Sep 10 2008
Patriots without Tom Brady - An Outsiders Point of View
Time and time again I have heard that the New England Patriots will be alright without Tom Brady . OK, so all kidding aside, can someone clarify what “alright” is suppose to mean. And if it is the fact that the Patriots will be “alright”, then why did the entire stadium go silent when Tom went down? I have been asking this question and I have yet to get the answer or answers. With that said, here is my take to this whole thing; if you will, an outsider’s point of view.
The first and foremost thing that you have to look at is the fact that Matt Cassel does not spell Tom Brady. Heck, for that matter, there really is only a handful of 
quarterbacks that can spell Tom Brady. Giving the devil his due, he is one of the best the NFL has seen in years. So, it begs to ask the question how a quarterback that has been on a collegiate National Championship team as well as an NFL Championship team over the last 8 years and has yet to start for either of those 2 teams is suppose to replace Tom Brady. To take it to another level, Cassel has yet to start a game since high school. He has been the product of teams with great quarterbacks that have never had to depend on their backups.
All that changed last Sunday. What gets me is this kid actually look kinda good on Sunday. I think after he changed his underwear, he probably felt better. Cassel was a name until Sunday that was not being pronounce right. If you want to know, say it like “castle” and you will be good. I have to wonder though how much of the playbook this kid knows. How much has Tom shared with him.
Bottom line, the coaches are still trying to sell their players on this bag of goods. And from the looks of it, not everyone is buying it. One coach told all his players to just focus on doing your job and we will be ok. Well, the issue with that is the connection that was there with Brady and the offense is not there for Cassel and the offense. How will that be made up in one week?
I’m an avid Pats fan–putting that right out there. To answer the question you posed that I don’t feel really needs an answer: The reason the stadium went silent when Brady was hurt is because Pats fans everywhere were heartbroken and genuinely anxious for one of their favorite players. At that exact moment, no one in the stadium knew it was a serious injury that would keep him out all season–although the pain he was clearly in made it an easy deduction. Although the rest of the world seems to get some kind of perverse pleasure out of seeing Brady injured (clearly still a lot of bitterness about Spygate, undefeated regular season, etc.) but Pats fans have a great amount of respect for him and genuinely care about his wellbeing.
However, for those fans who have been around for longer than a few years would know, the Pats aren’t unused to being the underdog. The veterans on the team and Belichick have had to deal with an injured quarterback–it was not uncommon when Bledsoe was quarterback (even before Brady was backup). This isn’t unfamiliar territory, though it’s been a while.
Also worth noting is that Brady didn’t win the Superbowl–the team did. They still have one of the best coaches in the history of football and a long list of extremely talented stars: Moss, Welker, Maroney, Bruschi, Vrabel, Wilfork, Harrison, Seymour, and many others. They’ve all still got a chance of doing better than “alright” this season. Brady is as much a great leader as a great player and as long as he continues to keep his teammates positive, they will rally. It’s a huge blow–don’t get me wrong–but the Patriots are excellent at adapting.
Do I think the Pats will make it to the Superbowl again this year? Of course not. But do I think they can manage to make it to the playoffs and thereby have, by some definition, a very successful year… Yes. It will be a struggle. And if the Pats don’t adapt quickly, it won’t happen. If Cassel doesn’t pull together, it won’t happen. But I have a lot of faith in the team, because the team’s greatness is not based solely on Tom Brady’s greatness.
Jess
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