Everyone is calling Tom Brady the G.O.A.T. He has 5 Super Bowl rings and people seem to think he can play forever. Yet, we all know that one injury or a bad year is needed for the decline to set in. Brady is pushing 40 and is old by quarterback standards. Back-up Jimmy Garappolo is 25 and has been on the roster for 4 years. Will New England commit to Tom or risk Garappolo walking away with no future franchise quarterback?
Jimmy’s last year in Foxboro?
Garoppolo knows that if Tom is playing up to par, the second stringer does not have a chance of starting until Brady gets hurt or retires.
If the Patriots want to look to their future, chances are good that another Tom Brady will not come along. A good quarterback is hard to find. What works in college does not always translate to the NFL. Think Ryan Leaf and E.J. Manuel. Rather than ride the wave of Tom Brady, it would probably benefit the Patriots to give Garoppolo some solid playing time.
Brady’s weaknesses and flaws
Having thrown 456 touchdowns and only 152 interceptions, Brady is one of the best at moving the chains. However, he has his flaws. The G.O.A.T is not a scrambler or a guy with great speed. When his offensive line is not at the top of their game and giving Brady solid protection, the scoring rhythm can get disrupted.
The Atlanta Falcons were a menace for Brady for almost three quarters of football during Super Bowl 51. Brady’s pass rating dipped to 65.2 in the first half. While the Patriots did come back to win, it was the worst three quarters that New England has ever played in a Super Bowl under Brady. He overthrew on passes and was intercepted.
As a quarterback ages, his flaws get worse, not better. The upside is that in the 4 games that Garoppolo started last season, he proved that he could scramble well. Do the Patriots want another AFC East team such as the Jets or Bills to acquire Garoppolo?
Even quarterback legends take nosedives
Peyton Manning had his best year in 2013, the second year that he played for the Denver Broncos.
Manning threw for 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards. Yet, two years later, the sharp deterioration in his game showed. He only put up a little over 2000 passing yards and 9 touchdowns. Manning was even benched in favor of Brock Osweiller in November 2015. While Manning did play in Super Bowl 50 and helped beat the Carolina Panthers, he only threw for 141 yards and no touchdowns. Running back C.J. Anderson and the Broncos defense were hugely responsible for the victory. Do Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft want Brady to show these type of passing numbers in his final years?
The Patriots have a decision to make in 2018. Will it be Jimmy Garoppolo or the G.O.A.T? Even the Brady-Belichick era has an expiration date.
