Championship Dreams: Why the Pats are Super Bowl Favorites

Too often, the burden of early-season expectations crushes a team. Heralded free agents sometimes fail to pan out, and players can regress after career years.

We have seen it time and time again—The "it" team (the Browns and Texans last year, the Cardinals for so many years before then) or preseason favorite (Giants in '08, Eagles in the early half of the decade) failing to meet lofty goals set by the media.

In short, preseason expectations are more a curse than a blessing.

Having said all that, though, it is my belief that this season's Patriots team will live up to, and possibly even surpass, media projections. This is a team with a serious shot at the championship for two main reasons.

The Team is Recovering from a Rash of Injuries

The most obvious argument for the Pats' improvement over last year's 11-5 mark is the return of Tom Brady. Although backup Matt Cassel performed admirably, Brady is one of (if not the) best quarterbacks in the NFL.

It is popular to note that the team is one year removed from a 16-0 regular season, but I'm not sure we can expect that same performance from Brady.

I believe there will be some early-season struggles as Brady acclimates his knee (which suffered a traumatic injury) to the strains of playing in full-speed NFL games.

However, Brady should regain his form at midseason, as the team looks to make the playoffs. Other players should be returning to the team as well, notably running back Laurence Maroney and linebacker Adalius Thomas.

Maroney, a former first-round pick, has been deemed a disappointment mainly because of his inability to stay healthy. When he is at full speed, though, he becomes a dangerous weapon.

Though he is too often indecisive at the line, he possesses great speed and, should the Pats be able to get him the ball in space, he can pose a serious problem for defenses.

Thomas, a key cog in the defense, suffered a season-ending injury in week 10 last year. The team was forced to bring in Rosevelt Colvin and Junior Seau to replace him, but neither could match Thomas's production.

The Pats Have Received an Infusion of New Blood

The signing of running back Fred Taylor exemplifies head coach Bill Belichick's approach to the offseason—picking up solid, reliable veterans who have something to prove.

Taylor is coming off a relatively unproductive year, but it might not be because of his age. The Jaguars' offensive line was lousy in '08, leading to declines in both Taylor's and Maurice Jones-Drew's yards-per-rush average.

The Patriots also picked up veteran receiver Joey Galloway, giving them a productive player to put opposite Randy Moss. Galloway, at 37, is no longer a No. 1 receiver, but I believe he can be productive as a complementary player.

The team also addressed needs in the draft, improving a lousy secondary by drafting safety Patrick Chung out of Oregon and cornerback Darius Butler from UConn.

Pairing them with safety Brandon Merriweather (who's quietly become a good player) and offseason signee Shawn Springs could make for an interesting defensive backfield.

A Super Bowl appearance, of course, is by no means guaranteed. The season, as fans found out last year, can be so easily derailed. Brady, for instance, could not be fully recovered from his injury (like Daunte Culpepper in his disastrous turn with the Dolphins).

The team's linebacking corps is not what it once was, and the failure to pick up another pass rusher could hurt this team down the stretch. We could see another unfortunate strain of injuries pop up.

Despite all this, this team should be a serious contender next year. It has the talent and the coaching to take it deep into the playoffs.