Brady Out - Time To Panic? - No
Losing Brady is a killer blow to the Patriots. Sometimes we forget how great he is until we see the likes of Matt Cassel running the offense. That being said it is not time to panic yet. The Patriots won Superbowl XXXVI with an unproven quarterback paired with a stifling defense and a solid running game led by the steady but unremarkable Antwoine Smith. Make no mistake about it. The Tom Brady that played then is not even on the same planet as the current Tom Brady. Brady won Superbowl XXXVI as a game manager who stayed cool under pressure. At the time he was a solid quarterback with a fairly weak arm who did not make mistakes.
This year’s patriots will bring a good defense that will improve as the season moves on. Three young linebackers led by Jerod Mayo will bring speed and athleticism to a linebacking core that needed both. Expect this group to improve tremendously as the year progresses. The Patriots will also bring a solid if not spectacular running game that will grind out the clock. Combining Laurence Moroney and Sammy Morris will allow Morris to pound the middle while keeping Moroney fresh. Adding Kevin Faulk and Lamont Jordon to the mix gives the Pats a great tandem on third and situational downs. The Patriots also boast one of the best coaching staffs in Football and in Bill Belichick they have the best game planner in the NFL
The Patriots are certainly good enough to win the AFC East and make it deep into the playoffs. The question is can they win the big one. Whoever plays quarterback be it Cassel, Tim Rattay, or Chris Simms will have Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Jabbar Gaffney to throw to. Even Dante Culpepper shined when he had talent similar to that around him. Will that be enough to get the Patriots to the Superbowl and win it? Maybe not. However, stranger things have happened. Recent Superbowl history is filled with average offensive teams winning the Superbowl. Do the 2002 Patriots or 2007 Giants ring a bell. How about Tampa Bay and the Steelers?
This season is not over. If the Patriots get Brady back that will be a huge advantage. If not, then it’s back to old style Belichick Patriots football and that is a (Superbowl) winning formula.