NFL rumors: Bill Belichick talks Jimmy Garoppolo, Tom Brady’s NFL return
By Matt Couden
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick recently commented on the team’s top training camp priority, getting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo ready for the early season games, and on Tom Brady’s eventual return as starter.
With Patriots quarterback Tom Brady suspended for the first four games of the upcoming NFL season, head coach Bill Belichick recently spoke about the team’s top priority at New England’s training camp. Belichick was quoted as saying, “We have, finally, some definition with Tom’s situation, so our priority is to get Jimmy [Garoppolo] ready for the Arizona game. That will be a comprehensive process.”
Garoppolo will start in place of Brady for the first four games of the Patriots 2016-17 NFL season. However, Belichick also told the media, “Tom will return as the starting quarterback when he gets back.” That would bring one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks back for the team’s Week 5 game against the Cleveland Browns.
#Patriots Bill Belichick: Getting Jimmy Garoppolo Ready Is Priority No. 1 In Training Camp https://t.co/0jjibcA4KE
— 98.5 The Sports Hub (@985TheSportsHub) July 27, 2016
Brady will be out those first four games due to the DeflateGate suspension being upheld from two postseasons ago. The team is currently listed by Vegas Insider as the favorite (15/2 odds) to win the next Super Bowl. Those odds come despite the fact Brady is suspended for the first quarter of the Pats’ season.
However, the team’s final record is going to depend a lot on how they start in those four games. Belichick has called Garoppolo’s training camp work a “day to day” process. He also noted there are “three [quarterbacks]” the team has to work with, in what he considers a “good situation” despite the suspension.
New England will open the season at the Arizona Cardinals, probably the toughest team on their early schedule. Their next three games will be at home against the Dolphins, Texans and Bills. Two of those teams will be hungry for a big win over their division rivals.
If Garoppolo can get at least a few wins in those first four games, it should be a smooth transition for Brady to come back. A return at Cleveland will help Brady gain momentum and help the Pats to claim at least the division, and possibly the AFC. For now, Garoppolo will hold the team’s early fate, and part of the end of season record, in his hands.