FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Tom Brady spent the first preseason game for the New England Patriots watching his backups.
Rookie Jimmy Garoppolo was more impressive than Ryan Mallett, but both need improvement.
Coach Bill Belichick says that particularly with young players, just because they make a mistake it doesn't mean they will continue doing that.
The Patriots lost to Washington 23-6 Thursday night after three days of joint practices at the Redskins training facility. Garoppolo played the entire second half on offense, completing 9 of 13 passes for 157 yards and one touchdown. Mallett played the first half and was 5 for 12 for 55 yards.
The Patriots will practice at home on Tuesday and Wednesday with the Philadelphia Eagles before the teams play Friday night.
___
AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL