Jimmy Garoppolo may finally get a full season to prove himself as a starting NFL quarterback. And he's quite prepared to do so.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback spent his first three seasons backing up Tom Brady in New England, soaking up everything he could from the legendary Patriots QB.
Garoppolo has mentioned in the past how much he's learned from Brady, but the 27-year-old recently was asked to pinpoint a specific lesson he picked up in New England and gave a pretty good answer to The Ringer's Kevin Clark:
What you learn is playing the game within the game, that’s a big part of Tom. I don’t even know if he told me that [directly], but he would always talk about the game within the game. He would talk about the snap count, and he’d say ‘you’re going to go on two on this play’ and he’d have a specific reason.
That’s not the coaches telling you, that’s the player playing the game within the game. It’s the little things, the little details and how he ties them all together—that’s what separates you.
Brady's attention to detail is unrivaled, as he and head coach Bill Belichick leave no stone unturned in their preparation for every game and practice.
That focus apparently made an impression on Garoppolo, who drew rave reviews from the 49ers as he led them to five consecutive wins in 2017 following his midseason trade from the Patriots.
A torn ACL derailed Garoppolo's 2018 campaign after just three games, but the sixth-year QB is taking another page from Brady's book this offseason by training with Tom House, Brady's former throwing coach.
New England Patriots
"It was a good opportunity to meet some very intelligent minds," Garoppolo said of working with House and his staff.
Garoppolo has been surrounded by intelligent minds for much of his NFL career, and now will try to put that knowledge into action in San Francisco.
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