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New England Patriots: Jimmy Garoppolo Set For Future

ByMike Pendleton|

As the “Deflate Gate” drama surrounded the New England Patriots, much had been said about this season and quarterback Tom Brady, with not much being said about the future. For the New England Patriots, the future is easy, the future is simple, because the future is all about quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (as aptly documented by Marc Sessler of NFL.com).

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Sure, as everyone talked about the possible suspension for Brady, the spotlight was on Garoppolo because he would “fill-in” for No. 12 while he served his suspension. Now with the suspension being nullified by Judge Berman, Tom Brady will start the season for the Patriots and barring any type of injury, Jimmy Garoppolo’s playing career is back on hold.

Now that he is back to being Tom’s backup, Garoppolo gets even more time to sit back and learn more from Brady as he waits in the wings. While some would argue that the only way he can get better is by being in game action, there’s no need to rush the soon-to-be 24 year-old quarterback entering his second season.

Unlike most young quarterbacks, the Patriots are in no rush to get Garoppolo on the field, and he should be in no rush either. It is unknown if Bill Belichick will be the head coach when Garoppolo does get a chance to takeover, but it’s the intangibles that he can learn from both teacher (Brady) and coach (Belichick) that will set him up for the most successful career.

Aug 6, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) look on during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

That successful career could and should, be as him taking over for Tom Brady as the Patriots quarterback ala, Aaron Rodgers taking over for Brett Favre and Andrew Luck taking over for Peyton Manning. While Garoppolo didn’t come into the league with the same hype as either Rodgers or Luck, he did have believers outside of the Patriots organization, and one of his biggest supporters was Hall Of Fame GM Bill Polian.

Before the 2014 Draft, Polian was on record saying he believed that Garoppolo should be a first-round pick.

Polian wasn’t far off, as the Patriots took him in the second round of the 2014 draft, and now both sides await the perfect time to hand him the reigns of the franchise. He’s got a quick release when delivering a pass, his teammates have praised his poise inside the huddle, and most importantly, he’s learning from arguably the best quarterback-coach duo of all-time.

When given his opportunity, all the Patriots will ask of Garoppolo to do is what Brady did for them: win. If Bill Belichick is still around, he’ll keep his message simple: “Do Your Job” and really, winning is all that matters to the Patriots organization. One main thing he’ll need to do on the field is what those who were already mentioned have done, make his teammates around him even better than they truly are just as Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck, and Tom Brady have all done so.

While Patriots fans and the organization (and some of the NFL) are thrilled to have Tom Brady back, Jimmy Garoppolo’s time takes a backseat, but this story seems all too familiar in New England. They take a quarterback that many had heard of (granted in an earlier round) and he awaits his opportunity, now we’ll see if Jimmy Garoppolo can follow suit and bring championships to Foxborough just like Brady has.

They’ve got their legendary quarterback back on the field, they’re set to defend their Super Bowl championship, and waiting in the wings is one hell of a young and talented quarterback.

Life is good for the New England Patriots.

Next: Tom Brady's Week 1 Outlook

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