San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo spent the first three and a half seasons of his NFL career with the New England Patriots as the backup to Tom Brady.

It offered him a unique opportunity to learn from one of the game's greatest players at the position. According to Zach Cox of NESN, one of the biggest takeaways Garoppolo took from his time in New England with Brady is the amount of preparation the five-time champion QB put into each game:

“I think his love for the game, obviously, is a big part of it, and I clearly have that,” Garoppolo told reporters. “So the way he prepares, that was one thing I picked up from him, just being around him for three-and-a-half years. It makes the difference. And week in and week out, to be mentally tough enough to do that and physically tough enough to survive the games, it’s all that coming together, really.”

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This is a huge aspect of Brady's mental makeup that has helped him put together an illustrious career. Many of the other top quarterbacks in the NFL, such as Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, earned a strong reputation for being students of the game, having committed a sizeable chunk of their time toward preparation.

This experience has, and should continue to have, a big impact on Garoppolo's development with the 49ers. He already showed flashes of brilliance this past season, helping guide the Niners to wins in his first five starts.

The 26-year-old has an opportunity to establish himself as not only one of the game's top quarterbacks, but also help create a winning culture back in San Francisco that has been lacking for quite some time.