Patriots' Jimmy Garoppolo Ready to Take Over, Thrive as Tom Brady's Replacement

A coach's primary directive is simple: put his players in the best position to succeed. 

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick may be the best ever at achieving this goal. 

The brilliance of the Patriots offense doesn't rely completely on Tom Brady to continually excel with his execution. Belichick and his staff are masters at game-planning to a player's strengths as well as hiding his weaknesses. This is as applicable to Brady as any other player on the roster.

It's also the sole reason backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo should do well as a short-term starter during the beginning of the 2015 campaign.

The Patriots selected Garoppolo with the 62nd pick of the 2014 NFL draft for a singular purpose: to serve as Brady's heir apparent. His time will simply come a little sooner than expected after Brady received a four-game suspension for deflated footballs during the AFC Championship Game, per Albert Breer of NFL Network. ESPN.com's Ed Werder reported the veteran quarterback took steps Wednesday to appeal the NFL's decision, though.

If the suspension isn't eventually overturned, the organization is perfectly comfortable with Garoppolo as its primary quarterback option for the first four games of the season, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport: 

No quarterback has ever been selected higher than Garoppolo in the NFL draft for a Belichick-led team, as ESPN Stats & Info noted: 

This fact alone should indicate how high the future Hall of Fame head coach regards the Eastern Illinois product. The normally stoic Belichick is even excited about Garoppolo's development since becoming a member of the Patriots. 

"I talked to Bill (Belichick) at the combine, and I asked him how Jimmy was doing," Garoppolo's personal quarterback coach, Jeff Christensen, told WEEI.com's Christopher Price. "He said '(Jimmy) looks like a linebacker. He works out like a linebacker. He acts like a linebacker. I really like him a lot, Coach. You did a great job with him. Thank you.' "

As part of the 2014 draft class, Garoppolo was viewed as a development prospect with a lightning-quick release and nimble footwork. In some ways, he falls on the opposite side of the spectrum from Brady, who doesn't move well in the pocket or have one of the league's strongest arms but relies on laser-like accuracy and overall efficiency as a passer. 

Brady owned a clear advantage over Garoppolo entering the NFL after playing at Michigan, where his competitive spirit was obvious. The younger signal-caller is just now entering his second season after playing for the Eastern Illinois Panthers, an FCS (or Division I-AA) program. 

Here is part of Garoppolo's scouting report, per Bleacher Report's Matt Miller:

"

Coming out of a spread offense at EIU, Garoppolo has made a ton of throws but hasn't always played against great competition. He was in an offense that also allowed him to make a lot of throws after one read or simplified things by asking him to read just one half of the field. The speed of an NFL defense will be a big adjustment for him coming from the Ohio Valley Conference. Due to his issues with confidence in the pocket, his decision-making under pressure becomes an unknown. That said, he shows vision and made very quick reads in college. 

"

The former Panther's career exploded under the tutelage of head coach Dino Babers, who took over the program in 2012 and brought along Art Briles' version of the Air Raid offense after serving as the Baylor Bears wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator. 

Under Babers, Garoppolo's ascension toward legitimacy as an NFL prospect began. 

Before the coach's arrival, the quarterback completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 2,644 yards, 20 touchdowns and 14 interceptions during the 2011 campaign. A year later, Garoppolo threw for 3,823 yards and 31 scores. And as a senior, the native of Arlington Heights, Illinois, was honored with the Walter Payton Award as the FCS' best player after throwing for 5,050 yards, 53 touchdowns and only nine interceptions.

In doing so, Garoppolo also broke multiple school records previously held by Tony Romo. 

However, the Air Raid offense hasn't provided many viable quarterback prospects over the years. Those signal-callers who played in the system required a transitional period to adjust to the pro game.

It's almost a novel concept for a young quarterback to sit and learn in today's "What have you done for me lately?" league. 

But the footwork, verbiage, and pre- and post-snap reads are different at the NFL level. 

"The biggest thing is you have to find out what phases of your core offense that player feels most comfortable with and has the best chance of executing," an anonymous NFL offensive coordinator told ESPN.com's Field Yates. "That's the most difficult spot, so everything in the offense is structured with him in mind."

Garoppolo is most comfortable operating at a rapid pace from the shotgun formation in a spread system where he can get the ball out quickly. 

Last season, the Patriots used the shotgun formation 40 percent of the time. That number increased to 51 percent when Garoppolo filled in for Brady. 

The percentage was higher for the rookie quarterback due to some late-game, mop-up duty once the Patriots trailed against the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, but it provides an example of how the Eastern Illinois product can be used at the start of the 2015 campaign. 

"If anybody will do a great job of adjusting it will be those guys in New England," one NFL coach told Yates.

Garoppolo provided a few promising glimpses from traditional offensive sets. 

One of his best throws during his rookie campaign is an example: 

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

The quarterback executed a textbook play-action fake to his running back. The Bills linebackers were sucked up due to the threat of the run. In properly carrying out the fake, Garoppolo created plenty of room at the second level for a two-man route to be effective. 

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Even while being pressured, Garoppolo completed a relatively easy 14-yard pass to veteran receiver Brandon LaFell. 

Overall, the rookie quarterback finished his first season 19-of-27 passing for 182 yards and a touchdown. The one major concern coming out of his limited playing time was being sacked five times. Improved pocket presence and footwork are a necessity for Garoppolo.  

The talent is there to do so, according to NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah: 

It's only natural to expect the quarterback to be even better in year two. Plus, Garoppolo will be mentored by one of the best to ever play the position throughout training camp, preseason games and the first four games of the regular season. 

“From the exchanges I’ve had with Jimmy, I can tell you Tom’s been great with him, and helping him understand NFL defenses, along with the offense,” Christensen told the Boston Herald's Karen Guregian. “He’s got nothing but great things to say about the whole situation. He feels very fortunate.

“With Tom’s professionalism and willingness to help the kid, I’m sure he’ll do real well if that happens.”

After all, Brady was once in a similar situation when incumbent starter and former Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Bledsoe was injured, and it allowed the Michigan product to eventually become the Patriots' golden ticket. As Christensen said:

"

There’s a process involved, and what really helped Tom early on in his career, was that Drew Bledsoe was wonderful with him. Drew was a very bright guy, and passed on some stuff to Tom when he got hurt.

With the defenses now, there’s always adjustments, and adjustments inside adjustments, and so on. It’s an ever-changing thing. That’s why he feels fortunate to have Tom and Bill on his side.

"

Brady, of course, isn't injured, but another young quarterback is being given an opportunity to unexpectedly start due to unforeseen circumstances. 

The team already saw tremendous growth in Garoppolo by him learning from Brady during his first year, and the coaches came away impressed with his late-season practice habits, according to FoxSports.com's Peter Schrager:

Garoppolo isn't the next Brady, nor should he be viewed as such. 

It's unfair to put those type of expectations on any young player. But the former second-round pick has the necessary tools to shine as a starting quarterback in the Patriots' scheme. His eventual success hinges less on Brady's absence and more on how the Patriots mold the scheme around his overall talent. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.