NFL: Breaking down the 2015 New England Patriots

Quarterback

Starter: Tom Brady

Depth: Jimmy Garoppolo, Matt Flynn

We all know Tom Brady will be the starter here, once he’s done with whatever his current suspension ends up looking like. As it stands, it’s a four-game suspension to be served in the first month of the season. Brady has filed an appeal, which if it isn’t handled before the start of the season, could allow him to play until the appeal is heard. It’s more than likely Brady still has to serve a couple of games, which means we’ll see Garoppolo to start the season and Brady back under center right after.

When he’s back in the saddle, you can expect more high-level play from Brady who, while aging, is still very sharp. He started out slowly in 2014, but found his feet and finished strong. He has the same receivers back for another year, Rob Gronkowski is healthy and the offensive line is solid. There’s a lot of evidence to suggest he’s in for another big year. Plus, with all the Ballghazi nonsense about deflated footballs, Brady is likely going to come into the season with a huge chip on his shoulder.

Garoppolo is an interesting player and it’s going to be nice to have some extra insight into his development when we see him start early in the season. He looked solid during the 2014 preseason, completing 58.2 percent of his passes for 618 yards, five touchdowns and one interception, but he was a little less effective in his second-half appearance against the Buffalo Bills in Week 17 when he struggled to move the chains. Garoppolo spent time this offseason adding muscle. He has a strong arm and has been working to improve his touch on shorter passes as he often overpowered receivers on those routes in college. After working out of the spread offense at Eastern Illinois, Garoppolo has adjusted well under center.

Garrett Gilbert got dumped for Matt Flynn, who after somehow convincing various teams to give him massive contracts, has settled back into the spot he always was meant for—career backup. More than likely he’s there for Brady’s suspension in case Garoppolo implodes, and could be gone after Week 4 (assume Brady’s suspension holds). Since 2011, the Patriots have kept just two quarterbacks on the roster so it’s unlikely Flynn hangs around too long once Brady is back.

Next: Running Back