The New England Patriots came out in their home opener rolling against the Miami Dolphins. The absence of quarterback Tom Brady seemed to be the least of the Patriots problems as, for the second straight week, the offense operated as a strong unit. Jimmy Garoppolo had played beyond my expectations in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, one of the best defenses in the National Football League. Week 2 against Miami shouldn’t have been any different, since the game was at home and against a lesser opponent. Garoppolo and the Patriots’ offense steamrolled the Dolphins, and the defense was the dominant force it should be all season. Even with a second-half Miami comeback, the Patriots were still able to beat the Dolphins 31-24.
The win came at a huge expense, though, as Garoppolo was hit in the second quarter and injured on the play. He sustained an AC joint separation in this throwing shoulder and did not return to the game. The timetable for his return is still in question as the extent of the injury still hasn’t been announced. Some reports say Garoppolo could be out four weeks and other reports say he could playing in Week 4 in the final game before Brady returns from suspension. Moral of the story is that this isn’t good for the Patriots. They have it tough enough playing the Houston Texans on a short week Thursday night. Jacoby Brissett will start that game for the Patriots, and for a rookie quarterback who is not ready to play in the NFL at this stage in his career, it’s a tough situation to be thrown into.
Garoppolo has truly impressed me during the small sample of playing we’ve seen from him. He seems to operate well in New England’s offense and consistently made great decisions while having the ball in his hand. I don’t want Garoppolo traded after Brady’s suspension is over unless a bad team wants to make an overwhelming deal. Based on what we’ve seen, Garopollo has the makings of a future starting quarterback, and something very radical would have to be offered in the Patriots’ favor in order for me to accept his trade.
The pressure for long term falls onto Brady’s shoulders now. I don’t think anyone is here to push Brady out the door, but people now know if he’s not getting the job done, there’s someone already on their team who can. For the short term, pressure falls on Bill Belichick. Can he manage to beat a true up-and-coming team in the Houston Texans with a third-string quarterback? Belichick is known widely as the best coach in the league and Thursday night will be a huge challenge for him and the Patriots.
made, there always seem to be another story to tell. To Hell and Back: The Last Train from Hiroshima by Charles Pellegrino recounts the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan. Most of us know the basic details, which are often wrapped up in whether the US was right to unleash the nuclear age in an effort to end the war. This book doesn’t get bogged down in that debate. Instead it paints – in vivid scientific, physical and emotional detail – the impact on the cities and people devastated by them, that day and in the months and years since. The stories of Japanese survivors are heartbreaking, especially those who fled after the first bombing and sought safety in the city that became the second target. Can you imagine living through one bomb – a bomb that incinerated your family on the spot, flattened entire neighborhoods and left thousands with horrific burns and radiation poisoning – only to endure it again a few days later? For many people, survival was a matter of inches: a person shielded by a wall or tree may have survived while someone standing steps away was vaporized. The author follows a handful of survivors, much as John Hersey did in his 1946 book Hiroshima, as well as other notable participants such as the pilots who dropped the bombs. While Hiroshima is a powerful book, To Hell and Back goes farther and digs deeper. The 2015 edition uses modern language, making it feel less dated than Hersey’s book, but it also has the benefit of following up with eyewitnesses who lived into the ’90s and 2000s. It was powerful to read how the bombings continued to haunt the survivors, many fighting until old age for a ban on nuclear weapons and an end to war.
