Looking back, the New England Patriots had quite the trio of quarterbacks in 2016-2017.
Of course, Tom Brady was the head man in Foxboro, but the team also carried Jimmy Garoppolo, who filled in during Brady’s suspension, and Jacoby Brissett, who filled in after Jimmy G’s injury. A lot has changed since then, as only Brady remains in New England.
As for Garoppolo and Brissett, well they’re doing just fine. Garoppolo has the 49ers at 4-0 and is 10-2 as a starter in San Francisco. Brissett has taken the reins with the Indianapolis Colts since Andrew Luck’s retirement and just topped Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
So, where does that bring us? Well, it brings us to Nick Wright. What does Nick Wright have to say, you ask? Well, nothing positive.
The FOX Sports 1 personality thinks that Garoppolo and Brissett have outperformed Brady this season.
“In 2017, the New England Patriots had three quarterbacks on the roster — Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett. In 2019, the quarterback of those three that’s playing the worst is Tom Brady. He doesn’t have the cavalry coming to help him on the offensive line or the skill position guys,” Wright said Tuesday.
Ugh. Okay, let’s unpack it.
Brady sits with a 62.8 QBR, which is higher than both Garoppolo (51.6) and Brissett (50.1).
Here’s how the numbers stack up elsewhere
Brady — 5GP, 118-for-187 (63.1 percent), 1,409 yards, 281.8 yards per game, 10 TD, 2 INT
Garoppolo — 4GP, 78-for-113, (69.0 percent), 920 yards, 230.0 yards per game, 7 TD, 4 INT
Brissett — 5GP, 108-for-167 (64.7 percent), 1,062 yards, 212.4 yards per game, 10 TD, 3 INT
Let’s also mention that Brady is 5-0 (with a lot of help from the defense and a poor schedule). Yes, the Patriots offense hasn’t exactly been clicking, but even still Brady’s numbers are just as good as a whole compared to his former backups.
