The quarterback position is the foundation on which a franchise is built. In that case, Tom Brady's nickname should probably be "concrete," because the New England Patriots have one of the sturdiest foundations in the NFL.
For the first four weeks of the 2014 regular season, it began to look like there might be some cracks in that foundation, but a few tweaks to the Patriots offensive line helped keep the house from crumbling in on itself.
Unfortunately, it appears that the Patriots may be without their concrete at the beginning of the season—though for exactly how long, we don't know, since that will be determined by Brady's appeal over a four-game suspension for the findings of the Wells report.
For that reason, now is as good a time as any to get familiar with the entirety of the Patriots' depth chart at the game's most important position. Sure, we probably already know who Brady's backup will be, but there's always the possibility of a worst-case scenario that would force the Patriots to play a third- or fourth-string signal-caller.
It's almost impossible to prepare for such a situation, but the Patriots were wise enough to get ahead of the ball last year—though they couldn't have possibly seen such a scenario playing out so soon. There are only a few names to familiarize yourself with on the Patriots' depth chart at quarterback, and here they are.
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Tom Brady
Tom Brady's spot at the top of the depth chart goes without saying. I briefly considered writing "duh" and calling it a day, but there's more to this story than Brady's status as the starter.
Brady was hit with a four-game suspension for the findings of the Wells report regarding Deflategate, and although there's a chance his suspension could be reduced or overturned on appeal, the Patriots have to be prepared for the very real possibility that Jimmy Garoppolo could be the starter for Week 1 or longer.
The sarcastic ones among Patriots fans may view this as somewhat of a blessing; after all, Brady played like garbage in the first four games of the 2014 regular season.
| Games | Comp % | YPA | TD | INT | Rate |
| First 4 | 59.1 | 5.8 | 4 | 2 | 79.1 |
| Final 12 | 65.6 | 7.5 | 29 | 7 | 103 |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
That being said, does anyone know what to expect from Garoppolo? It's safe to say that while the Patriots could stay afloat with Garoppolo behind center, they probably won't be better off for it.
Jimmy Garoppolo
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The Patriots surprised the world by making Jimmy Garoppolo their second-round pick in 2014; the consensus was (and, for some, remains) that the Patriots would have been better off taking a more immediate-impact player to maximize Brady's window, rather than drafting Garoppolo in hopes of prolonging their championship window with another franchise quarterback.
We may not find out right away whether the Patriots made the right choice by drafting Garoppolo, but we are about to get our first glimpse into the Garoppolo era.
The Patriots' coaching staff will probably try to keep things as simple as possible for Garoppolo in the early going by drawing up game plans that are suited to Garoppolo's strengths while also masking some of his deficiencies. At this point, those primary deficiencies are reading defenses by going through progressions and also downfield passing. His strengths are in his quickness with the ball and quickness on his feet.
Jimmy Garoppolo is talented. Quick feet, quick release and throws with touch/accuracy. Arm strength is good enough.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) May 11, 2015
Garoppolo should be able to keep the team afloat for the first however-many-games of the season, but the Patriots just better hope he is durable enough to last that long, because name No. 3 on the depth chart does not inspire a whole heap of confidence.
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Garrett Gilbert
The Patriots added Garrett Gilbert in December of the 2014 season and promptly placed the rookie on the practice squad. If it weren't for Tom Brady's suspension, Gilbert would probably begin the 2015 season the same place he ended the 2014 season.
Fortunately for Gilbert, it looks like he'll have a chance to make the final roster.
If his job description ever goes beyond "hold a clipboard," though, things might get hairy for the Patriots.
At SMU, Gilbert operated a "dink-and-dunk" offense, as described by NFL.com's Nolan Nawrocki, which featured mainly short passes, crossing patterns, screens and other high-efficiency throws that helped him pad his stats. The Mustangs kept it exceedingly easy for him. That would also be the case in New England, but who knows if that will be enough to keep the Patriots afloat.
Former UT QB Garrett Gilbert is one Jimmy Garoppolo injury away from starting for the Super Bowl champs vs the Cowboys on 10/11.
— Mike Barnes (@MikeB_KVUE) May 11, 2015
More folks will remember Gilbert as a Texas Longhorn than as an SMU Mustang because of his gutsy but unsuccessful performance in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game against Alabama. He subbed in for the injured Colt McCoy and brought the Longhorns within striking range to win the game at 24-21 with six minutes left in the game.
There's a distinct possibility that Gilbert could be the No. 2 quarterback for the Patriots in Week 1, but there's also a chance that the Patriots could sign a veteran before training camp begins to make sure they truly have their bases covered.
