Belichick deflects Deflategate questions, expects Garoppolo to b - Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

For the first time since the NFL suspended Tom Brady and punished the Patriots with a $1 million fine and the loss of two draft choices, head coach Bill Belichick met with the media after the team's workout in Foxboro Friday afternoon.

He quickly diffused any questions related to Deflategate, but shed some light on what he expects from backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and what message he's conveying to his team in the wake of a Super Bowl championship and a scandal that's dominated the headlines since February.

“We're just going day by day right now. Everybody's working hard, trying to get better,” Belichick said, stealing a page from a playbook he's used many times over the course of his coaching career.

While it was clear Belichick did not want to address the Tom Brady case (he tersely alluded to Robert Kraft's statement from last week) he did make a point to say he hasn't done anything different with his quarterbacks at this stage of the offseason than he has previously. If Brady's suspension is upheld and he misses the first four games of the regular season, Garoppolo is expected to inherit the reins and lead the team.

“We're trying to get everybody an opportunity to learn our system and ready to compete,” said Belichick. “Competition doesn't really come until training camp. This is more of a teaching camp than a competitive camp. I'm trying to give everyone an opportunity to learn and understand the plays and know what to do and then we'll let them compete in training camp and preseason games and see how it goes, and that's up to them.”

The second-year quarterback from Eastern Illinois played sparingly in 2014 and might be thrust into the spotlight on a nationally televised game to open the season. Belichick expects the knowledge gathered while watching and practicing last year will serve Garoppolo well.

“It helps all rookies to get that first year under their belt and that second year, that's typically where you see the biggest jump,” said Belichick. “Generally, for most players, that's from year one to year two. They understand the system, they've been through it. They've been through the league for a year so hopefully we'll see that from our group.”

The focus on Deflategate, Brady's suspension and the Patriots punishments may or may not have spoiled Belichick's offseason, but even if it has, he wasn't about to admit so.

“That's a long time ago. We're on to next year – 2015. You can forget about last year, that was last year.”

Brady was not available to the media Friday afternoon. He has not publicly addressed his suspension or his plan to appeal since an appearance at Salem State on May 6. Even then, Brady provided general answers in a controlled environment packed with Patriots fans. No date has been set for his appeal hearing.