(**Note**: I would like to thank Robinson, a very good friend of mine and fellow high school graduate, for contributing this piece on his favorite team the New England Patriots. – Zach S.)

On a night where the New England Patriots fell to the Green Bay Packers in a 22-11 loss, many Patriots fans watched as the man who might potentially start the first four games of the season struggled under pressure. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo turned in a very subpar performance Thursday night and this brings into question whether or not the second round pick is ready to takeover if and when Tom Brady has to serve his four game suspension. Garoppolo, who was 20-of-30 for 159 yards and one interception with no touchdowns, was unable to prove that he was ready to take over for Brady. Garoppolo under threw receiver Josh Boyce twice, both of which were almost interceptions. He also overthrew Boyce deep down the middle, although it looked like Boyce had some trouble with his feet on that particular play. Garoppolo also looked indecisive at times, often holding on to the ball for far too long and relying on 5 yard passes to get any rhythm going.

Whatever way one wants to phrase it, Garoppolo looked far from ready to take over the helm if Brady is out and a lot of fans obviously expected more. Although, one glaring fact still remains, it is still preseason. Judgment cannot be set in stone for Garoppolo because of this reason. On a night where almost two-dozen starters sat out, Garoppolo made the best out of nothing, which is a renowned trait of Brady himself. With the absence of Julian Edelman, Brandon Lafell, Aaron Dobson, Rob Gronkowski and Scott Chandler, Garoppolo had a less than mediocre group of receivers which included Josh Boyce, Brandon Gibson and Chris Harper to name a few. Not to mention Garoppolo worked behind an offensive line that featured none of the 2014 starters. So any reproach or blame that is being lashed on Garoppolo should hold off until we see more of him. Garoppolo did look poised in the pocket and made all of the correct reads. Even though he was sacked 7 times, Garoppolo did not fold in fear and continued to fight especially in the second half when he completed 15 of his last 17 passes in a semi hurry up approach despite throwing a pick to LaDarius Gunter. Particularly, he looked good right before halftime where he drove down field to set up a 56-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski. He also showed his ability as an intrepid runner on one first down run and another on fourth down although he was inches short of the markers. So despite Garoppolo’s seemingly poor performance, this was just the first preseason game and it is likely that Jimmy G only continues to improve from here.

– Robinson O.