The Patriots held their first practice of training camp on Thursday, which means we got our first chance to see how the team will be divvying up the reps at quarterback between Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports that it was an even split between the two quarterbacks during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills as the team begins the process of getting Garoppolo ready to start the first four games of the season. That will have to be balanced with getting Brady enough work to be sharp when he returns to the lineup after his suspension, something that coach Bill Belichick confirmed will happen on Wednesday.
That was a fairly obvious declaration and hasn’t stopped Garoppolo from being “very excited” about the chance to start.
“Yeah, it’s a great opportunity just like you said,” Garoppolo said in comments distributed by the team. “You have to go out there and take advantage of it. You don’t get many opportunities in this league, you might only get one, so you’ve got to make the best of it.”
If Garoppolo makes the best of his cameo in the starting lineup, it’s hard to believe that it will be the last of his opportunities to start in the NFL. Those future chances probably wouldn’t come in New England, but a strong showing in the first quarter of the season should make Garoppolo a hot commodity on the trade market come the offseason.
