Don’t sleep on Belichick, Brady, Moss and the Patriots

Some feel that the Patriots are aging and just aren’t as intimidating as they once were. My advice to these doubters: Don’t be so quick to dismiss the Patriots as Super Bowl contenders.  They still have the best coach in the NFL, one of the top 3 quarterbacks, and one of the best wide receivers in NFL history.  While their defense isn’t as strong as it once was and their running game continues to be a liability, I don’t feel that these deficiencies outweigh their strengths.

Bill Belichick is a genius and the best coach in the NFL today.  Even though he doesn’t have all the stars on the defensive side of the ball, this defensive mastermind is able to get the most out of his defense and let their offense lead the way for them. In ten seasons Belichick is 112-48 in the regular season and 14-4 in the post season, a season record average of 11-5. While Belichick is not an inventor of any specific defensive scheme, but he is excellent at getting the best from his personnel which at times has been very weak.  His achievements speak for themselves: 2 Super Bowl wins as the defensive coordinator with the Giants and 3 Super Bowl wins as head coach of the Patriots.

Belichick and Brady are one of the most successful player-coach combinations in NFL history. Picture courtesy of smidirect.net

Belichick captains the defense, and he has full confidence in Tom Brady to lead the offense.  Belichick was recently quoted as saying that there is no other quarterback he would rather have over Tom Brady.  This is why owner Robert Kraft and Belichick made Brady the highest paid player in the NFL.  Even though Brady has been off the radar the last two years due to his knee injury in 2008, he is still more than capable to lead this team to the promise land ( he showed this in today’s game against the Bengals as he went 25-35, 258 yards, and 3 TD in a 38-24 victory over the AFC North reigning champion). Brady has won 3 Super Bowl rings and due to his leadership and hard work, you can never count him out of winning his 4th.

And it doesn’t hurt Brady to have receivers like Randy Moss and Wes Welker at his disposal. Randy Moss is quite possibly the best downfield wide receiver in NFL history and is always a threat to go the distance.  Even though Moss is on the wrong side of 30, his abilities haven’t diminished at all and he is as explosive as ever and still looking to win his first Super Bowl.  Welker is one of the best slot receivers in the NFL and is incredibly effective. Despite not being at 100% yet, as he is still recovering from his knee injury late last season, Welker will continue to be a valuable asset that Brady loves to utilize.

Brady, Moss, and Welker combine to make one of the most potent aerial attacks in the NFL. Picture courtesy of Sports Illustrated.

While the Patriots are definitely aging, there is no team I would be more afraid of in the playoffs. Just ask Phillip Rivers (0-2 in the post season) and Peyton Manning (1-2) who have struggled against the Patriots throughout their respective careers.  Don’t sleep on the Patriots, they may surprise you.

This is just an opinion…so please Pardon My Bias.