Imrem: Garoppolo's audition might just be for Chicago Bears
As NFL training camps approach, a rare reason to be interested this early has surfaced.
"Jim-Mee! Jim-Mee! Jim-Mee!"
Garoppolo, that is.
Whassup, homey?
Whassup is a Sunday morning headline on BostonGlobe.com: "What to expect during Jimmy Garoppolo's four-week audition."
For whom will Garoppolo be auditioning? For his Patriots bosses? For 31 other NFL teams?
Or for a specific team close to home?
The Globe story noted that there is a possibility Garoppolo "could walk at the end of the (2017) season and sign wherever he wants, and his hometown Bears likely will be in the market for an arm."
Come on, guys, quit teasing me.
The Chicago Bears-Garoppolo speculation is based on the premise that Jay Cutler won't be the Bears quarterback for the rest of all of our natural lives.
And also that Garoppolo will be successful in New England, where he, not Tom Brady, is the starting quarterback for now.
Garoppolo grew up in Arlington Heights, graduated from Rolling Meadows High School and played his college football at Eastern Illinois University.
Talk about local kid makes good!
As of late last week, the question of "how good?" became more compelling.
As a resident of Arlington Heights, I pull for Garoppolo. It was disappointing to me that the Bears didn't beat the Patriots to him in the 2014 college draft.
Brady, believed by many to be the NFL's greatest quarterback ever, on Friday decided not to challenge a four-game suspension assessed by Commissioner Roger Goodell in the "Deflategate" case.
Hopefully, mercifully, this is the last time we hear the "D" word … except as it relates to the opportunity it gives Garoppolo to be the Patriots' starter through September.
(However, it sure would have been fun to hear Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg giggle if asked to rule on "Deflategate.")
Until now, Garoppolo has been a bit player in the Brady saga. All he could do was wait and wait and wait in the background to see whether the suspension ever had to be served.
Garoppolo's time has come, though it won't be like when a fresh-faced Brady replaced injured veteran Drew Bledsoe, quarterbacked the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory and never relinquished the starting job except when injured.
Brady will be back after he's back in good graces with the NFL and Garoppolo will be back to being his backup.
Unlike many other observers, I like Brady and wanted him to beat that dumb rap, trump that dumb Goodell and never have to miss a game because of that dumb suspension.
I am a big fan of Garoppolo despite never having seen him throw a football other than a few times on TV in preseason games.
The longer Garoppolo didn't play, the more I liked him. If he never steps on a football field again after his four-game "audition," I'll campaign for him to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame anyway.
If Garoppolo plays well in September, his value will increase and the Patriots might trade him at season's end. If they keep him in 2017, he might become a free agent after that season.
Seriously, how cool would it be for the Chicago suburbs to have a native son become the Bears' starting quarterback?
Count me in on that concept.
"Jim-Mee! Jim-Mee! Jim-Mee!"
mimrem@dailyherald.com