With all the controversy surrounding the defending Super Bowl champions, the Patriots are now scrambling to finalize their starting quarterback situation for the first week matchup. The Deflategate scandal has pretty much sealed the fate of regular starter Tom Brady, sending concerns throughout New England and the Patriot organization. The suspension for the superstar quarterback means inexperienced backup Jimmy Garoppolo will take his place under center, with even less experience behind him, making the team look for the possible signing of former established starters such as Michael Vick or Matt Flynn.
The promotion of Garoppolo to starter seems like a good idea with him already knowing the Patriots system, as well as having the mindset he has towards his own quarterbacking skills, per what he told Alabama.com:
"I like to think I'm pretty close in comparison to Aaron Rodgers. He's very athletic and gets the ball out quickly. He's very knowledgeable of the game, controls the offense totally and that's something I try to do. Just know the offense inside and out."
If the Patriots do go the route of giving Garoppolo the nod to start week one, they are going to need a legitimate backup for insurance. The talent pool for free agent quarterbacks is not very deep this year with Matt Flynn, Michael Vick and Travaris Jackson leading the way.
The Patriots have taken chances on players before, but with the baggage that is Michael Vick, the team should likely look elsewhere for backup services. Not only has Vick's production gone down yearly, but he is still having issues off the field as well. TMZ Sports has the scoop on the current business lawsuit with a rep for Vick having this to say about the allegation:
"If there was any validity to his claims about Mike regarding their business association, he would have filed a civil suit. But since his claims are false, he's doing everything he can to smear Mike's name, including filing a police report and contacting TMZ."
What do you think the Patriots should do with their quarterback controversy? What do you think of the Brady Suspension? Is Michael Vick a smart backup choice? Tell us what you think.
