Let there be no confusion here: If Bill Belichick had his druthers he’d be leading New England into Thursday’s matchup against the Houston Texans with Tom Brady as his starting quarterback, a healthy Rob Gronkowski as his top offensive receiving weapon and Roger Goodell still wallowing in embarrassment after getting fired during the offseason for orchestrating the deflate-gate investigation debacle.

None of those things are happening though. Brady is suspended, Gronkowski is injured and Goodell is still on the job, mostly playing Oakland and Las Vegas against each other in a game of public-financing stadium roulette. Meanwhile, Belichick doesn’t even get Plan B for the four-game Brady suspension period – after a game and a half of brilliance, Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a shoulder injury against the Miami Dolphins. That means the keys to the kingdom are in the hands of rookie Jacoby Brissett, with no less than J.J. Watt, et al., coming to town.

View photos Jacoby Brissett is the next man up for Bill Belichick and the Patriots on Thursday. (Getty Images) More

Yet Belichick doesn’t look overly concerned, at least not publicly. Or at least not more concerned than usual. It’s too much to say he’s happy this week, but there is a hint in his expression and language that he’s excited, or at least eager to accept, the latest challenge presented to the juggernaut he has built in Foxborough.

When life gives you lemons you are supposed to make lemonade. Belichick basically says to make them extra sour. The more you throw at him, the better.

The Pats are 2-0 right now, halfway through what has begun to feel like a how-do-you-like-me-now redemption tour for New England. Its coach will never admit satisfaction at steamrolling through Goodell’s punishment … in part because he doesn’t have to. If New England walks out of the Brady suspension 4-0 and with its 39-year-old quarterback’s season shortened, then the victory is obvious.

Using Brissett to get there would make it even more legendary. Belichick has been coaching in the NFL since 1975 and while he noted Monday, “I’ve been through quite a few quarterback situations,” this one is new. The 64-year-old is headed into his 372nd game as a head coach (playoffs included) and he tends to be unusually interested when some new, if otherwise mundane aspect of the sport, presents itself.

He’s a guy who has elected to kick in overtime. He tempts conventional wisdom on timeouts. He takes new rules and tries to flip strategy around. He loves that stuff.

So at least this is a challenge. First, Garoppolo led them to victory in Arizona, the same Arizona that on Sunday forced five Jameis Winston turnovers. Then the Pats manhandled division rival Miami, despite needing two quarterbacks. Now comes rookie Brissett’s turn. Belichick took him in the third round last spring out of North Carolina State, higher than many analysts expected but as a) insurance for this kind of thing and b) because he thought he saw long-term value.

Brissett went 6 for 9 for 92 yards against Miami and looked comfortable. It helped that New England’s offense was run-first, LeGarrette Blount-focused. Still, starting is a whole different challenge, and Houston presents a bigger obstacle, especially on a short week.

“I think he’s done a good job of that all through preseason and even some of the practice opportunities with us and with the Bears and Saints,” Belichick said. “Good poise, good decision-making under pressure. … To throw, to run, what decision to make there. So he’s gotten a lot of opportunities to do that since he’s been here, and I think he’s done a pretty good job of that.”

There is no woe-is-us here. No hint of disappointment – other than what’s reasonable when a guy such as Garoppolo is injured. It’s why the initial media speculation about how New England had to flail about and sign someone, anyone, to save the day was so misguided.

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