The Tribune

Patriots fan Ricardo Wells has faith in Tom Brady’s understudy . . .

THIS Sunday will see Jimmy Garoppolo under centre for the New England Patriots in the NFL season-opener against the Arizona Cardinals.

‘Jimmy G’ will be just the fourth quarterback to start for the Patriots since 1999 and only the second in the 14 years not named Tom Brady to carry out those first team snaps.

‘Tom Terrific’ is finally serving that four-game suspension for his involvement in ‘Deflategate’ in the 2014 AFC Championship.

There’s no secret that Tom Brady casts a big shadow in New England, and that anyone tasked with filling his cleats - whether for four games or after his retirement - will feel some level of angst.

With that said, the Patriots have done a great job easing Garoppolo into that starting role, the spotlight, giving the third year quarterback nearly all the first team reps heading into this season.

He even received the true-starter treatment, sitting out the entire fourth pre-season game, as second stringer Jacoby Brissett and Brady, now the third string QB, fell to the Giants.

A “weird feeling” is how he described that game to the press. “Coach told me I’m not playing, so I’m not playing.” He noted he thought he was playing until “a little while before the game” but did not have an exact time.

The ability to get Garoppolo out of the mindset of a backup and into the mindset of a starter quarterback is key.

This Sunday, against the tough Cardinals defence, Garoppolo has to be used to the idea that there is no Brady running out of that tunnel and that the wins and losses - albeit for four games - is totally on his shoulders.

I am a strong believer that Jimmy could lead the Patriots to a 4-0 record during his time as ‘the guy’. Garoppolo has the ability to man this offence. He has the ability to throw the ball deep, deliver a quality pass on the move and, if need be, re-work the play at the line of scrimmage.

I believe that his performances and the quality of them are contingent on his ability to put the “I am the back-up who is just holding on until the real guy comes back” idea toward the back of his mind.

There is no need to write more why this guy has the ability to not only be a serviceable quarterback over the next month, but a top-tier one in the future. The point is this he has four games to do what he has done most of his life - play football.

Against the Cardinals this weekend is not about the SuperBowl hopes for either team, nor is how he became the starter. It’s about him doing his job.

This is why I think Jimmy will be successful.

There is no pressure on him to be Tom Brady - after all, when Brady started he was certainly no Drew Bledsoe, and look how that turned out.

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