If you happened to watch more than five minutes of the New England Patriots last season, then it was fairly easy to see something wasn’t quite right. Whether it was a lack of performance from a certain player (Adalius Thomas is a good bet to mention here), an entire position (the neverending barrel of suck that was the TE corps), or coaches (pretty much everyone) it was obvious that the once finely-tuned machine that was a championship caliber football team had thrown a rod somewhere along the way. They didn’t just back into the playoffs at 10-6, they limped in with oil leaking and white smoke billowing from the exhaust. It was painful.
So my first reaction to the latest post from Christopher Gasper over The Boston Globe was slowly nodding in agreement. After all, I can’t disagree with the moves the Pats have made this offseason, which consists entirely of re-signing their own free agents – mostly because one of them is named Vince Wilfork. I also happen to be excited that Leigh Bodden will be back with the team, even though I can see that statement coming back to bite me in the ass 6-8 months from now. Another helping of Kevin Faulk? Yes, please. Stephen Neal? Sure, why not?Let me be clear on this – I don’t want the New England Patriots to make a splash in free agency. I am glad they have not succumb to temptation and dropped big money on the next sure-fire player-for-hire. Why? Because they apparently suck at it. Guys like Adalius Thomas come in with hype and a big contract and then begin to smell like an egg salad fart within a year. Contrast that to guys they’ve traded for – like Wes Welker and Randy Moss – and I think the difference is pretty clear.
Of course, nothing good can last forever and it wasn’t very long before I began wondering if Mr. Gasper began drinking heavily midway through the article. With one simple statement, he blows all credibility…
There is reason to believe Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s brood will put out a better brand of football in 2010 without a major retooling.
Really? Okay, I’m interested to see how you’re planning to prove this. Will algebra be involved? Should I dig out my old TI-85?
The locker room unrest that plagued the Patriots last year was real and a real problem. The feeling was that the team wouldn’t pay for its own players. There is no way any player in that locker room can feel that way now, after the Patriots shelled out more than $83 million to bring back their fab five. Wilfork has already vowed to take a more vocal leadership role.
Not exactly the kind of slam-dunk first point I’d be looking for, but okay. Problem is, you’re wrong – the Pats proved that they’d pay, but only for certain players. It’s a slight difference, and one that must be made, but it only goes so far. Young guys who are important to the team can feel a little more secure about getting their money eventually because the Pats have finally wised up and begun to pay guys like Wilfork who have performed well and not bitched and/or moaned about their prior contracts. That’s good. However, don’t expect this to make older veterans feel all warm and fuzzy, because they are most definitely NOT going to get paid big money and will only be back if they’re willing to accept a reasonable contract (with “reasonable” being defined by the franchise, not necessarily the player or the market). Let’s see how that sits with Randy Moss this coming season before we all start dancing and singing, okay?
Tom Brady can and will play better. Brady was coming off his torn anterior cruciate ligament injury and battled a bad shoulder and a debilitating rib injury during the season. Despite dealing with a play calling setup that at times appeared dysfunctional, having no third option in the passing game and looking a little out of sync with his injuries, he still managed to throw for 4,398 yards and 28 touchdowns, with 13 interceptions.
Believe me, there is no way I even want to remotely argue with this… but I have to. Because he’s 33 years old this season. Because bad shoulders are to quarterbacks over 30 what partying is to Lindsay Lohan’s career. Because there’s no way to tell whether a quarterback will be John Elway (still playing at a championship level at the end of his career) or Dan Marino (gaudy stats that tease fans into believing he can still be great, but a body that won’t let him get there) usually until it’s too late. There is a distinct possibility that what we saw last season was about as good as it’ll be for Tom Brady – I hate to even type it, but someone has to say it. That’s not a slam on him as a player, but simply a realistic statement based on how good he’s been in the past and even was last season. Think about it – four thousand plus yards and 28 touchdowns is a career year for some guys and they’re never that good again, whereas for Brady it can be characterized as an “okay” or “off” year. That’s a pretty high bar to keep jumping over. Doesn’t mean he’s done, just that the Patriots will need to surround him with more help (you know, like a running game of some kind that doesn’t lean completely on an aging third down back carrying most of the load) than they have in the past.
Brady will show more improvement from last year to this one than Jets QB and Brady wannabe Mark Sanchez.
I absolutely love how Gasper tosses this line out with absolutely nothing to back it up and expects people to accept it as gospel. Again, it’d take an awful lot for Brady to improve on those numbers (an offensive coordinator would probably help, but that’s another post for another time) and the last time I checked, time doesn’t move backwards. Also, you’re dealing with a second year quarterback who was gawdawful during much of the regular season and who only came out of his shell during the playoffs – as high as the bar is for Brady, it’s exceedingly low for The Sanchezception.
Look at former Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, who was more consistent and NFL-ready as a rookie than Sanchez, but slightly regressed as a sophomore. Ryan’s completion percentage, yards per pass and quarterback rating all dipped, while his sacks and interceptions rose. After leading the Falcons to the playoffs in his debut season, Matty Ice was on ice for the postseason last year.
Yeah, because those situations are exactly the same. Don’t suppose Atlanta taking a step back would have anything to do with the Saints being the best team in football and playing in the same division, wouldja?
Speaking of sophomore slides, Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo, the 2008 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, took a step back last season after he suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee in the season-opener. Mayo rushed back too soon. He is too good and too dedicated not to make a bigger impact in 2010.
Decent point, it’s about time. Completely ignores the fact the other linebackers aren’t anything special, but it’s a point nonetheless.
There is no doubt the Patriots still have work to do. The cupboard is barren at tight end, although there are no tears over Benjamin Watson taking the Continental shuttle to Cleveland. Keep an eye on senior football adviser Floyd Reese trying to convince Belichick to pry first-round tendered restricted free agent tight end Bo Scaife, whom Reese drafted in Tennessee, away from the Titans.
Ah yes, because we’re all looking forward to Hoodie reviving his TE fetish this year, aren’t we? For all the intelligent things the Pats have done over the last 10 years, how have they managed to blow it on every single tight end they’ve signed? At this point, if I heard they’d signed Marv Cook to the practice squad, I’d actually be excited… despite the fact Marv is probably pushing 45 now.
The pass rush still needs an upgrade, and wide receiver Wes Welker, arguably the team’s most invaluable offensive weapon, is likely to start the season on the physically unable to perform list recovering from a torn knee ligament.
Way to gloss over to INCREDIBLY big problems in 2010 like you were discussing whether or not to have ranch or caesar dressing on your salad, Chris. If you were on the Titanic an hour after they hit the iceberg, I’d bet you’d be wondering if the ship would make New York on time…
That’s why a trade for Anquan Boldin would have been great. However, there was no way the Patriots could have given Boldin the three-year extension he got from the Ravens and told Randy Moss, who is already convinced the team won’t pay him, to sit tight in the final year of his deal.
And so why even mention it? Damn man, you’re making me pine for Dan Shaughnessy with this crap…
As of yet, there is no earth-shattering AFC East acquisition that has pushed the Patriots to the back of the pack.
Of course, the Patriots have done squat to keep themselves in front of the other teams, but why should be worry about that? Have another daquiri and enjoy that sinking feeling Chris!
Yes, the Jets traded for cornerback Antonio Cromartie, but Cromartie is two years removed from his All-Pro 2007 season, when he led the NFL interceptions with 10. In the two seasons since, he has as many interceptions as states his seven children live in — five.
Yeah, no way will Cromartie be any good or get any chances at interceptions this season playing across from the best shutdown corner in the NFL. I guess you missed that whole episode where folks thought Ellis Hobbs could be a top cornerback because he had a good year playing across from Asante Samuel – and then crapped the bed the next season. Never underestimate the ability of a really stinking good player to make everyone else around them look better.
The Dolphins, fittingly, made a splash in free agency, signing inside linebacker Karlos Dansby. However, they still have a pedestrian group of pass catchers, despite the way the Patriots portrayed them during their 22-21 loss to the Dolphins in December. Running back Ricky Willams will be 33 this season, an age when running backs traditionally fall off the cliff, no matter how spiritually-inclined they may be, and Miami’s pass rush could take a hit if Jason Taylor and his seven sacks don’t return to help take the pressure off CFL find Cameron Wake.
Once again, just gloss over the fact a division rival picked up an impact player and then point to a relatively small weakness in an attempt to balance it out. See, the Dophins receivers have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with their defense, which kind of makes your point IRRELEVANT Chris. Also, considering the Pats can’t stop either Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams (or damn near any other runningback in the NFL) from stomping a mudhole in their butts, I’m not all that concerned about the receivers. Maybe that’s just me.
The more things don’t change for the Patriots the more they remain the same in the AFC East, which isn’t as bad as you might think.
So what have learned here kids? (Besides the fact Christopher Gasper does not have any inclination to show his work…)
No, the Patriots are not in dire straits as of right yet and until someone else is sitting atop the AFC East after Week 17 in 2010, they’re still regarded as a challenger. Things staying the same aren’t as bad as they could be. Of course, they’re not all that good either – unless you happen to be content with hanging around in the middle of the pack and hoping to get lucky.
The biggest thing Gasper didn’t mention (except in passing) was coaching, which I think was the biggest problem New England had last season. It appeared Belichick was doing too much with his assistants not carrying the load, and nothing about that has really changed. Until it does, we can sit here talking about who was re-signed, who won’t get a contract and who will until we’re blue in the face because it doesn’t matter. When your MVP quarterback is wearing a look of disgust whenever a play comes in during yet another second half when the offense can’t seem to score, most things don’t matter.
