Can Patriots survive start of season without Brady?

Garoppolo could set tone for season

The last time the New England Patriots opened a season without Tom Brady under centre, few could have imagined what the young quarterback would become. It was 2001, when Drew Bledsoe started the first two games before suffering a serious chest injury – opening the door for a second-year quarterback from Michigan drafted 199th overall. Brady led the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory that season, the first of four titles so far that he and coach Bill Belichick have won with New England.

Fifteen years and tons of accolades later, Brady will have to sit out the first four games of this season for his role in the “Deflategate” scandal.

“I’ll be excited to be back when I’m back,” he said, “and I’ll be cheering our team on, hoping they can go out and win every game.”

A lot of that, of course, will be up to how Jimmy Garoppolo performs in Brady’s absence.

Second-rounder

The 2014 second-rounder out of Eastern Illinois will go back to the sideline when Brady returns, but Garoppolo could set the tone for the Patriots in the AFC East. New England has won the division seven straight years, and 12 of the last 13 – with the only stumble coming in 2008, when Brady tore knee ligaments in the season opener. The best bet for the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills might be to make their move early.

“You’ve got to win your division games,” Jets wide receiver Eric Decker said. “With Brady being suspended four games, I think it makes the division up for grabs.”

First four weeks

Both Buffalo and Miami play New England in the first four weeks, but none of the Patriots’ division rivals is throwing any dirt on its rival just yet. “He’s important for those guys, but if you’ve been watching, you can see they’re still doing some of the same things,” Bills safety Corey Graham said. “They’re playing very well.

“It’s a great system to be in. Don’t get me wrong, Tom Brady’s one of the greatest quarterbacks, but I feel like the backup guy can more than get the job done.’’