Jimmy Garoppolo uneven as Patriots open preseason

Jimmy Garoppolo was hardly dazzling in the New England Patriots' preseason opener Thursday night, but the third-year quarterback shook off a slow start and showed some progress.

Garoppolo completed 11 of 18 passes for 168 yards in one half of work against the New Orleans Saints.

Slated to start the Patriots' first four games with Tom Brady suspended for his alleged role in the Deflategate scandal, Garoppolo settled in after failing to lead the offense to a first down in New England's first two drives.

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Garoppolo's biggest gain of the night came on a screen pass that running back James White took 56 yards down to the 1-yard line. Running back LeGarrette Blount scored on the ensuing play.

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Finding comfort in the pocket proved rare for Garoppolo, who took two sacks and was thrown off by the Saints' pressure. But the offense later established a rhythm with quick throws to tight end Martellus Bennett and rookie wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell (who was later injured).

On his final play of the first half, Garoppolo appeared to have a touchdown secured with a fade to the corner of the end zone, but White was not able to secure the ball.

In typical fashion, Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not divulge any thoughts on Garoppolo's performance.

"We’ll take a look at everybody," Belichick said during his postgame news conference when asked for his evaluation of Garoppolo. "There are a lot of people out there. I don’t want to try and make an evaluation without really looking at it."

Brady was not present for Thursday night's game, attending a memorial service instead. Tight end Rob Gronkowski didn't play, either, but he normally plays little in preseason.

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Follow Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz on Twitter @MikeMSchwartz.

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