FOXBOROUGH — Jimmy Garoppolo wants you to get one thing straight: He’s on to Arizona.

During his meeting with the media Wednesday morning, the Patriots’ new starting quarterback sounded a lot like the man he’s replacing for the first four weeks of the season.

What remains to be seen is whether he can play like him, too.

“It’s busy, that’s for sure,’’ said Garoppolo when asked what his first week on the job has been like. “There’s not much time to rest or anything like that, but that’s what I expected. It’s going pretty smooth right now. We’ve just got the keep it rolling this week.’’

The third-year player deftly handled the silly-time question about what it’s like to have Tom Brady’s presence hanging over him — a reference to the new banner displayed on the lighthouse outside Gillette Stadium.

“I heard it was out there and everything, but I haven’t even thought about it that much,’’ he said. “I haven’t had much time to call the parents or anything like that, so it’s been a lot of Arizona, and it’s going to stay that way.’’

Garoppolo, who will be making his first NFL start in the desert and under the bright lights Sunday, did say that Brady wished him well before leaving to serve his suspension.

“It wasn’t anything crazy,’’ he said. “It was just goodbye and good luck, really. He was just wishing me luck for the first four, and I think he wished it for the whole team. Tom, he’s really very supportive of us and we appreciate that.’’

With just 11 career relief appearances under his belt, Garoppolo said he was excited for the opportunity to be the starter — albeit a temporary one — but he hasn’t had a whole lot of time to let it sink in.

“There’s so much going on right now,’’ he said. “Mentally, I’m straight Arizona, but it is a phenomenal opportunity. This is why you play the game. You play to be in the game and play; you don’t want to be the backup. The opportunity is here. I’ve just got to take advantage of it.’’

The 6-foot-2-inch, 225-pounder said preparations are noticeably different with Brady out of the picture. Now the snaps are only being split in half.

“It’s a smoother operation, I’ll say that,’’ said Garoppolo. “It’s just me and Jacoby [Brissett]. All the reps are just between the two of us now.

“It’s different without Tom, no question about it, but it is what it is at this point.’’

Despite his lack of game experience, Garoppolo said his time under center in practices and exhibition games has helped the game slow down for him.

“I feel like it has, especially since my rookie year and last year,’’ he said. “The biggest part of that is the mental part.

“Once you know the offense, you know what you’re looking for on defense and everything like that, you can mentally break it down to where you almost know where you’re going with the ball.

“It’s a comforting feeling. Not that it’s moving in slow motion, but it’s moving a lot slower than what it was.’’

Garoppolo had solid outings against the Saints and Bears in preseason before struggling in his last outing, completing just 9 of 15 throws for 57 yards against the Panthers.

It’s important to note that he didn’t have three of his top weapons in those games. Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola didn’t play at all, and Julian Edelman was in for just a handful of snaps against Carolina. All three are practicing this week and are expected to be on the field Sunday. That could provide a huge boost for Garoppolo.

“It’s nice to have those guys out there, it really is,’’ he said. “Their veteran presence is always a nice thing and it’s nice to have that in the huddle with you.’’

While Garoppolo will lean on his teammates on the field, he’s leaning on the coaching staff to perfect the game plan.

“They do a great job of preparing us for whatever we may see Sunday night,’’ he said. “We just have to react the right way and stay calm, cool, and collected.’’

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians has been impressed with his film study of Garoppolo, particularly his mobility.

“Jimmy’s an excellent athlete,’’ said Arians. “He’s a very accurate passer. He’s watched Josh [McDaniels] come up with game plans and he understands what they’re trying to do.

“But he’s a very good athlete. You have to defend his legs as much as his arm.’’

Arians even compared Garoppolo to another Eastern Illinois alum, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

“He reminded me a lot of Tony Romo coming out [of college],’’ said Arians. “The skill set . . . I think they both were similar in size, arm strength, very accurate. Both moved around pretty good.’’

Right now Garoppolo is moving on. Straight to Arizona.

Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.