New England Patriots: With Tom Brady The Pats Are Fine

Dec 10, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) reacts after running for a first down against the Houston Texans during the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

During the offseason there is constant talk of what should be done to further improve your team for the next year. That is pretty much the only thing the offseason is for. When it comes to the Patriots we obviously have the Wes Welker issue, and if he will be back with the Pats in future years. There is also plenty of concern with the Patriots defensive backfield, and lots of debate about how they should address that. We always say that they need this and that to keep winning games. We act that if they don’t go out and get a big receiver or a lock-down corner then they will be screwed for the upcoming season. However when you look at the Patriots success over the past 12 years there is one constant and that is Tom Brady. As long as the Patriots have Brady under center, then Patriots will have a pretty good shot at getting to the big game.

Throughout Brady’s career he really has not had much talent around him. If you take out the 2007 season who is the most talented weapon he has had? He has had to work with some really marginal talent to achieve the success that he has had. But the fact that he has consistently gotten his team to be competitive and one of the best in the league further proves that as long as he is there, then the Pats will be fine.

I think that us Pats fans really should take a step back and stop over-analyzing the Patriots team, and realize how lucky we are to have a guy like Brady behind center to carry the team. I like to take 2006 as the perfect example of Tom Brady’s greatness. I know that it is not one of his MVP years or a Super Bowl winning year, but it shows how he can make a team great with really average talent around him. The 2006 Patriots offense included an overused Corey Dillon, an aging Troy Brown, and Reche Caldwell who at this point was probably suited to have his butt on the bench. The Patriots third leading receiver that season was their backup running back Kevin Faulk. That shows how bad this Patriots team was talent wise.  However Tom Brady took this talent and somehow managed to get his team to the AFC Championship game. They met up with the Indianapolis Colts and held a 21-6 lead at halftime, before collapsing and losing 38-34. The point is, that Tom Brady can take an offense of, I don’t want to use the word “scrub” but they were as close to this as you can get. He took a team like this to the AFC Championship, and if it were not for their defense surrendering an all time collapse, they would be in the Super Bowl. Now, I don’t know about you but if a guy can take a team like that to the AFC Championship, what do you think he could do with a team that has an Aaron Hernandez, a Steven Ridley and a Rob Gronkowski (hopefully a Wes Welker as well). That alone should make you excited for things to come for this Patriots team. I also think that everybody would agree that Brady is even better now than he was 6 years ago. Brady is maybe the best ever at making players around him better, and when you combine that with his amazing talent at playing the quarterback position, you have a dangerously good player.

As evidenced by Brady’s new contract extension, he still has the mindset that he had back in his early years. He will do anything possible to win, and he works his tail off to get back to the Super Bowl. Sure there are a few things different now, he is 35, and he is a husband and a father. He should not be able to focus as much time to the football field as he used to, but somehow Brady finds a way to do it. Any other guy would probably be content to sit back, take some money and call it a career. Not Brady. He really wants that fourth Super Bowl ring, and with his work ethic and the talent that is around him I wouldn’t bet against him in the 2013 season.