New England Patriots: 10 Reasons Tom Brady and Pats Are Lock To Win Super Bowl
We've all seen this episode before: It's called The New England Patriots: Beating Up on the Rest of the League.
But they haven't actually won the Super Bowl since 2004 when they beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21.
The team is so dominant most times we forget that they haven't won a Super Bowl in six years.
But here we are again, same place, same time every season, looking at the Patriots as one of the top teams in the NFL.
However, what they are doing this year seems different.
They in some ways look better, and some of their competition appears worse.
Is this the year Tom Brady and the Pats win another Super Bowl?
Here are 10 Reasons Tom Brady and the Pats are a lock to win the Super Bowl.
10. They Are Better Than They Were in 2007
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The New England Patriots made history in 2007, being the only undefeated team in NFL history that played a 16-game season.
But they are better this year. Why?
Because of their running game and the better play of Tom Brady.
I know it's hard to say Tom Brady is better this season than he was in 2007, but, well, he is.
He is shredding defenses that are supposed to be stalwarts, and the collective team is answering the bill as well.
Giving Tom Brady a solid running game is a guaranteed way to murder your opponents.
Which brings me to my next point...
9. The Patriots Have a Solid Running Game
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Laurence Maroney fans may argue this point, but BenJarvus Green-Ellis is better in my opinion.
He has simply been a difference-maker for this New England team.
He's averaging 4.3 yards per carry for 699 yards and has 11 touchdowns on the year.
Not to mention the surprising play of Danny Woodhead, who I think is a running back but plays like a receiver sometimes.
Woodhead has been a revelation since coming over from the Jets. He has 355 yards rushing and 334 yards receiving in 10 games (excluding the Bears game).
Like I said, Tom Brady + good running game= SCARY.
8. Defense Is Young and Getting Better
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Through most of the season, the Patriots defense always was in danger of getting outscored, even with Tom Brady at the helm.
The last two games, however, have shown what progress this young defense has made.
In the last two games, they've given up three and seven points to the Jets and Bears respectively.
With their offense, that's just not fair.
The Patriots were beating up on teams before they had an improved defense. Now that they have one, how are they going to lose again?
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7. 2004 Super Bowl MVP Is Back
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Tom Brady trusts Deion Branch, the 2004 Super Bowl MVP.
That's saying enough.
When you acquire a guy who works like clockwork with Tom Brady, that's a scary thing.
Branch is not a bona fide star, but it doesn't matter.
He's a star under Tom Brady. That's what matters.
6. No Distractions From Randy Moss
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The Patriots pride themselves on teamwork and playing the game the right way.
There is absolutely no room for selfish or egotistic players.
Randy Moss got the memo for one season. Then, apparently, it got caught in the paper shredder.
With a team like the Patriots, it's their system that makes everything work.
Anyone who disrupts this system can jam its gears and prevent it from running correctly.
Moss was endangering the team by being a cog in the system.
(I made sure to find the saddest looking picture in Patriots history for this slide.)
5. Wes Welker
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Remember when receiver Wes Welker tore both his ACL and MCL last January against the Houston Texans, effectively ending his season, and everyone was worried about Wes Welker getting back to form?
That seems like a long, long time ago.
The only thing Welker has been tearing (through) this season is opposing defenses.
He leads Patriots receivers with 72 catches, 672 yards and seven touchdowns.
This is what Tom Brady had to say when Welker went down last year:
"You can't replace him, there's no doubt about that," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Monday on WEEI radio. "There's nobody that can substitute in for Wes and think that they're going to be Wes. He is everything you ask for."
Safe to say Tom Brady has everything he could ask for in 2010. He must be stumped on what to ask for for Christmas.
4. They Are Great in Any Kind of Weather
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It doesn't matter where the Patriots play; a dome, sunny skies, snow, wherever.
They consistently destroy teams.
They are used to playing in snow in Foxboro, and their 36-7 blowout in Chicago in Week 14 is a testament to that.
You try to find advantages teams have against New England, and you start giving up after you think about it for 14 weeks.
3. Their Competition Is Not As Good This Year
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After seeing the Patriots dismantle the Jets and Bears these last two weeks, I'm finding it harder and harder to find a team that could beat them.
After 14 weeks of football, the only legitimate threat I can see now is the Atlanta Falcons.
The Patriots have beaten the Baltimore Ravens, the San Diego Chargers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts (where are you Peyton Manning?), and now the Jets and Bears.
I see them beating the Green Bay Packers next week, too.
I thought the Jets, with their defense, had a legitimate shot at beating the Patriots in Week 13 after beating them in Week 2, 28-14.
I was wrong.
The Patriots beat them, 45-3, demonstrating how far they've come.
Jets coach Rex Ryan was probably like, "Dude, that ain't cool, I thought we were friends, Bill."
2. The Falcons Don't Have the Offense To Beat the Patriots
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That's right, you heard me right. The Atlanta Falcons don't have the offense to beat the Patriots.
Yes, I know they're averaging over 25 points per game. Yes, I know receiver Roddy White is "Da Bomb." Yes, I know QB Matt Ryan is coming into his own. Yes, I know running back Michael Turner is a beast.
And no, none of that stuff matters.
The way the Patriots offense is playing I honestly believe there is no stopping them. If the Ravens, Steelers, Jets and Bears can't stop Tom Brady and the Pats, how is a suspect secondary going to?
I think the Falcons can still score a lot of points against the Patriots, but not enough.
1. Tom Brady
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Tom Brady.
Two words.
One result.
A win.
I think it's safe to say now that Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the NFL, if he already wasn't (some would say Peyton Manning).
What he has done to some of these defensive "stalwarts" is downright ridiculous.
He threw for 369 yards and two touchdowns in the snow Sunday against the Bears, with a 67.5 completion percentage.
Against the Jets? Oh, just 326 yards and four touchdowns, completing 72.4 percent of his passes.
We're not playing Madden NFL '11 here folks. These are real numbers against very real defenses.
Tom Brady is playing at his highest level ever.
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