At Wednesday night's Patriots practice, backup Jimmy Garoppolo was in charge.
While it was more about giving veteran Tom Brady the night off, it could be a symbolic moment for the Patriots' offense, at least through the first four games of the season if Brady's suspension is upheld by the courts.
And in the limelight, Garoppolo completed about 50 percent of his passes
"It's on, it's on -- every rep matters," Garoppolo said, via ESPN.com. "And when you get an opportunity like this to come out with the guys and have the majority of reps, it's a good thing and you have to take advantage of it. I'm pretty critical of myself. I think that's a good thing."
It will be interesting to see how many more of these chances Garoppolo gets before the start of the regular season given the Patriots were so adamant about giving Brady typical camp reps throughout the first week.
Needless to say, Bill Belichick wasn't adding anything to the situation.
"We don't have backups and starters, we just have a team," he said. "Everybody is out there competing. It's just a team, that's all. ... All the players will earn their playing time. Whatever they get, they'll earn it."
Right. What he said.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast features Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo sharing his thoughts on the upcoming season.
