Six Reasons Tom Brady Will Make a Successful Comeback in 2009

The buzz this off-season has centered around the return of 2007 NFL MVP Tom Brady. The New England Patriots posted an 11-5 record last season, barely missing the playoffs on a tie-breaker with their division rival, the Miami Dolphins.

The return of Tom Brady under center significantly upgrades them from last season’s replacement starter, Matt Cassel.

There is, however, the chance that Brady’s return to the field may not be an immediate or smooth transition. Many factors come into play in determining just how quickly Brady is able to get back up to speed with his MVP caliber performance and Super Bowl winning ways.

Here is a short list of the reasons why Brady’s return will be successful.

Tom Brady Vs. Peyton Manning: Same Rivalry, New Look

The rivalry between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning has long come down to the age-old debate of which is more important: statistical production or championships.

Tom Brady holds the lead by a wide margin in championships, with three Super Bowl rings and two Super Bowl MVPs to compare against Peyton Manning’s one for each.

Overall, Peyton Manning has better statistics over his career than Tom Brady and has three MVP awards to his name compared to Brady’s lone 2007 MVP.

As is well documented, Manning is the record holder for the best passer rating in a single season (121.1), and Brady is the record holder for the most touchdown passes in a season (50). How ironic that both of their best statistical seasons, the seasons in which each individual set those records, came in their seventh full season as a starter?

Before we go into the outlook for this season, here’s another tidbit of very interesting history between the two.

This is how their first seven seasons as starters matched up overall:

Tom Brady–26,364 yards; 197 touchdowns; 86 interceptions.

Peyton Manning–29,442 yards; 216 touchdowns; 120 interceptions.

Peyton Manning wins the yardage debate by a landslide. He also gets touchdowns by 19, but leads by a gross margin in interceptions.

Here’s how they compare in their regular season and postseason head-to-head contests.

Tom Brady–205/314, 65.3-percent completion, 2,275 yards, 17 touchdowns, 11 interceptions.

Peyton Manning–228/381, 59.8-percent completion, 2,761 yards, 16 touchdowns, 23 interceptions.

Once again, Manning leads in yardage with 500 more yards in their contests than his rival. Although they don’t play against each other on the field, this is a good measure for how they do in high-pressure situations.

As for Manning’s lower completion percentage and much higher number of interceptions, his supporters and fans would claim that he’s been up against a stifling defense every time he’s played the Patriots, whereas Brady has had the luxury of picking apart Indianapolis’ low-ranked defenses.

What makes this rivalry so great is that all these numbers get thrown out the window at the start of every season, and both quarterbacks go right back to work. This season, their rivalry has a much different feel to it than it has in the past.

For a long time, the remark has been made that Tom Brady has done more with less; his three championships came without stand-out Pro Bowl wide receivers—the deadly weapons that have always been at Manning’s side.

This year, though, the roles seem to be reversed. Brady has a plethora of offensive talent, even more than in the 2007 undefeated regular season. While Manning has a few weapons, they’re not nearly the stacked offense he had at his disposal in his record-setting 2004 season.

It’s clear that both have their respective bumps in the roads, and must overcome them in order to perform up to their extremely high standards next year.

Oddest of all, though, is that both of the franchise quarterbacks are facing nearly the same set of situations. Both are recently recovered from knee surgery, and both are under a new offensive coordinator.

After being a statistical anomaly yet again last season, was Manning exposed yet again by the Chargers in the playoffs? How will the offense fair with the departures of so many key personnel, including head coach Tony Dungy and offensive coordinator Tom Moore?

Tom Brady lost a coordinator, too, in Josh McDaniels. What about his knee, though? Will he recover smoothly, or will it hinder him when he puts the pads on? Perhaps, could we see some rust from the veteran who hasn’t played a meaningful snap or even practiced in almost a year?

So why, then, does this year’s Brady-Manning rivalry carry a different tune?

The reason is because both may not be titans all year long as usual. It wouldn’t surprise me if one or both of them comes out of the gate stumbling a little bit, and who can blame them? As complex as the position of quarterback already is, any of these factors added into the mix could make matters worrisome.

It appears as though Tom Brady is set up better for success, though, as he still has most of his coordinators less McDaniels, including the Jedi Master, Bill Belichick. Some even believe that the Patriots are more stacked on offense than they were in that record-setting 2007 season.

Peyton Manning has already been verbal about communication issues between himself and the front office/coaching staff, but has since begun to reestablish that connection.

The loss of Marvin Harrison as well as the uncertainty caused by coaching casualties could lead to Peyton Manning’s fifth consecutive season with a decline in his passer rating since the aforementioned record-setting season.

Who will have the better record? Who will put up better stats? Who will make the playoffs, or even make the Super Bowl? All this remains to be seen, but this matchup will definitely hold the intrigue of the sports world even more than it has in the past.

When it comes to these two, we’ve come to expect nothing less than an interesting and exciting season.

 

Indianapolis Colts: State of the Franchise–2009

Head coach Tony Dungy, offensive coordinator Tom Moore, and offensive line coach Howard Mudd are all retired and will be replaced for the coming season.

But Peyton Manning is back, and that’s all that really counts…or is it?

They also lost Marvin Harrison to free agency/salary cap casualty. Now lacking a true No. 2 wide receiver, it appears as though Peyton Manning may finally get his chance to make something out of nothing, something the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback’s most caustic critics have always quipped about.

Even with the new questions about the offense less their former coaches, the defense that was ranked No. 1 in the league in 2007 still has pressing issues of its own.

As usual, the Colts looked to build through the draft; in fact, they didn’t make any free agent acquisitions at all due to their well-stated salary cap problems.

 

Offense

Tom Moore and Peyton Manning came to Indy around the same time. The offensive scheme which Moore created was tailored to, and even personalized for Peyton Manning; likewise, Manning framed himself and his style of play after the offense which Moore created for him.

Manning feels comfortable with new head coach Jim Caldwell as well as the new coaches being brought in to take the places of the assistants who left. Offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen was credited by the star quarterback for calling the most effective plays in the red zone, helping the team to league-leading statistics in that category.

Peyton Manning carried the offense on his (right) shoulder last season despite a complete lack of production from the running game. Plagued by injuries at running back, they only went over 100 yards rushing as a team four times last season. Thus, the Colts added insurance to the beleaguered Joseph Addai by drafting the UConn Husky Donald Brown, the heralded halfback who will help keep Addai healthy.

The impact of the loss of Marvin Harrison may not be quite as drastic if Anthony Gonzalez can fill that No. 2 receiver role with confidence. With Peyton Manning throwing him the ball, what reason does he have not to be confident?

Young players like Roy Hall and Pierre Garcon may also be expected to serve more time in the slot, and will need to carry their share of the load when called upon.

 

Defense

Seventh. Twentieth. Nineteenth. Second. Twenty-third. First. Seventh.

That is the history of the Colts defense in points allowed over the past seven seasons. Fairly inconsistent, wouldn’t you say?

It’s easy to say though, that when they perform at a high level, they hold that standard all year long.

The defense is predicated entirely on speed—size and strength are nearly non-existent. From pass-rush specialists Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis to cornerbacks Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson, their primary strategy is to swarm to the ball. Not very many of them are incredible physical specimens of strength—men of steel, if you will.

Thus, they drafted USC defensive tackle Fili Moala, a hulking 6’4″ 305-pound monster. Though his stats in college may not tell a story of dominance, his contribution was in the way he held the middle of the line, allowing the notorious linebackers to blitz freely.

Their poor performances at the beginning of the season stemmed from their inability to stop the run, but in their nine-game win streak they only allowed opposing teams to go over 120 yards two times. His contributions on run defense will be felt significantly.

 

Chances of Winning This Year

The Indianapolis Colts will definitely contend in the tight race of the AFC South yet again, probably dwelling somewhere near the top of the rankings of their division as they usually do.

But the question is, where will they end up? With all of the teams in the AFC South (and all over the AFC) taking steps to drastically improve themselves over the course of the offseason, via draft or free agency, the Colts are no longer necessarily guaranteed a playoff spot.

They will need to show the same resiliency, the same competitive grit, that gave them a nine-game win streak to close out the season and a playoff berth for the seventh straight year.

Those seven straight years of playoff appearances are indicative of the Tony Dungy era, which lasted from 2002-08.

Needless to say, Jim Caldwell has some huge shoes to fill. It remains to be seen whether he will bring the Colts the same success that his predecessor brought, but with such a high standard of excellence it’s hard to believe that anything less than a playoff berth will be acceptable to Indianapolis’ hardcore football fans.

 

Chances of Winning in the Future

The window for a Super Bowl is generally regarded as about three to five years. Thus, one would think that with Indy winning the Super Bowl three years ago, and being touted as contenders for a couple of years before that, their window is closed.

Peyton Manning is 32. Reggie Wayne is 30. Dwight Freeney is 29. But that’s where veteran leadership comes into play.

None of the wide receivers besides Wayne have more than three years of experience. Donald Brown sits behind four-year starter Joseph Addai on the depth chart. Their offensive line is full of youth and veterans alike. If the successors at all of these positions can learn from their predecessors and superiors, they will stand to be an offensive powerhouse for a long time coming.

They will need to bolster their pass rush in upcoming offseasons to help them continue their production on defense. Though their outside linebackers caused four forced fumbles, they produced zero sacks last season. That’s right, a donut.

They are stacked with youth nearly everywhere else on defense, especially in the secondary, and the continued development of key role players will be essential in the Colts defense remaining among the league’s elite over the coming years.

 

New York Giants: State of the Franchise—2009

Fans of the “New York Football Giants” really hope owner Jerry Reese knows what he’s doing.

They believe in him, and with good reason. Reese scouted the talented patch of 2007 rookies who contributed in their playoff run and Super Bowl XLII title.

The released Plaxico Burress has been replaced by Hakeem Nicks. The departed defensive signal caller Steve Spagnuolo left for St. Louis and was replaced by Bill Sheridan.

There’s no “new look” to the defense. The new players they brought in will super-charge a speedy pass rush next year.

Sheridan has certainly been handed a hefty amount of talent, but he must use it wisely. In fact, he should probably use it exactly as Spagnuolo did; the fire blitz scheme that foiled the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII helped them win 13 games last season.

The offense may function differently without the presence of Burress, but that remains to be seen, and depends on the development of Nicks.

New England Patriots: State of the Franchise 2009

Tom Brady is back.

Those four words probably bring silence to many defensive coordinators who thought they had the solution to how to stop the Patriots.

Quite simply, the Patriots did what they have done every year for the past three seasons–win free agency and the draft. Despite the departures of coordinators and their GM Scott Pioli, owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick both have an incredible knack for scouting talent.

Against much-improved opponents in the AFC East, the New England Patriots have their work cut out for them, but are set up for excellence in 2009.

Through the draft, they handled a lot of their depth needs and age concerns.

Rodney Harrison Retires After 15 Years

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15 years and $300,000 in fines later, safety Rodney Harrison finally hung up the pads on Wednesday.

He retired with the distinction as the only member of the 30/30 club, having registered over 30 sacks and 30 interceptions in his illustrious, hard-hitting career.

Some of his opponents have said that he is the dirtiest player in the NFL. His teammates, however, would say he’s the most passionate guy they’ve ever seen suit up.

From the helmet-to-helmet hit on Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, to being on the receiving end of the Helmet Catch by David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII, Harrison’s career has been full of highs and lows, hits and misses, success and failure.

Does it make him long for a return? Does it make him ponder sparking a Favre-like saga?

“I don’t want guys on my team or guys I played with to have to answer questions about Rodney Harrison’s return,” Harrison said on Wednesday in an interview. “When I made my decision to retire, I made my decision to retire.”

Sounds much more definitive to me than, “I know I can still play, but I don’t think I want to,” from Brett Favre circa summer 2008.

In Harrison, the Patriots had a heavy hitter who could instill a sense of determination in his peers with the aggressive hits he laced onto his opponents.

With Harrison’s retirement, the longest tenured Patriot in the defensive backfield is free safety James Sanders, who has been with the team four years. Next to him is strong safety Brandon Meriweather, a Patriot for two years since being drafted out of Miami in the first round.

With the amount of time Harrison missed over the past four seasons (he played 31 of a possible 64 games), it may not seem like a tough task to replace Harrison. 30.5 career sacks and 34 career interceptions will be, though. His veteran leadership will sorely be missed, too.

The Patriots have accomplished more with less in the past. Having helped themselves to a feast of youth and speed in the draft, I’m sure the Patriots will find a way to succeed in Harrison’s absence.

Top 5 Steelers Defenders of All Time

In Pittsburgh, the limelight has always shined on the defense. Tough defense has been the symbol for 6 Super Bowl championships, the most of any franchise in the modern era.

Of course there was the infamous “Steel Curtain” of the 1970’s, most famous for their 1976 season in which the Steelers defense held opponents to just 28 points and 2 touchdowns in the final 9 games of the season. They went on to win all 9 of these games, 5 of which were shut-out victories. 8 of the 11 starters on Pittsburgh’s defense were named to the Pro Bowl that season.

Of course, there are so many names that can go on a list like this. With so many Hall of Famers coming out of Pittsburgh over the years, it can be tough to narrow it down to just 10, but I am setting out to do justice to some of the greatest names to ever play for Pittsburgh.

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