FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Two days after laying out his quarterback plan, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick scoffed at a question Friday morning about whether Jimmy Garoppolo could remain the starter upon Tom Brady's return from a four-game suspension.
"Jesus Christ," Belichick said softly, clearly annoyed at the question.
The topic was initially broached by a reporter asking Belichick if he had ever been part of a situation where in July he named a starter for the fifth week of the season.
"I don't know," Belichick responded.
At that point, the same reporter asked Belichick what would happen if Garoppolo plays better.
"Look, I told you what's going to happen," Belichick said.
Belichick said Wednesday that the Patriots have "some definition with Tom's situation," referring to the star quarterback missing the first four games while serving his Deflategate suspension.
"Our priority now then is to get Jimmy ready for the start of the season, for the Arizona game [Sept. 11]," Belichick said. "So that'll be obviously a comprehensive process. Tom will return as the starting quarterback when he comes back. But in the meantime, we have to prioritize the first part of our schedule and that'll be to get Jimmy ready to go."