Jimmy Garoppolo might not be the next Tom Brady, but his Week 1 opponent sees similarities to another household name of the past decade.
During Wednesday's conference call leading up to the Sunday night opener, Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians told reporters that the New England Patriots' stand-in quarterback reminded him of Dallas Cowboys star Tony Romo coming out of college.
"The skill set," Arians explained. "I think they both were similar sizes, arm strength, very accurate. Both moved around good."
Arians referenced Garoppolo's accuracy and high-end athleticism several times, adding, "You have to defend his legs as much as his arm."
It's an interesting comparison for several reasons.
As a senior in 2013, Garoppolo broke Romo's Eastern Illinois records for career passing touchdowns, yards and passing touchdowns in a season.
Although the more current iteration of Romo moves a bit more gingerly, he was an improvisational wizard, relying on his athleticism to escape pressure for the majority of his career.
Along with Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota and Green Bay Packers All-Pro Aaron Rodgers, Garoppolo and Romo boast the quickest releases in today's NFL. In fact, Romo's lightning-quick release was once timed at 0.26 seconds, besting Dan Marino's gold standard of 0.30.
Romo was an instant sensation as Drew Bledsoe's replacement in Dallas. Will Garoppolo follow suit against Arians' squad Sunday night?
