The Patriots will be just fine without Tom Brady for a month

Tom Brady may miss the first month of the 2016 NFL season after his four-game “Deflategate” suspension was reinstated by a federal appeals court Monday. Based on New England’s reaction, you’d think the world was ending.

I’m here to clam you down, Patriots fans. Take a deep breath. Everything will be all right.

I know you think the NFL is out to get you, but the league’s schedule-makers actually did you a solid. Three of your first four games are at home. The one away game? A trip to Arizona on Sunday night? You guys weren’t winning that one anyway — even with Brady under center.

The Patriots just need to take two out of three at home against the Texans, Bills and Dolphins — a group New England went a combined 4-1 against last season — and they’ll be right on schedule to win the AFC East for the billionth time in a row when Brady returns.

Also, Jimmy Garoppolo! You get to see what he’s got in a real NFL game. His style of play won’t remind you of Brady but there’s plenty to be excited about. Garoppolo can actually run. His legs are a factor — a factor Bill Belichick has undoubtedly spent the last two season cooking up strategies to exploit. Throw in the threat of the quarterback run, and defenses will have no idea how to stop New England’s already terrifyingly diverse offense. The offense will be fine without No. 12.

And so what if it isn’t? Let’s say the Patriots somehow go winless without Brady. Only four of the final 12 games of the season are against 2015 playoff teams. A 10-2 or 9-3 finish is not out of the question. This team was humming along undefeated before the entire wide receiver corps went down with injuries last November. And the 2016 roster is more talented than last year’s squad.

There would also be some value in realizing Garoppolo is not a suitable pick to lead this team in the future. Brady is fast-approaching the end of his career, and New England needs to know if the 24-year-old can replace him. The Patriots should have a good idea by the end of September. Without Brady’s suspension, the front office would have only practices and preseason games to make a decision on the team’s future quarterback. More evidence is always a good thing.

Belichick will not let this team go 0-4, though, so no need to worry. He got an 11-5 season out of Matt Cassel, after all. He’ll get at least a couple wins out of a quarterback with some actual talent. This little set back will not stop Belichick’s machine.