By now, you've probably read the insightful Seth Wickersham piece for ESPN released late Thursday night. At the very least, you've read our summary of the portions relating to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. There are so many interesting tidbits within the story, which focuses on a rift between New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, team owner Robert Kraft, and quarterback Tom Brady.

One such nugget is the fact that Garoppolo received very little help from the man who was assumed to be his mentor, Tom Brady, during his time in New England.

"Brady is famously unhelpful toward his backups -- or, at least, a threat like Garoppolo," wrote Wickersham. "The two quarterbacks were friendly, but Brady -- like Joe Montana to Steve Young and Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers -- didn't see it as his role to advise Garoppolo, even on matters as trivial as footwork, as nobody had helped him during his climb."

Brady saw Garoppolo as a threat because, in the eyes of Belichick, the younger quarterback was to be part of the head coach's ongoing legacy. Belichick never wanted to trade Garoppolo but was forced to do so via a mandate issued by Kraft.


Despite the reported lack of schooling from Brady, Garoppolo has been impressive during his seven career NFL starts -- all of which were wins. He also still considers Brady a good friend.

"Me, him, [Indianapolis Colts QB] Jacoby [Brissett], we had a good friendship," Garoppolo said on November 29.

If the ESPN report is accurate, Garoppolo still likely learned a lot by merely observing the future Hall of Fame quarterback and studying his preparation habits.

Garoppolo was traded to the 49ers on October 30 and has been the starting quarterback since Week 13 of this past season. He completed 120 of his 178 pass attempts for 1,560 yards, seven touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 96.2 during his five starts and six game appearances with the 49ers.
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