SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- As a wide-eyed rookie out of Eastern Illinois, New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was simply trying to keep his head above water when he had an important revelation.
After weeks of watching up close future Hall of Famer Tom Brady's obsessive commitment to his craft, it struck Garoppolo that to succeed in the NFL he would have to make some changes to how he went about his business.
"It's tremendous for a quarterback to sit his first year," Garoppolo said. "You get to sit there and see a guy, if you're lucky, like I got to watch Tom.