Bell: Patriots controversy deflated as Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo take field
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — There’s controversy but certainly no quarterback controversy — way too early for that — in the provincial domain ruled by Emperor Belichick.
The New England Patriots held their first full-squad training camp practice Thursday on the fields outside Gillette Stadium, and Tom Brady, with his case headed to federal court to further fight his four-game Deflategate suspension, owned the show.
Not only was Brady’s arm razor sharp, but his hands were, well, 11.5 psi-soft, too.
During a red-zone sequence, he drifted into the flat to complete a double-reverse with a sweet, one-handed haul of a pass from wide receiver (and former college quarterback) Julian Edelman. As he scooted to the end zone, Brady switched the ball to his left hand and then stretched inside the pylon for the would-be touchdown.
The place, already electrified by more than 10,000 fans, went bonkers.
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Then came the rhythmic chant: "Brady! Brady! Brady!"
Makes me wonder if Jimmy Garoppolo can inspire the masses with a catch like that.
Ah, Garoppolo. All eyes, too, are on the young pup who will be the Patriots’ fill-in quarterback if Brady’s suspension isn’t overturned.
Sure, Garoppolo was intercepted on an ill-advised throw to the middle of the end zone during a seven-on-seven drill — “a terrible decision,” he said — but these are the things that young quarterbacks must learn. And can’t knock his decision during another repetition to throw to Rob Gronkowski in the end zone. The tight end looked covered, but “Gronk” snagged the football while reaching over the defender.
Garoppolo, a second-round pick from Eastern Illinois in 2014, may be a walking question mark after throwing just 27 passes as a rookie, but he’s clearly far enough along on the learning curve to realize the go-to exploits of Gronkowski. During the coming weeks, how he can develop chemistry with Gronkowski, Edelman and other targets will be a huge X-factor.
As Gronkowski put it, “Every quarterback does it a little different.”
The first practice drew the night-and-day analogy from Garoppolo and his coordinator, Josh McDaniels, when compared to the quarterback’s debut session last summer. The Pats won’t have their first padded practice until Saturday, but after an offseason full of reps, Garoppolo has a much better grasp of the playbook. And until circumstances dictate otherwise, he can keep watching Brady for clues. The mental reps are almost as important as the physical ones.
“There’s tons of stuff you try to learn,” Garoppolo said. “You don’t want to ask too many questions because he’s got a job to do, too, so you kind of want to see it from afar — see what he does, see how he does it and just put it toward your game, really.”
Brady took all of the first-team snaps during 11-on-11 plays and was first up whenever the two quarterbacks alternated turns during individual drills. It’s not that Brady, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, needs any validation. But given the circumstances, the manner in which coach Bill Belichick will supply the second-year quarterback with first-team reps will be a constant camp storyline.
Belichick would not elaborate on the relevance of the reps. He maintained that they will mix the personnel, evidenced by the aforementioned pass to Gronkowski. McDaniels, also the quarterbacks coach, estimated Thursday there may have been a 50-50 split, accounting for all of the drills on top of the 11-on-11 work.
With recently signed veteran Matt Flynn on the non-football injury list, Brady and Garoppolo are the only two arms on the practice field at the moment, meaning more reps for the understudy. On top of that, Garoppolo was seen getting one-on-one attention with Belichick.
“Private conversation,” Garappolo said. “He’s just giving me coaching points, and stuff like that.”
With Brady off the interview grid for now, Garoppolo drew the largest media crowd after practice. He wouldn’t touch the question of starting the season opener with a 10-foot pole.
“We’re not really looking that far ahead,” he said. “It’s the first day of training camp.”
Garoppolo is proceeding respectfully — and cautiously. There will be no controversy coming from him. Someone asked about his reaction when the news came down Tuesday that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had upheld Brady’s suspension, given the potential impact on the second-year pro.
“Right,” Garoppolo said. “You know, not much of a reaction to it, really. Just stayed focused on what I can control and what I’m trying to learn right now and improve on.”
Garoppolo couldn’t help but break into a grin, though, when someone asked if he has a preference — hard or soft — in the footballs he uses.
“No,” he said, flatly.
As much as Belichick repeats that his focus is on that particular day and preparing for the 2015 season, the Deflategate issue is part of the mix, regardless, as it threatens to take arguably the NFL’s best quarterback off the field. It will hover over the Patriots all summer — with a fresh reminder provided by a group of New York Jets fans who claimed responsibility for trolling the Patriots with a small airplane that circled the practice field carrying a message on a banner. It read: “Cheaters look up! @JetsFansMedia.com.”
On the ground, the Patriots are looking ahead. One day at a time.
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Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell