Well, the story's out this morning. Brady went in during the 1st q for some "problem" and came out no better. He has shoulder problems and old Bellychick has been hiding it. May we'll get some further info today.
Yeah, I think the big story this year, at least for me, is the cracks beginning to show in the Patriot dynasty. It may not be this year but the fall is coming fairly soon. The Pats don't have Steve Young sitting behind Joe Montana the way the 49ers did, and the 49ers are the only team in NFL history to go back to back dynasties - with the Walsh/Montana team smoothly blending into the Seifert/Young team that followed. Aside from Brady, who is still a great QB, and his decline the Pats also obviously have not smoothly transitioned on defense. They've been beaten in the 4th quarter in ways that good defenses just don't lose. It's kind of heretical even to think it, but I think the Pats might be best served by moving on from Belichik when Brady goes. Fresh eyes are more likely to see what's going wrong and fix it. Hopefully McDaniels gets well situated for the long-term in Denver and does not come back east to coach the Pats in a few years.
If you don't think they can fix this you are mistaken, this year the Pats will do what I hope the Jets do, draft down and stockpile picks, the Pats need help big time on the D side of the ball, LB and secondary especially. Their offense is still solid, maybe will break down in a couple of years.
They can't fix having Brady, Moss and Faulk all on the wrong side of 30 and the offensive line moving over that barrier also. It's just a matter of time. With this year's defense the Patriots would have gone 8-8 last year without Brady. To put it another way: we are a long ways away from 2004 and what looked like a 26 year old collection of superstars that would reign forever. They've become 31 year old stars on the offensive side and been largely replaced by lesser players on the defensive side. This Patriots team is a hollow shell of the last team to win a Super Bowl and they look completely different (and worse) on the defensive side of the ball than the team that got to the Super Bowl last in 2007.
I think if the dolphins structure their team to be runners and beef up the D a bit, so as not to put all the weight on the success of Henne, they could really cause trouble in the Eastern Division every year.
agreed, its looking like the beginning of the end for the dynasty. It had to happen at some point, and they did have a good run, but with VERY few exceptions, you can't fight father time for too long
I think the Pats have some good picks coming their way in 2010, so they are capable of re-tooling. There biggest difference this year is they do not have pro-bowl caliber D-backs, and the loss of Seymour has hurt them.
I don't want to write off the Pats and have them come back to haunt us, and it's only been a few weeks since they killed the Jets. But it does seem like they are having issues. They still have potent weapons particularly on O, but their once great OL is if you look closely in what appears to be a slow decline. Perhaps they have some players on the bench ready to step in there that I don't know much about, but there does not seem to be a seamless transition there. The D is really a shadow of its former self, though. Still some strong players here and there, but they don't seem to play with the intelligence of the old D. Hard to say how that is, but... My guess is Belichik is too impressed with himself and thinks he can plug players into his system and make it work, when what he really needs are better players. That need starts right at who will follow Brady. Their system has let's face it not thrived using a game manager at Qb. Assuming his physical problems are not that severe, and he will improve, he's probably got some very good years left. But if he continues to have trouble with injuries, their team could fold rather quickly. I certainly hope they do. Meanwhile, though, they remain as the chief obtacle to future success for the Jets. They present matchup problems for the Jet pass D. The Jets will at least for the time being have to remain concerned about tailoring their roster to be one capable of defeating and surpassing NE. Until that happens, the Jets will continue to be also rans.
i was rooting for the patriots. the one time i want them to win, they blow it like a bunch of losers. i hate miami!!!!!!!! :finssuck:
The Jets may never get to the level of the Patriots as an organization, however I'm now pretty sure that a consistent 12-14 wins is not that level moving forward. Belichik going for it on 4th down as often as he has down the stretch tells you exactly what he thinks of the capabilities of his offense compared to his defense. He wants Brady on the field at all costs when the game is on the line. Yes, that's how I see it too. Belichik is the part of the equation that most needs adjusting now. He's hitting that time of life when things don't come as easy as they used to and you don't have the energy to make up the difference by putting in long hours. The Patriots success has all hinged on Brady and on great talent up the defensive middle. All of that could be history in a year or two and most franchises return to average (or worse) very quickly after this type of run. No Pioli in New England to help Kraft and Belichik rebuild and no evidence that they can do that without him. The Jets just need to make sure they aren't physically outclassed by the Patriots. That process has been gradually moving in the Jets favor over the last 4 years, with people like Mangold, Faneca, Woody, Harris, Pace, Ferguson and Scott brought in as trench reinforcements. It's no accident that the Jets have split with the Pats in 3 of the last 4 seasons. The Jets have been made larger than they were as of 2005. What the Jets need to do is handle the Faneca and Woody transitions well and they need to go get another NT to let the defensive line rotation work and to prepare for Jenkins decline (assuming it is not upon us already with the knee.)
So, you see Henne's potential limited to being that of a game manager/caretaker type QB? You dont see any potential to be a franchise QB? And if not... why do you feel that way?
