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Would the New England Patriots be best suited looking at a player from their past when trying to find a quarterback of the future?
While no decision has apparently been made on whether the team will bring Cam Newton back, turn things over to Jarrett Stidham, or go in another direction entirely, some believe the answer to the Patriots’ QB conundrum lies in bringing back two old Tom Brady backups.
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Tedy Bruschi: Jimmy Garoppolo is the ‘Best Option’ for 2021
Former Patriots linebacker and current ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi was a guest on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni, and Fauria” this week, and when asked for his opinion on the best QB option for the Patriots in 2021, he reached into the past.
Bruschi said:
“This is why I think it is going to be so difficult and I think maybe (Jimmy Garoppolo) is the way to go because he’s been in New England before and played under Tom Brady and been in the stadium with all those banners to look up to and know he was somewhat part of it. Any other quarterback, why do you want to follow Tom Brady? You’re always going to be compared to the successes and the past, and that is going to make it a tough job. That’s going to make it a job to where guys will come in, ‘I can’t live up to that.’ I think the pressure is higher than ever in New England in terms of who the next quarterback is going to be.
The pressure to win in New England is significant. I think we saw that with Newton. After such a disappointing season in 2020, there is reason to believe the pressure could be even more intense in 2021.
Bruschi is aware and he believes Garoppolo would be able to handle the situation. Bruschi continued:
“I think Garoppolo knows that. I think Garoppolo could even say, ‘You know what, I can do it. I know how it’s done.’ To me, maybe that is the best option because of the amount of pressure the new guy is going to have. It’s going to be a hard, hard task.”
Albert Breer: ‘I Do Think Brissett Makes Sense’
Bruschi isn’t the only one looking to the Patriots past to find the next QB option. NBC Sports Boston and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer looked to Jacoby Brissett as perhaps the best option.
Breer wrote the following in a recent SI mailbag:
I do think Brissett makes sense — just not as the only guy. If they go after Brissett and Brissett alone on the veteran market, my guess is that would be a pretty strong tell on the Patriots’ plan to be aggressive on draft day. And I wouldn’t be totally turned off by the idea of that. The trouble is that they’re picking 15th. If you’re picking that low, it’s tough to put all your eggs in that one basket, not knowing what’ll happen in front of you.
Clearly, Breer is looking at Brissett as a bridge QB. Signing him, according to Breer, would only be a good idea if the team has designs on being aggressive on draft day to find their more long-term solution at QB.
Garoppolo has battled injuries most of his time with the San Francisco 49ers. That’s part of the reason he could be available for the Patriots via trade. Brissett will be a free agent and he’ll likely be looking to land somewhere where he has a chance to be the starter from Day 1. If the Patriots move on from Newton, New England would fit the bill.
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