It wasn’t supposed to happen. It couldn’t happen. But on September 7, 2008, it did happen.
On that fateful Sunday afternoon, the very same date back in 1998 that Mark McGwire infamously tied* the single season Home Run record, Kansas City Chief’s safety Bernard Pollard took it upon himself to ruin the hopes and dreams of New England Patriots fans everywhere.
And with one fateful charge through the center of the Patriots’ offensive line, he did just that; diving to the ground and taking perennial Pro Bowler and 2008 NFL MVP Tom Brady’s left knee with him.
Days later, Brady was diagnosed with a torn ACL and MCL, being placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the 2009 season. The Patriots finished with an 11-5 record, missing the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.
But that was then, and this is now. Brady has since had surgery performed on his knee, repairing the two torn tendons. After months of rehab, it has been announced countless times that Brady will indeed be ready for the 2009 season, taking the field under center as he normally does.
But the question on everybody’s mind is: how effective will Brady actually be?
And the answer is: Very.
In the 2007 season Tom Brady finished with a mind-numbing 4,806 passing yards and a record-breaking 50 touchdowns. He led his team to Super Bowl XL and the NFL’s first 16-0 regular season, receiving league MVP honors in the process.
The only thing preventing him from repeating those kind of statistics in 2009 is his surgically repaired left knee – albeit a very large obstacle. But more importantly, Brady has a plethora of things working in his favor.
For one, Bill Belichick is still New England’s head coach, which is an obvious but very valuable asset. Under Belichick, Brady has been nothing short of terrific, topping 20 touchdowns and 3,500 yards every season except his rookie campaign, he has never thrown more than 14 interceptions, missed the playoffs only once, and never won less than 9 games. Oh, and by the way, he’s also won a few Super Bowls. Belichick obviously knows how to use Brady, and will do everything in his power to not only keep his quarterback safe, but also utilize his otherworldly talents to their full potential.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, Brady had his knee surgery performed by one of the best doctors in the business, Dr. Lonnie Paulos. Paulos is famous for surgically repairing the knee of Cincinnati Bengal’s Pro-Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer, who had a very similar injury to Brady’s back in 2005. In the two seasons following his surgery, Palmer bounced back 100% and then some, throwing for 54 combined touchdowns, and achieving career high’s in passing yardage in both years (4,035 and 4,131). Palmer is also yet to miss a game due to knee complications. There is no reason to expect different results from Brady when he does indeed return.
Yet another main reason why there should be no major expected drop-off in Brady’s performance is the team that surrounds him. Not only is his defense slightly weaker than past years, requiring more and more of him with each coming season, but his offense is perhaps the most dangerous it has ever been. Receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker explained that the Patriots offense may in fact be even deadlier in 2009 than it was in 2007, the year they blew every NFL record out of the proverbial water. Considering the entire unit has two more seasons under their belts working together, there are no reasons to dispute these Pro Bowl wide-outs’ claims.
There are also significant upgrades that have been made to Brady’s offensive supporting cast. This includes, but is not limited to, the additions of former first round picks Fred Taylor and Joey Galloway. These acquisitions are extremely important to Brady’s success, both for very different reasons.
Fred Taylor gives the Patriots a much-needed physical presence in the backfield. Taylor, the face of the Jaguar’s vaunted hammer and nail running attack, is famous for beating up defenses all game long, something Brady desperately needs. Having Taylor drive through opposing defenses will not only soften up the front line, but also alleviate blitzing pressure off of Brady, softening concerns of him reinsuring that precious knee. As if defenses were hard pressed to blitz in the first place thanks to Randy Moss and Wes Welker, they now have to worry about the human wrecking ball that is Fred Taylor.
Joey Galloway offers a unique talent to the Patriots’ offense, something that they have been lacking in previous years. Galloway is a speed first receiver who is big enough to make tough catches, and quick enough to make defenses pay after the grab. His speed and size accompanied by his veteran poise and unrivaled understanding of the game will prove invaluable to New England’s offense moving forward. With Galloway stretching the field and spreading the opposing defenses, they will be able to use the vaunted and ever fresh-legged rushing attack of Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, and Kevin Faulk to its peak effectiveness. This is now about as two-dimensional an offense as you might ever see.
Combine his natural skill set with the players and coaches surrounding him, and there is no reason to expect Brady to be anything but ‘Brady’ when he returns from the NFL.
Still, the Patriots aren’t naive; they know the severity of Brady’s injury and will do everything in their power to keep their Golden Boy out of harms way. This most likely means fewer rollouts, less deep drop-backs, and ultimately slightly less passing attempts, all in order to prevent blitzing defenses from making him pay.
But to think that New England’s adjustments will severely take away from Brady’s statistical output would be to foolish. And to assume that a very slightly altered playbook will retract from the Patriots’ win total would be unfortunate. After all, we know opposing defenses can’t take chances and under-prepare for Brady and the Patriots, so why should we?
Even so, is it reasonable to expect another record-breaking 50-touchdown season from our man?
Absolutely. After New England’s offensively dominant 2007, it’s very reasonable to expect anything, especially when you consider the Patriots’ offensive upgrades. 40-45 touchdowns is still probably more realistic, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Brady shatter his own record. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see ring number four fitting snuggly on Brady’s pinky.
Because if we learned anything from Dr. Lonnie Paulos and Carson Palmer it is this:
The NFL better brace itself. Because Brady is back and ready to roll.
I sure hope you're right. Boston sports needs it's streak of luck back. No more sad sad Superbowl losses...
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely man, this team might just be scarier than it was in 2007...as if that's possible. As long as that defense can bend to less than 30 points a game, XLIV here we come!
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