1. Background
Although Tom Brady will appeal his four game suspension for Deflategate, it still seems likely he'll miss some time for his role in the matter. So in the meantime, let's to get to know his young replacement.
Jimmy Garoppolo is only 23 years old and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round (62 overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. It was the highest drafteted quarterback by the Patriots since they spent the first overall pick on Drew Bledsoe back in 1993. He played his college ball at Eastern Illinois.
2. Nobody Wanted Him
Well, not necessarily everyone, just Division I schools. Garoppolo was only a 2-star recruit on Rivals.com, and according to them, he only had a few scholarship offers. Eastern Illinois, Illinois St. and Montana State were the only programs to offer him a scholarship. Since Garoppolo was from Illinois, he decided to stay local and play for Eastern Illinois where he played from 2010 to 2013.
3. College Days
Garoppolo put together a great career at Eastern Illinois. During his time there, he broke Tony Romo's school record for most touchdown passes in a season and career. For his career, he put up 13,156 yards passing with a 62.7 completion percentage, 118 touchdowns and 51 interceptions. He also won the 2013 Walter Payton Award for the most outstanding player in FCS and the 2013 College Football Performance FCS National Quarterback of the Year.
4. Small Numbers
With his career only a few seasons old and having to sit behind a future Hall of Famer, Garoppolo hasn't seen much playing time. During his brief time on the field in mop-up minutes, he's put up decent numbers. In six games played, Garoppolo is 19 for 27 (70 pecent) with 182 yards, 1 touchdown and zero interceptions.
5. He's Relatively Cheap
If Garoppolo can produce some wins for the Patriots during Brady's suspension, they would have done is at a somewhat low cost to the salary cap. When Garoppolo signed on the dotted line after the draft, it was for 4-years and a maximum of $3.48 million, with a $853,744 signing bonus.
6. He's Single
I know that this doesn't mean much for many sports fans out there, but we know that there are flocks of women out there who are curious of this young quarterback's status. Now that Brady is locked down with Giselle, it's time to keep an eye out to see who this young signal caller will be bringing to Gillette Stadium. Let the rumors begin!
