FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill Belichick seemed to go out of his way to praise New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on Friday morning.
While lauding Patriots starter Tom Brady, Belichick noted there’s a seamless offensive transition in practice reps between the quarterbacks.
Brady was asked about those comments Friday afternoon, and he certainly didn’t seem to take them the wrong way.
“I think everybody counts on the position to be seamless,” Brady said. “When I go out there to practice, I’m counting on the receiver position to do exactly what we’re asking them to do and run the right routes, at the right tempo and right conversion and read the right coverage. So if one guy’s in there, it looks one way. Then if you put another guy in, it really looks the same way so it doesn’t screw anyone else up.
“I think Jimmy’s done such a great job of working hard to maintain that at the quarterback position when he goes in for certain repetitions. It’s important for everyone to stay sharp on the whole team because you never know when your number is going to be called. Everyone gets reps and everyone tries to improve with each other so when you get your chance, it looks seamless. That’s probably a good word for it.”
The Patriots’ offense is complex, so it’s a testament to Garoppolo’s preparation that the offense is a well-oiled machine with either player under center.
Thumbnail photo via Scott R. Galvin/USA TODAY Sports Images
