has shown that he can go and win in the National Football League," Belichick said. "Tom (Brady) and Michael (Bishop) haven't had that opportunity, but they haven't put themselves at that level yet. To me, that's what separates Damon from the other guys."

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20010901/NEWS01/309019882&cid=sitesearch

AzPatsFan · Jun 5, 2014

Not even Brady was THE Backup QB his first year as a rookie.

Mallet, wins of course for 2014.

JMC00 · Jun 5, 2014

AzPatsFan said:
Not even Brady was THE Backup QB his first year as a rookie.

Mallet, wins of course for 2014.

But Brian Hoyer as an undrafted rookie won the backup job in 2009 and the Patriots cut Gutierrez (who had 2 seasons in the system) and O'Connell (that had a year in the system as the backup). Leaving only Hoyer as the other QB on the roster besides Brady.

And remember that was the year Brady was coming back from the knee injury. I recall a few of the Boston media going nuts that they were carrying an undrafted rookie as the only other QB.

If Garoppolo comes in and outplays Mallett in training camp, Mallett will be gone.

stumeister · Jun 5, 2014

Mallet

Kontradiction · Jun 5, 2014

I think it will be Mallett. Garoppolo needs a good bit of work before he's ready to take the reigns should #12 go down for the season. Mallett will probably win it this year and next year, once Garoppolo has a full season in the system and the hammer is gone, Garoppolo will win it.

Brady6 · Jun 5, 2014

In a perfect world Garopollo would catch on quick and play really well, Ryan Mallett would play lights out, and another team would lose its starting QB in the preseason and trade us a good pick for Ryan Mallett.

Since the world is not perfect however, I will go with (1) Brady, (2) Mallett, and (3) Garopollo. That said I think that if Brady was say lost for the season (god forbid) the team would probably give that long term experience to Garopollo.

Brady_to_Moss · Jun 5, 2014

Mallett is 26 today....NOW he is old....

pats4life12 · Jun 5, 2014

Snake Eyes said:
Is it possible that Mallett might simply be better at this point? If so does it make sense to keep him?

Ya it's definitely possiable Mallett is better we will half to wait an see. But if he is better yes keep him.

Nunchucks · Jun 5, 2014

I voted for what I hope happens, the best case scenario is that Garopollo wins the job and Mallet is traded or cut.

JoeSixPat · Jun 8, 2014

RayClay said:
Unless they are offered and do trade Mallet, I think they want Garoppollo to learn without that pressure this year. The Patriots have had success slowly working QBs in and I believe that's the plan now.

Interesting fact I ran into in an old news article about the 2001 season. Belichick specifically told a reporter he wanted Huard as Bledsoe's backup instead of Brady, because he had NFL experience. Of course, Brady had been around a year and when Bledsoe went down, got the battlefield promotion, a fair surprise at the time.

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20010901/NEWS01/309019882&cid=sitesearch

I was fairly sure that Brady had been acknowledged as the #2 at the time that he in fact did need to step up - it was still surprising that he had vaulted from #4 to #2 - and I think I even remember some talk of Belichick developing big time faith in Brady even before Bledsoe went down - which led us all to speculate at the time if Brady, even soon into his tenure, might actually wrest the starting job away from Bledsoe

So while I don't doubt this article I don't take anything Belichick says, even in 2001, without a grain of salt. For all we know this was an effort to goad Brady to play harder!

OhExaulted1 · Jun 8, 2014

Edelman!

Richard Camembert · Jun 8, 2014

Brady6 said:
In a perfect world Garopollo would catch on quick and play really well, Ryan Mallett would play lights out, and another team would lose its starting QB in the preseason and trade us a good pick for Ryan Mallett. QUOTE]

I agree with this sentiment in general, although if Brady got hurt and Mallett played lights out, why wouldn't we try to resign him?

WRT the original question, drafting Garopollo likely caused any lingering trade value Mallett had to evaporate, since the Pats likely wouldn't have drafted Garopollo had Mallett been any good (they would have tried to extend Mallett at the end of the year). Mallett hasn't shown any NFL-caliber skill as far as I'm concerned other than arm strength, and maybe he can't play. However, NE has Mallett under contractual control for the remainder of this year and it's possible some QB gets hurt and Mallett suddenly acquires some value and can be moved. Until then, Mallett is a sunk cost who has had three years with NE, and there's no reason not to keep him around to step in for Brady if needed, until Garopollo is ready. Then he either gets traded if a dance partner emerges or he gets released.

Therefore Mallett will be the backup.

RelocatedPatFan · Jun 8, 2014

JoeSixPat said:
I was fairly sure that Brady had been acknowledged as the #2 at the time that he in fact did need to step up - it was still surprising that he had vaulted from #4 to #2

Didn't BB say that he felt Brady beat Bledsoe out during Training camp and preseason, but felt they had to play Drew due to the contract they just gave him?

AzPatsFan · Jun 8, 2014

We know that the Brady era is coming to an end, but we are not sure exactly when.

The Patriot organization is taking measures to try to ride through the coming transition, irrespective if it comes after 2015, 2016, 2017, or even 2018.

If they find that they have two acceptable alternatives, or possible acceptable alternatives, they may prudently try to keep both. By resigning the current trained Backup QB, Ryan Mallet, to a new contract after 2015.

The interest may not be too high, for Mallett, so the re-signing contract need not be too high and prove acceptable. The price may be too high as established by other team offers, and the Pats may elect to let him go.

Or they will take the compensation draft pick and perhaps use it to procure yet another possible alternative.

It is possible that neither is an acceptable successor. In any case, if someone wins the starting job, the team will still need a qualified Backup QB.

Who will win the backup QB job?

Who will be the Pats backup QB in 2014?

Ryan Mallett

Jimmy Garoppolo

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