Belichick: Garoppolo Has A 'Good Presence' As Patriots Quarterback
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Bill Belichick didn't need to come out and heap praise on Patriots Week 1 starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but he did anyway and it's a good sign for Garoppolo's prospects as an NFL signal-caller.
Anyone who's watched Tom Brady play QB for the Patriots - or anyone who analyzes football with even a smidge of knowledge about the position - knows that physical tools are only part of the equation and often aren't terribly important at all. What really elevates quarterbacks from good passing to, well, good quarterbacking is the intelligence and mental toughness. The "intangibles." The presence. Brady obviously has those things in spades.
Belichick believes Garoppolo has it too. Enough of it, anyway.
"I think Jimmy has got good presence for the position. I think he always has," Belichick said to reporters before Monday's joint practice with the Chicago Bears when asked about Garoppolo's ability to handle starting duties. "Again, it's always a work in progress. There's always development. Every player develops throughout the course of their career as they gain experience. That's no different than him or anybody else, but I think his demeanor is good."
This is pretty telling coming from Belichick. Again, he didn't need to come out and say these things about Garoppolo, especially considering how little he's willing to share about the qualities of individual players. He easily could have offered up a typical response like "We look for those qualities in every player," but he went out of his way to talk about Garoppolo's "presence" as a quarterback. Good stuff.
When a reporter followed up with a question about Tom Brady's positive remarks about Garoppolo from Sunday's practice, Belichick agreed with Brady's sentiments that Garoppolo had earned the respect of everyone in the locker room.
"I think that happened day one when he came here. I think he has always done that," Belichick said. "I don't think it's been any different this year. I think he has grown this year but I don't think his approach has been any different and I think he does have that. I'd agree with that."
Garoppolo showed in his preseason debut last Thursday against the New Orleans Saints that he is still, indeed, a "work in progress" as a signal-caller for the Patriots. His expected four-game stint to start the regular season will likely come with some, shall we say, learning experiences. But the most important thing, if Garoppolo truly is going to be the successor to Brady, is that he leads and brings a high level of mental fortitude to every single play. The presence.
Finding quarterbacks with a "big arm" who can "make all the throws" is easy for NFL teams. Finding guys with The Presence™ is so much harder, and often something you don't find until they take meaningful snaps. It may not be known how much of that presence Garoppolo really has until those first four games, but hopefully, Belichick is right and the Pats have found another one.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
