Week 1 preseason follow-up: Packers at Patriots

Tom Brady saw some playing time on Thursday night, but the spotlight was on backup Jimmy Garoppolo for the crux of the team's first preseason game.

Brady played one series, going 1-for-4 for 10 yards, while Garoppolo went 20-for-30 for 159 yards and an interception, taking seven sacks in the process.

Check out these post-game roundups for some in-depth analysis on the team's 22-11 loss:

Mike Reiss, via ESPN.com

Chris Price, via WEEI.com

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Blount thinks Garoppolo will 'hold his own' as starter

With Tom Brady's DeflateGate suspension still up in the air (no pun intended), the status of Jimmy Garoppolo as the Patriots' Week 1 starter remains unclear.

What seems clear at this point, however, is that the sophomore quarterback will see some playing time in the first four weeks of the season, a scenario veteran running back LeGarrette Blount is already fully behind.

"I like Jimmy a lot and I think he takes his job very seriously and he also has fun with it," Blount said on Sirius XM radio Tuesday. I feel like if he goes in there he's going to be productive and I think he's going to be good. I don't think he's going to go out there and do anything crazy. 

"I think he's going to go out there and do exactly what they tell him to do ... I think Jimmy is going to be good. I think he's going to be successful whenever he gets a chance to play."

Brady will be back in court next week for a settlement conference, which was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Richard M. Berman. In the meantime, the two quarterbacks continue to receive their share of the camp snaps, with another day of practice scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

READ MORE (via WEEI.com)

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Belichick talks backup quarterbacks Garoppolo, Mallett

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

In the past, it seemed just being a backup to Tom Brady and a part of the Patriots system as a whole can bolster a backup quarterback's stock. Ryan Mallett is currently experiencing a similar situation, but it looks like the 25-year-old will be in Foxborough for at least one more season.

Talks surrounding a potential trade with Mallett surfaced around draft time, as teams like the Houston Texans pondered the potential of their high draft picks. Rumors grew after the Pats chose Eastern Illinois signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo with their second-round pick.

Coach Bill Belichick quashed those rumors Thursday, telling Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan of Sirius XM NFL Radio the move is "not really something we're that interested in."

As rookie leader, Garoppolo 'trying to learn the basics'

BY DAVID HEIM

Learning a brand new NFL system is not an easy thing to do. Learning one of the more complex machines in the league is an entirely different animal.

The 2014 Patriots' rookies had to do just that starting this week, with minicamps officially opening in Foxborough.

"We're trying learn the basics of the playbook, the defense is doing the same thing on the other side," quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said earlier this week, via CSNNE.com. "We're just trying to become a team, our rookie class."

Garoppolo likens role with Pats to Rodgers' with Favre

BY SEAN DONOVAN

Everyone knew that at some point, the New England Patriots needed to choose a successor for Tom Brady.

That person may now be on his way to Foxboro.

The Patriots used their second round pick in the 2014 Draft on Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The move comes ahead of Brady's age-37 season and as hints of the future Hall of Famer's decline begin to emerge.