It’s a fascinating time if you’re following the Las Vegas Raiders, with training camp taking place in Henderson, NV. That’s especially true for new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo—the man can do no wrong, nor can he do anything right, according to fans.
There are several feel-good stories coming out of the desert right now. The biggest among them pertaining to the young members of the Raiders’ defense. Of course, the shadow (or lack thereof) of Josh Jacobs’ holdout still looms large. That being said, the quarterback position has continued to be a lightning rod for conversation within Raider Nation. Even with Derek Carr long gone, Garoppolo’s performances have been eliciting quite the reaction. Mind you, we’re talking about practice.
Big day for #Raiders defense indoors today…CB Jakorian Bennett, LB Robert Spillane and S Isaiah Pola-Mao all picked off QB Jimmy Garoppolo in the indoor practice.
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) August 4, 2023
That’s right, practice.
Social media was set ablaze on Friday when reports from the Raiders’ facilities indicated Garoppolo had thrown three interceptions. According to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, several Raiders defenders had big days picking off “Jimmy G.” Beyond the three players mentioned in Gutierrez’ tweet, or X, safety Jaydon Smith also got the best of Garoppolo by snagging an interception.
Okay, let’s get a couple of things straight here. Struggles were expected; it’s still early, folks. Yes, Garoppolo once played under head coach Josh McDaniels, but that was years ago. To hold him to this unrealistic expectation is ludicrous.
Of course, it’s also fair to say that some of the offensive struggles could be due to the fact that the offensive catalyst, Josh Jacobs, isn’t there. Jacobs aside, Garoppolo is still getting into rhythm with his deep receiving corps. Let’s be honest, if there was a time for the Raiders’ signal-caller to make these mistakes, it’s better now in the middle of training camp. Better than, say, in the confines of Allegiant Stadium.
We’ll meet you halfway…
However, for those of you who anxiously await their phones to be alerted of any negative press surrounding Garoppolo, we’ll meet you halfway. One terrible practice isn’t indicative of anything—if we start hearing about multiple repeat performances, the red flags will be justified.
In all likelihood, the team’s joint practices will be as close as possible to a real game for Jimmy Garoppolo prior to the real thing. It’s highly unlikely that he’ll participate in the preseason. More so when you consider that Chase Garbers is back.
*Top Photo: L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal