Former Eastern Illinois standout Jimmy Garoppolo will enter his second training camp in quite the perplexing position.

On one hand, he is slated to be the interim starting quarterback for the New England Patriots until Tom Brady returns from his four-game suspension. Yet, on the other hand, he may not even have to serve as the provisional signal-caller due to what most reports are calling a spirited defense on the part of Brady and his appeal team. All of this while fighting off veteran Matt Flynn for the backup job which may or may not lead to the temporary starting gig.

In other words, Garoppolo will have more on the line than a professional poker player when training camp starts up near the end of July. But don’t expect Garoppolo to crack under the pressure.

Last season, in his first training camp, he had the heat turned up on him right from the start as he had to compete against longtime backup quarterback Ryan Mallett for the title of Brady’s understudy. Obviously, Garoppolo proved his worth as Mallett was later shipped off to the Houston Texans.

This season, with Garoppolo in an eerily similar position, the same outcome should be expected. He has a one-year head start over Flynn when it comes to learning the New England playbook and Flynn will have a notable learning curve as he must shift his game from the west coast style of the Green Bay Packers to whatever highly efficient scheme head coach Bill Belichick has cooked up for this season.

Plus, Garoppolo drew the praise of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for his admirable performance in spring OTAs. Which was still despite a practice showing where he tossed five picks.

If Brady’s appeal decision doesn’t turn out as hoped and Garoppolo is, subsequently, handed the keys to the offense, the worst shouldn’t be anticipated. The second-year quarterback is very athletic for his position. In fact, in the practices leading up to the Super Bowl, Garoppolo played the role of Russell Wilson when going up against the New England defense. Other than that, there is a lot to be observed from Garoppolo as he hasn’t has seen any consistent, meaningful playing time in the NFL.

This should not be cause for concern, though, as Garoppolo has the one skill all top-tier NFL players possess: the ability to use mistakes as a means to become better. At every step of his professional career he has improved and rarely repeated the same mistakes twice. Which is why, when given the starter’s job, whether it be at this season opener or one two years from now, he will be more than capable at fulfilling the duties of a NFL quarterback.

Patriots fans could get a rare four-game glimpse into the future this season. If Garoppolo proves to be the real deal, it will be a glimpse into a future as bright as the sun.

Mike Carlson is a Denver Broncos Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @deejayactual or add him to your network on Google.