FOXBORO, Mass. — Jimmy Garoppolo had a subpar practice two weeks ago during New England Patriots organized team activities. He wasn’t horrible, but he wasn’t great either, throwing five interceptions and causing the region to collectively lose its mind in panic.
When the Patriots signed Matt Flynn, some even wondered if the Patriots were considering using the veteran as their starting quarterback if Tom Brady’s suspension holds up. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels helped quell the panic last week by talking up Garoppolo’s improvements.
“In Jimmy’s situation, there are no bad days,” McDaniels said last week. “We’re either going to get better from some mistakes we made or we’re going to make progress and be happy about that. … He is making decisions quicker. He is more sure of what to do. And at the same time, there’s not a day that goes by that he doesn’t make mistakes that we can correct and try to improve his play off of, so I’m pleased with what his attitude has been, and his work ethic has always been great. I think we’re having a positive spring.”
Garoppolo was impressive Tuesday during the Patriots’ first day of minicamp, completing 39 of 47 passes with just one interception. That one errant throw, picked off by safety Nate Ebner after a deflection, still stung the second-year pro.
“I’m never going to be happy with any interception, no matter how many it is,” Garoppolo said. “You have to take it with a grain of salt and learn from it. I mean, Josh is right, you gotta learn from each mistake you make and each good thing that you do, too.”
Unless disaster strikes, Garoppolo still is expected to be the Patriots’ starter as long as Brady’s suspension isn’t wiped away. The Patriots appear to be in good shape with the young quarterback after seeing his progress after four weeks of offseason practices.
Garoppolo even was working with some of the Patriots’ starting weapons Tuesday as the team could be preparing for life without Brady. Garoppolo completed eight passes to No. 1 receiver Julian Edelman and six to starting tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Garoppolo will look better with the Patriots’ starters than he would with young players and newcomers, naturally, and it’s smart to allow the second-year pro to build chemistry with his best receivers while the offseason is still young. He worked out with Edelman in Los Angeles this spring, though the QB wouldn’t say if he plans on continuing those sessions this summer.
Thumbnail photo via Stephan Savoia/Associated Press
