For the time being, the New England Patriots will be without Tom Brady for the first four games. According to ESPN, the quarterback is expected to appear his suspension following the 'Deflategate' ruling, but for now he stands to miss the start of the year. In his place, backup Jimmy Garoppolo will head under center as the Patriots will get a first look at whether or not the quarterback can be the future of the franchise or merely a trade piece at a later date.
According to the Boston Herald, Garoppolo will be the starter in place of Brady. After seeing some brief playing time last season, he is the best option the Patriots have considering his knowledge of the offense and chemistry with receivers. Sure there are free agents like Michael Vick and Matt Flynn hanging around hoping to be signed, but Garoppolo is the best option currently on the roster.
When Garoppolo was drafted by New England, he was viewed as the future heir to the Brady thrown. However, Ryan Mallett was thought to be the same thing. Instead, the Patriots traded Mallett for a draft pick to the Houston Texans a year before his rookie contract expired. Could they end up doing the same with Garoppolo if he performs well during this stint as a starter?
CSNNE.com ponders what Garoppolo would be worth on the trade blocks. Most Patriots' quarterbacks have a high return rate considering they are learning the ins and outs of the game from Brady. Analyst Ben Volin believes Garoppolo could be worth a second-round draft pick at the highest, but would not deal him at the moment considering he is a valuable backup.
"The security of having a good backup quarterback is something that cannot be understated," said Volin, via CSNNE.com. "Where are you going to get a backup? I like Jimmy G. I would not just give him away, even for a first-round pick. Brady's 38 this summer. I keep the quarterback."
Most Patriots' players are not overly concerned with how the suspension will factor into the team in 2015. According to Rob Gronkowski, Brady's absence does not affect him in the long run. The tight end made it clear that he will prepare to same way for games and play the same way regardless of who is under center for the team.
"It won't be hard, it will be the same," Gronkowski said, via ESPN.com. "I prepare the same every single year, I don't see why my preparation would change. I got to go out there, I got to still make blocks, I still got to run routes. You guys act like the whole approach to football is going to change. It's definitely a team game and everyone has to go out there and prepare how they gotta prepare to get ready for the game. Personally for myself, my preparation ain't gonna change cause I gotta go out there and play the game, run routes at full speed and block at full speed."
Players like LeGarrette Blount and owner Robert Kraft believe the suspension is ridiculous. Brady has hired a legal team to fight the ruling and is expected to move quickly on getting the suspension overturned.
