Tom Brady Out for the Season

[CelticsWhat35]

I didn't think it was possibly to make last year's Super Bowl be any worse, but this just reminds us what a golden opportunity they let slip away last year.  Most of us just assumed the team would regroup and be back in the Super Bowl this year.  But making it that far takes a combination of luck and skills, and we were just dealt a bad hand both departments.

I still think the team can win the division and make the playoffs, which speaks more to how bad the rest of the league is than how much faith I have in Matt Cassell, but the Belichick/Brady era has spoiled us into believing that anything short of a title, including an 18-1 season, is a failure.  It will be intereting to watch how this season folds, and how the Pats respond once again to being underdogs.  This team now has a very slim chance at competing for a title; and in that way, the season is pretty much already a failure.  But it can still be very exciting.

[indeedproceed]

Anyone stressing that Brady is done for more than a season? Maybe he'll never be as effective again?

Knee injuries in basketball and knee injuries in football are completely different

[Champzilla]

Thank god the celtics are back to championship form or this would be even worse.

[Brickowski]

They'll be less exciting but still dangerous.  Belichick will revert to smashmouth, ball control football a la Bill Parcells. He has good running backs and three pro bowlers on the offensive line.  Plus, he's got good receivers to keep the linebackers and safeties honest.

The secondary will have to play well, since they won't be running up the score playing that style and can't afford to give up too many "oops" touchdowns.  But smashmouth can be a winning style, as both Parcells and Brian Billick have shown.

[LB3533]

Anyone stressing that Brady is done for more than a season? Maybe he'll never be as effective again?

Knee injuries in basketball and knee injuries in football are completely different

Didn't Culpepper get a devastating knee injury in the season following his runner-up MVP season...and was never the same since?

[shookones99]

Anyone stressing that Brady is done for more than a season? Maybe he'll never be as effective again?

Knee injuries in basketball and knee injuries in football are completely different

Didn't Culpepper get a devastating knee injury in the season following his runner-up MVP season...and was never the same since?

Right but his game was focused much more on scrambling than Brady

[dark_lord]

tobin




or zakim

[Sweet17]

They'll be less exciting but still dangerous.  Belichick will revert to smashmouth, ball control football a la Bill Parcells. He has good running backs and three pro bowlers on the offensive line.  Plus, he's got good receivers to keep the linebackers and safeties honest.

Sounds good but I do think a REALLY bad QB undoes that. If say he is a Rex Grossman type I don't think the team can overcome it. You need some respectable level of play out of that position to compete in the NFL. Teams will put 8 men in the box and dare us to throw. Our running game was decent but part of the reason was that we had the threat of the pass... If we don't have that it will be like the Chiefs running game.

Pete

[nickagneta]

They'll be less exciting but still dangerous.  Belichick will revert to smashmouth, ball control football a la Bill Parcells. He has good running backs and three pro bowlers on the offensive line.  Plus, he's got good receivers to keep the linebackers and safeties honest.

While in a way I agree with this, I find it perplexing that last week the Patriots seemed to run much better to the side that the All Pros weren't on and I didn't see hardly any stunting that would have attributed the better run blocking on that to the All Pros. The holes on the right side of the line were just better last week and the team seemed to run more effectively that way.

[bbc3341]

Oct. 28th, Oct. 28th, Oct. 28th...