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QB guru previews Garoppolo's starting debut

For more than 15 years, football fans across New England have enjoyed the comfort of settling in on a Sunday knowing Tom Brady was going to quarterback their favorite team.

So naturally, there is high anxiety in the Boston area about a relative unknown from Arlington Heights and Eastern Illinois taking over Brady's job.

Jimmy Garoppolo, a Rolling Meadows High School graduate, will lead the Patriots in the first four games this season while Brady serves his "Deflategate" suspension, beginning Sunday night at Arizona.

"It is a phenomenal opportunity," Garoppolo said this week. "This is why you play the game. You don't want to be the backup. So the opportunity is here, just have to go take advantage of it."

This will be Garoppolo's first regular-season NFL start. He's thrown a total of 31 passes in mop-up duty over the past two years.

Garoppolo's longtime quarterback coach, Jeff Christensen, has some encouraging thoughts for any Patriots fans who aren't sure what to expect Sunday.

"I start thinking about that a lot, and then every time I watch him play, it's just the same old," Christensen said. "He keeps delivering the ball in the same way and it keeps coming out quick and his technique is good. So every time I start wondering what he may do, I get a good feeling every time I watch him."

There's no question, Garoppolo's mechanics are nearly flawless. They were on display when he threw for 13,000 yards and 118 touchdowns at EIU. The Patriots drafted him in the second round in 2014 to be Brady's presumed successor.

Garoppolo's success is a big reason why Christensen's reputation as a quarterback guru has grown. This summer, Christensen worked with Houston's Brock Osweiler - who will face the Bears on Sunday - as well Denver's Trevor Siemian, Miami's Ryan Tannehill, Washington's Kirk Cousins and Arizona backup Drew Stanton, among others.

Christensen continues to operate his Throw It Deep Academy for high school and youth players at Hinsdale Central and other suburban locations. Garoppolo was a sophomore at Rolling Meadows who was just learning to play quarterback when he first met Christensen in 2007.

Garoppolo was able to quickly pick up the mechanics of throwing a football. According to Christensen, a quick release starts with concise footwork.

"If you combine those two things - great feet with quick release - I'd say he's probably without question top 10 in the world," Christensen said.

Of course, there's more to playing quarterback than throwing the ball to a set receiver. Garoppolo needs to call the plays, lead the team, make quick decisions and deal with one of the NFL's best defenses coming at him.

"It takes a lot of discipline to stay in the right rhythm and work on the right drills on your own to make sure your release is coming out good," Christensen said. "Then you get sacked a few times and your feet get a little out of whack. Does it get worse from there or do you have the discipline to talk to yourself on the sideline and make sure your feet are right? So it's interesting."

This hasn't been a gradual climb for Garoppolo. He went from attending college in Charleston, Ill., to owning a locker next to Brady, playing for Patriots coach Bill Belichick and getting a Super Bowl ring as a rookie. Garoppolo would have started New England's first four games last season but the appeals process delayed Brady's suspension for a year.

"I've been telling him for five years, 'You're going to be drafted in the NFL and play for 15 years and make a lot of money, because you're tough, you're smart and your technique is perfect,'" Christensen said. "He just bought into it and he just always believed it. So when he went out there (to New England), he wasn't that blown away by it. He's a very competitive spirit. So he didn't make a big deal about it at all."

After Sunday's season-opener against the Cardinals, New England will play three home games against Miami, Houston and Buffalo. If all goes according to plan, Brady will return Oct. 9 at Cleveland. This could also be a future audition for Garoppolo, since Brady is 39 and may be approaching retirement.

"I wish him (Garoppolo) the very best, obviously, for our team, for him personally," Brady told reporters before his suspension began. "It will be tough to watch, but I'll be excited to watch and excited to learn, and then hopefully when I come back in October, I'll be a better player than I am today."

New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo celebrates after a play against the Chicago Bears during the second half of a preseason NFL football game Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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