Tom Brady Returns, Raises Expectations for the 2009 New England Patriots

With a few simple throws on Monday, Tom Brady put rumors of a delayed recovery to rest, as ESPN cameras caught the Patriots’ Quarterback throwing some passes at Gillette Stadium. 

After undergoing season ending knee surgery last season, some wondered if Brady would ever be the same.  Some talk show callers even called to keep Matt Cassel on the roster, just in case Brady goes down with another knee injury.

However, after taking a look at the ESPN footage, it seems pretty clear that Brady has no discomfort in his injured knee.  He will be taking part in the Patriots’ offseason workouts this week, with reporters viewing the session on Thursday.

Brady’s return also brings with it a sense of excitement to Patriot Nation.  Last year was a fun ride, but it just wasn’t the same without number 12 under center.  Seeing Brady on the field for the Patriots’ full squad practices this week has to energize the players, the coaches, and the fans.

After an 11-5 season that saw the Patriots just miss a playoff spot, Brady’s return brings up a few questions.

 

1.) How big of an impact can one player have on an organization? 

While Matt Cassel performed better than most had anticipated last season, he had some giant shoes to fill.  Tom Brady is a world-class athlete, and one of the most successful Quarterbacks of all time, and with his return comes a sense of vindication, another chance for him to lead his team to the playoffs. 

However, it was only a few seasons ago when Pro Bowl Quarterback Carson Palmer went down with a knee injury, and upon his return he saw his team go 8-8 one year after their first playoff run in decades.

The Bengals haven’t reached the playoffs since then. Playing with the same weapons, plus guys like Joey Galloway and Fred Taylor, Brady will have another chance to reenact his amazing 2007 season, and will probably have much better results than Palmer and the Bengals. 

 

2.) Will Brady play this preseason?

The preseason always poses some interesting questions when it comes to personnel decisions and playing time.  Preseason contests are a good chance for the coaching staff to weed out the players that cant hack it in the NFL, as well as settle any possible positional battles.

However, when a player that is guaranteed a starting spot comes back after an injury, there is always a debate about how many snaps he should get, if any.

Last season, we saw Colts QB Peyton Manning undergo two knee surgeries, causing him to miss training camp and all five of the Colts preseason contests.  Missing all this time caused Manning to be less than stellar in his first few games, as he stressed the importance of being available in the preseason saying:

“I guess in some ways, this really is like the first week of the season for me,” he said. “All I’ve ever known is taking every rep at every practice and playing in all the preseason games, so I did miss some time there and I’ve been working through that.”

With Brady missing the entire 2008 season, it is absolutely imperative that he participate in the Patriots preseason games to get used to the speed of the game, making adjustments, and making good throws under pressure. 

 

3.) Can Tom Brady shake the Hollywood image?

In recent years, we have seen our working class quarterback morph into this Joe Dimaggio-like figure, being seen on the town with his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen.  Brady has reached a level of super stardom that transcends football in that everything he does is newsworthy, whether its on the field or not.

Some doubters have said that Brady may not be focused anymore.  I strongly disagree. 

This season is the perfect opportunity for Brady to prove that he is a football player first and foremost, and a damn good one at that. 

This isn’t Dallas, where a certain quarterback’s girlfriend can disrupt an entire franchise from her box seat.  No, this is New England, where the Patriots organization is second to none in dealing with the media machine. 

In his time off, newspapers have covered Brady doing everything but playing football, but this year, it will be business as usual.

 

4.) How will Brady react to a different offensive system without Josh McDaniels?

In 2007, Brady had the luxury of an offensive coordinator who wasn’t afraid to spread the field early and often, letting him throw deep to Randy Moss and short to Wes Welker.  Brady and the 2007 Patriots shattered tons of NFL records, as he was named NFL MVP.

Fast-forward to the present.

McDaniels is gone, and the Patriots’ running game is more loaded than it has been in years.  The depth at the running back position will surely take some of the pressure off of Brady early on in the season, allowing him to get used to the flow of the game. 

Brady won’t have to throw the ball 40 times a game this year if the running backs can use their depth to move the chains and keep defenses tired. 

Don’t get me wrong, the Patriots air attack will be extremely effective this year, as long as the running game is solid and the offensive line does their job.

 

5.) Can the Patriots go undefeated?

Naturally, the return of Brady takes us back to the main storyline of the 2007 season, can the Patriots run the table?

It says a great deal about a player when his mere presence can make people wonder if a team can go 19 games without a loss.

We saw the pressure mount with each victory in 2007, and by Super Bowl Sunday, the pressure was at a fever pitch. We all know what happened that day, and after the Giant upset, many fans and media members let it be known that as magical as the season had been, they would have traded a regular season loss or two for a win in the Super Bowl.

I don’t think the Patriots will go undefeated this season, but they won’t have to in order to win the division and get back into the postseason.

With Brady back in action, a revamped defense, and a loaded running game, I expect the Patriots to be the best team in the AFC this season. There is no doubt in my mind that a healthy Patriots team will be able to lock up a playoff bye, and possibly get home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Early season odds-makers have made the Patriots heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl, and I believe that they can capture a fourth Lombardi Trophy.

Getting there might be a bit of a problem, however, as the Patriots are facing quite a few obstacles this season, especially in the first half of the schedule.

Brady and Co. are slated to face the Bills on Monday, Sept. 14, as newly acquired WR Terrell Owens makes his Buffalo debut.  This is followed by a week two battle against the rival New York Jets and their revamped defense.  These two games will go a long way in determining the AFC East playoff picture.

The Pats are also in a unique position this year, playing Tampa Bay in London on Oct. 25. It will be hard to stay focused during this extensive travelling, as teams that have played international games in the past have documented. However, if any team is equipped to deal with this situation, its the Patriots and Tom Brady.

Early on in the season the Patriots also host the Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans, two teams that played very well last season.

Two road games that will test the Patriots come against old Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels and the Denver Broncos on Oct. 11, and against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 15, two games that will help shake out the AFC playoff picture.

If the Patriots can get out of the gate to a fast start and stay healthy, there is no reason that they can’t make it back to the AFC Championship game, and maybe even beyond. 

However, with Brady back the Patriots will take it one game at a time, and it will be business as usual in Foxboro this year.

Patriots Look To Navigate Through Revamped AFC East

In recent years, the Patriots have had the good fortune of playing in the AFC East, one of the least competitive divisions in football. 

But something changed last season.

The Miami Dolphins turned their abysmal 2007 season into an 11-5 2008 campaign that crowned them AFC East Champions for the first time since 2000. 

The New York Jets made the biggest splash in the 2008 offseason by signing Quarterback Brett Favre, who led them to an 8-3 start, only to see them wither down the stretch, missing out on a playoff spot in Week 17.

The Buffalo Bills shocked most people by starting the season 5-1 before predictably bungling the rest of the season and finishing 7-9 in the process.

All three division foes have made significant changes and roster upgrades that could potentially serve as speed bumps on the Patriots road back to the playoffs. Here is a breakdown of the other three AFC East teams, starting with the 2008 AFC East Champions, the Miami Dolphins:

 

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins revolutionized the pro offense last season with their hit-or-miss “Wildcat Offense,” which was developed by Quarterback’s coach David Lee. Lee had run the scheme while at Arkansas, and it worked well, most notably against the Patriots in their 38-13 victory last September.

Thanks to the Wildcat, the outstanding play of RB Ronnie Brown, and the resurgence of Jets castoff Chad Pennington, the Dolphins managed to put up 21.6 points per game, while staking claim to the 12th best offense in the NFL.

Defensively, the Dolphins didn’t allow opponents to score much, as they only gave up 19.8 points per game, good for ninth in the NFL. However, their production from their defensive backfield was not as sharp, allowing 227.8 yards per game through the air, putting them 25th in the league in this category.

With this in mind, Head Coach Tony Sparano added DB GabrilWilson from the New York Giants, bringing with him solid experience and 129 tackles in 2008. 

Miami also addressed this problem via the draft, like all good franchises should, selecting CB Vontae Davis from Illinois with the 25th overall pick. Davis was viewed as arguably the best corner in the draft, but questions about his personal demeanor may have made him unattractive to some teams. Luckily for the Dolphins they have a guy named Bill Parcells who is pretty well versed in dealing with players with “character issues.”

Miami also selected CB Sean Smith from Utah with the 61st overall pick. A converted receiver, Smith has amazing athletic ability that he will bring with him to Miami.  More of a finesse player than a big hitter, Smith will bring speed and youth to a defensive backfield that desperately needs it. Smith may also be used in the Wildcat formation, increasing his appeal to the Dolphins and using his athleticism to create match up problems for opposing defenses.

I expect the Dolphins to carry over some momentum from last season, and while on paper they may not blow people away, their creativeness, speed, and versatility will be enough to prove that last season was not a fluke. I expect them to earn a wild card birth.

 

New York Jets

After squandering their shot at the playoffs, the Jets realized that they had to shake things up this offseason, so they went out and signed former Ravens Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan as their new Head Coach.

Ryan will bring a new toughness to the franchise, as stingy defense has been the hallmark of the Ravens success over the past decade. Running the football and playing smashmouth D will be of the utmost importance in order for the Jets to have a winning team this year.

The Jets ran the ball extremely well last season, going for 125 yards a game, ninth in the NFL. Thomas Jones had an all-pro caliber season, and was supplemented by the speedy Leon Washington.  Favre led the Jets to a pedestrian 206 yards per game through the air, good for 16th in the NFL. 

On the Defensive side, the Jets were much more inconsistent allowing 22.2 points per game, 18th in the league. 

While they were tenacious against the run, their defensive backfield was a disappointment, much like the Dolphins. The Jets D allowed 234.4 pass yards per game last season, placing them 29th in the league overall.

Rex Ryan brought in his old linebacker Bart Scott and his 82 tackles to the new look Jets, as well as veteran Cornerback Lito Sheppard to help quell the pass defense issue. 

The Jets also lost a ton of contributors that will be hard to find replacements for, as Brett Favre retired (I hope), Laveraneus Coles was signed by the Bengals, and LB Eric Barton was picked up by Cleveland.

The Jets’ success this year will be determined by the results of this year’s draft as they traded away a load of picks to move up and draft USC QB Mark Sanchez with the fifth overall pick.

The early word is that Kellen Clemens is the favorite to start the season, but there will surely be an intense battle in training camp and in their preseason contests. Sanchez will get his shot this year; it’s only a matter of time as to when. 

The Sanchez trade left them with only two more draft picks, which they used for RB Shonn Greene and OG Matt Slauson.

This was a huge gamble by the Jets and if they are counting on Sanchez to be the franchise, he better produce early, or else the brutal New York media will be second guessing their draft picks, again.

However if the Jets can play tougher D and run the ball effectively, it shouldn’t matter who is under center as long as he can minimize mistakes and let his team do the work for him. I expect this to work out for the Jets to some degree, and they should be in the mix for a wildcard spot.

 

Buffalo Bills

The Bills are an interesting team to watch. They looked extremely strong in the first few games last year, riding the momentum of RB Marshawn Lynch. However, their offense was painfully bad for the rest of the season, eliminating them from the playoff race.

The Buffalo offense managed just 21 points per game and amassed only 305.1 yards per game, 25th in the league.

Their defense wasn’t that bad last season, although they struggled against the run and gave up 121.6 yards per game on the ground, 22nd in the NFL.

The Bills took an absolute stud with the 11th overall pick in the draft, Defensive End Aaron Maybin. Maybin, an first team All-Big Ten selection from Penn State will be able to use his quickness for the pass rush, and hopefully for the Bills, to stop the opposing running attack.

Clearly the biggest move the Bills made this offseason was a one year rental of embattled WR Terrell Owens. Owens, Lee Evans, and Roscoe Parrish will electrify upstate New York if they can all get along, not complain about play calling, and focus on building chemistry with QB Trent Edwards. 

The Bills also picked up RB Dominic Rhodes from the Indianapolis Colts, as Marshawn Lynch is suspended for the first three games of the season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. 

The Bills will be interesting to watch as they have some dynamic talent on both sides of the ball. Unfortunately for Bills fans, it might be their sometimes incompetent coaching staff that could spell doom for the franchise. I don’t see them being any better than 8-8 this year.

 

What this means for the Patriots

The Patriots are still the most talented, experienced, and best coached team in the division. However, the Dolphins are out to prove that they can repeat as division champions and the Jets are establishing a new franchise identity.

The Patriots open up the 2009 season with two consecutive division games, against the Bills on Monday night and at the Jets in Week Two. It will be extremely important for the Patriots to take these two games to start the season, as division wins will likely determine playoff seeding.

I expect the level of competition to be similar to last season, but with a healthy Brady and a revamped defense, the Patriots will return to the top of the heap and once again will be crowned AFC East Champions.

 

Patriots Stockpile Talent Through Draft; Hold Rookie Minicamp

After another wild draft weekend filled with trades, exchanging of picks, and stockpiling talent, and the New England Patriots have been getting rave reviews for their performance.  Throughout the sports world, draft grades have been filing in, ranging from A to B+ (which was ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s grade for the Patriots).  The theme of this year was stockpiling talent as it was clear that the Patriots had some major holes to fill.  After a busy free agent signing period, the Pats looked for the draft to give them greater depth at several positions, as well as redefine their defensive backfield.  Here are the top 5 story lines of the Patriots’ draft weekend.

1.)  The Selection of Patrick Chung.  Here the Patriots got arguably the best strong safety in the draft, as well as someone that they have been targeting.  This will help the Patriots at that position, as he will compete with James Sanders and maybe even Rodney Harrison, if he decides to return.  By having Chung, a four year starter at Oregon, compete for the starting job, the Patriots will be able to use Brendon Meriweather a bit more at the Free Safety position.  Chung is a hard hitting safety, something that the Patriots clearly value.  He will play a big role in this years’ overall defensive performance.

2.)  The Ellis Hobbs trade.  In what most people thought was a surprising move, The Patriots dealt Cornerback Ellis Hobbs to the Philadelphia Eagles for a pair of fifth round draft picks.  Hobbs will join former Patriot Asante Samuel in Philly, where he should have an immediate impact.  The Patriots clearly were not impressed with their play at the cornerback position last season, as they often let up big plays and even bigger drives throughout the 2008 campaign.  The pain of losing a player like Hobbs is quickly forgotten, mostly thanks to the Patriots aggressive free agent spending spree, acquiring players like Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden.

3.)  The Ron Brace Selection.  People have been asking me what this means for Vince Wilfork, given that the Patriots are a 3-4 defense and Wilfork is one of the most dominant nosetackles in the game.  The selection of Ron Brace simply gives the Patriots more depth at that position, as he can play both nose, as well as defensive tackle.  Brace brings size and deceptive quickness for his 6 foot 3, 330 pound frame.  He was a huge part of BC’s defensive success last season, earned second team all ACC honors, and will do a great job stopping runs behind the line of scrimmage.

4.)  The Darius Butler Selection.  Coach Belichick visited UConn’s Pro Day a few weeks ago, and various reporters had them taking a look at Running Back Donald Brown, or even QB Lorenzen.  However, the Patriots were able to replace the loss of Ellis Hobbs by drafting the extremely athletic Butler.  Butler may not start immediately, what with their depth at that position, however he will push other young CB’s like Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite, both of which are signed through 2011.

5.)  Rolling the dice on WR Brandon Tate.  Originally thought to be one of the better wide receivers in the draft, his stock went down a bit after he tested positive for marijuana at the 2009 combine.  (Hey at least Kevin Faulk will have someone to hang out with!)  The addition of Tate will not only bring added depth to the receiving corps, but he will potentially get a chance to return kicks and punts this season, filling the void left by the departing Hobbs.

The Patriots will also hold Rookie Minicamp this weekend at Gillette Stadium, where they will be able to get a better read on the talents and skills that these players will bring to the table this season.  Joining the Patriots draftees are a slew of newly signed rookie free agents.  These players are:

Patriots Use 2009 Draft To Supplement, Not Reinvent

Last offseason, fresh off of the most disappointing loss in franchise history, Patriot Nation sat, waited, hoped, and prayed for help in their defensive backfield and linebacking corps.  After the record breaking offense of 2007, it was clear that the only question marks on this team were their age at linebacker and their inexperience in the defensive backfield.

Those concerns came to a head when Asante Samuel, the Patriots’ most productive cornerback, was sent to the Eagles.  The Patriots’ front office brain trust signed Tank Williams and Deltha O’Neal to ease the transition and bring some veteran experience to the defensive lineup.  Williams was hurt in the preseason, however, and O’Neal had a hard time handling other teams’ wideouts (to put it lightly).

The Patriots were hurt by the loss of Adalius Thomas for most of the season, but rookie Jerod Mayo stepped in and made 128 tackles, earning the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in the process. Here, the Patriots got great value from the 10th overall pick.

This offseason brought more of the same concerns, especially with the departure of defensive leader Mike Vrabel, sent with Matt Cassel to the Kansas City Chiefs.

However, the 2009 Patriots were much more proactive early on in free agency, mostly signing low-risk, high reward players (i.e. Corey Dillon, Randy Moss). Players like Leigh Bodden, Shawn Springs, Tully-Banta Cain, and Joey Galloway are all solid players with skill sets that can benefit the Patriots this season. There has also been talk of possibly trading for Julius Peppers, making the 2009 Patriots an embarrassment of riches.

Headed into the 2009 NFL Draft, the Patriots now have a better idea of what they really need, and can now select players who do not necessarily have to produce this year. While other teams pick players (and pay big bucks) to high draft picks who they hope can be “franchise players,” the Patriots can select players who they can develop.

Waiting for their shot at a starting spot are defensive backs Jonathan Wilhite, Terrence Wheatley, and Antwain Spann. Any additional draft picks in the defensive backfield will supplement what they already have, giving everyone a chance to compete in the preseason for those four starting spots.

Surely having a series of successful draft years is the key to building a championship franchise. In recent history, the Patriots have drafted cerebral players, those who can match their brawn with brain, and for the most part it has worked out well.

But by being so active in free agency this offseason, the Patriots have put less pressure on themselves to select that franchise saving star. Instead, their draft day selections will have to earn a spot on the team, possibly booting some of the newly signed free agents. This is the beauty of low-risk, high-reward.

The competition is not limited to defensive backs and linebackers either, as evidenced by Coach Belichick personally visiting UConn’s Pro Day to visit running back Darius Butler, as well as possibly taking a look at Tyler Lorenzen to play, what else, safety.

Why would the Patriots be looking at a running back?

The Patriots are stacked in this department, with Kevin Faulk, Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, and the undrafted BenJarvus-Green-Ellis. Selecting Butler would certainly send one of the five current halfbacks home, which is the beauty of preseason competition. The entire Patriots staff values players who can both fit in their system and be molded into contributing players.

Surely there will be players who contribute immediately, and it will probably be an inside linebacker. Like Jerod Mayo last year, a player taken in the late stages of the first round will not only give the Patriots added depth, but they won’t financially handcuff the organization like top five picks normally do.

So while the Lions are hoping and praying for a successful first pick, as well as teams like Denver who have worked out Mark Sanchez, the Patriots do not have to roll the dice this year, thanks to free agency. With 11 total picks and three in the second round alone, look for the Patriots to make some deals, maybe bring in Peppers, and draft guys that they know will have an impact on this squad.

The Patriots are highly regarded as one of the smartest teams from top to bottom in the NFL. They are unmatched when it comes to preparation and execution, two qualities that any championship team must possess. This all starts with the draft, but because of their action in free agency, the team is under less pressure than ever entering the 2009 NFL Draft.

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