What If Tom Brady Gets Hurt?

I have a confession to make.

I live in the heart of Patriots Nation, literally, less than five miles from the stadium, and I hate the New England Patriots. I’m not quite sure why, but my parents are convinced they did something wrong.

I’m a Dolphins fan. I know, I know; admission is the first step to recovery. It’s ok, though, because I’ve come to terms with this.

Besides, it is not what we’re here to talk about. Just had to make sure we got the disclaimers out of the way early.

Why? Because this article has to discuss Tom Brady and the Backups. Not quite a 1950’s band, but close.

Since Bill Belichick took over the franchise, the Patriots have taken pride in being good, from one through 53 on the roster. Depth has been as much a priority as they could possibly make it. Fans never have concerned themselves too greatly with starters being lost simply because of this fact.

The Patriots made football a business, making sure the fans root for the laundry. They have jettisoned favorites from Ty Law to Willie McGinest and, ultimately, been better for it. Even when the secondary has been decimated by injury, the Patriots have been able to win and cover their flaws through strength at other positions.

Yet, there is one position that New England has not addressed. What happens if Tom Brady isn’t the quarterback?

With no offense meant to the great Peyton Manning, Tom Brady is the most indispensable player in the NFL. Watching three New England preseason games has taught me this. Without Brady at the helm, the New England offense stalls. It doesn’t matter who the receivers are when the quarterback can’t get them the ball.

Matt Cassell’s performances have been bad. Brady can defend Cassell all he wants, but the stats, at the end of the day, don’t lie. He’s 15-28 with no touchdown passes, one interception, and a grand total of 128 yards passing. For the most part, Cassell has had to do this against defenses that he would face during the season, regular first-string guys.

It’s not as if current third-string quarterback Matt Gutierrez has done much better. Gutierrez has put up two touchdown passes on 24 of 36 passing for 293 yards. However, most of his damage has been against the backups of the backups. Just not a solid measure of his overall ability.

Both quarterbacks have had to do their work behind an offensive line that is getting killed in the press because of one game. It's amazing how all season they protected Brady better than any other quarterback was protected; yet one game killed their reputation. The two quarterbacks haven’t been sacked enough to claim any bad play is a result of the linemen.

The stats only tell part of the story. Each quarterback has looked beyond confused and nervous in making their throws. Decisions haven’t been quick and the ball has floated out of the hands of both guys under center. Surely the receivers aren’t in form either, but, in theory, these are the guys that are being worked with in practice every day. With Brady taking fewer reps, there should be ample time to develop a rapport.

Worse yet, it's not like the Patriots didn't have time to send these guys out there last season. Look at some of the crazy point totals that were put up, and put up late in games. Brady is obviously not 100 percent or he would have played some of these games, to at least a limited degree, this preseason. Think if the Patriots had to do it over again they may have put these guys out there a bit more last season? I certainly do.

Bottom line: This is football and people get hurt. Derek Anderson, Braylon Edwards, Shawn Merriman, Jason Taylor, and Maurice Jones-Drew have all been injured in the preseason alone. Injuries seem to just happen. Now, they haven’t happened to Brady...yet. He’s been remarkably able to continue to get himself on the field and ready to go.

This just isn’t always going to be the case. Brady has missed time because he’s been hurt. He was hurt in the Super Bowl (don’t think it impacted his play), and he normally gets enough snaps in the preseason to get himself ready to go. So far, that total is still at zero.

Why would a franchise that prides themselves on depth be willing to take such a chance in backing up their own star player. The Patriots, to a large degree, have not sat back and developed many (or any) backup quarterbacks. The list of guys that have sat behind Brady, recently, is less than impressive. It’s getting very late in the game to be waiting for someone to be cut.

Let’s say someone is though. How long will it take them to feel comfortable enough to confidently call the offense? Chad Pennington is one of the brightest quarterbacks in football, and he’s putting in 16-hour days to learn in time for game one in Miami. Admittedly, he’s still struggling.

Jim Sorgi is no stud, but certainly Colts fans feel more confident than do Patriots fans here. Brady Quinn is Anderson’s backup in Cleveland. Think they feel ok about their situation? There are good backups available, even now, but the Patriots seem willing to play a dangerous game, despite what the eyes of many fans may be seeing.

Brady claims he’ll be ready for Week One. If he isn’t, nothing should give Patriots fans confidence that Cassell or Gutierrez can lead this team effectively. Daunte Culpepper, Trent Dilfer, Doug Flutie, and a host of others have been waiting for the phone to ring.

Apparently, if the phone don’t ring, the Patriots must be calling.