After enduring the round and round of their own quarterback carousel a year ago, the Texans have welcomed the stability afforded by pricey offseason acquisition Brock Osweiler while the Patriots have shuffled signal callers in the wake of Tom Brady’s suspension and Jimmy Garoppolo’s shoulder injury.
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The Patriots still hope Garoppolo can start Thursday’s game against the Texans, or at least get healthy enough to serve as Jacoby Brissett’s backup.
The Patriots have yet to add another quarterback to the roster, increasing the possibility that rookie Jacoby Brissett could make his first career start against Houston (2-0) if Garoppolo can’t go.
It is unclear is Garoppolo will be prepared to back up Brissett on Thursday, if Julian Edelman is, in fact, the team’s emergency quarterback, or if the team is looking to bring another quarterback into the mix for the 13 days until Tom Brady’s suspension is over.
It didn’t stop an onslaught of Garoppolo-related health questions on Tuesday.
O’Brien said he hasn’t slept at the office since he was on the Patriots coaching staff under Bill Belichick from 2007-11.
“I do what’s best for the football team”, Belichick said. As for the two quarterbacks the Patriots worked out Tuesday, it marked Renfree’s second workout with the club over the past month. Two quarterbacks will face off for the first-time ever. He’s got a great demeanor about him. You could tell that he was tough, that he was going to keep his eyes down field, and try his best to complete the pass while the rush was bearing down on him. “You prepare for everything you know about them and their team and their guys and then you just go out there and play”.
I guess when you win as much as Belichick has in New England you can carry yourself however you please. Maybe it’s the madness of one Bill Belichick coming into play, some will chime in.
“I’m a football coach”.
The 23-year-old has plenty of support from notable football figures, including Brady, former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and former Patriots head coach Bill Parcells.
“I’m the football coach, I’m not a doctor”, he said. “I think that fits the way he plays perfectly”. He also quarterbacked for the 2004 Woodside High team that went 13-0 en route to a Central Coast Section title.
Edelman played quarterback in college at Kent State, and he threw a touchdown in the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens a few seasons back.
Osweiler said he’s enjoyed seeing Garoppolo’s success because he understands how hard it is to be a backup quarterback in the NFL. It presents yet another preparation challenge for a Houston defense that has held its opponents under 15 points in each of their two victories over Chicago and Kansas City.
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The Patriots relied heavily on the run late in the game, though they were also trying to nurse a lead that grew to 24-0 before Brissett even completed his first National Football League pass.
