The Patriots Are Still the Best Team in the AFC

If the silhouette of New York City that encompasses my website was any indication; I may not exactly be enamored with the New England Patriots. I figured I would say that in the beginning so that no one would accuse me of being a homer who just wrote about a team he liked. I have not had a reason to like the Patriots since the Glen Foley age of the New York Jets, and with the exception of the one moment in 2002 when they elected to be introduced as a team at the Super Bowl, I have not liked the Patriots. With that said, I will now address the Tom Brady injury…

The Patriots are still the best team in the AFC.

I know, I know. Here comes the “dude there is no way Cassel is better than Brady,” or the “Dude, Tom Brady is like the best QB ever and whatnot.” Well I’ll address both. Matt Cassel is in no way even in the same stratosphere as Tom Brady, one of the best QBs of all time. So how can I, a Jets fan, say that this injury really isn’t a huge deal? Well here’s the scoop…

Even without Brady on the field, the Patriots still field both an offense and defense filled with insane Pro Bowlers, who have all been to the big dance before. Welker, Moss and Gaffney are without question the best WR trio in the league. Benjamin Watson is an insanely athletic Tight End, and Lawrence Maroney is an Elite NFL running back, the numbers aren’t there simply because the Patriots elected to pass the ball and show no mercy on their opposition the overwhelming majority of last season.

The reason for the success of all of these offensive units however, is the same reason why Cassel will be completely fine. That is the Patriots absolutely astounding offensive line. It is indeed true that the Giants may have exposed the kryptonite of the Patriots at the end of last year. We saw Kansas City send everything short of the kitchen sink at Tom Brady (as a result, he is now shelved for the season). But more importantly what we saw was the offensive line help Cassel ease into the starting QB position quite easily.

We must also not forget the new level of play a number of veterans will now bring the table. I would compare it to a soccer or hockey team. When you bring in a cold goaltender on a good team, often times a handful of shutouts and great team performances ensue. While the goalie gets (and deserves) credit in these situations, the real heroes are the other 5 men on the ice or in this case the other 10 men on the field. Why you ask? Because on a great team, the other players are scared so shit-less that the new goalie is going to mess up that it is considered a failure when the opposing team gets as much as a shot off. Great teams perform better to accompany the play of their newest member, and you have seen it in every major sport.

People look at Cassel’s inexperience as a glaring weakness. I see it as an incredible strength. First off, no team in the NFL has even a semblance of an idea as to how Cassel plays. But more importantly Cassel’s inexperience makes the rest of the Patriots feel a way they haven’t felt in 7 years, uncomfortable. And this is a team that has proven in the past that they can adjust on the fly, even when it means drastically stepping up their game with a new quarterback at the helm.

Also factor in three very important elements. The usually potent offense of the Jaguars looked absolutely awful in week one. The San Diego Chargers’ defense looked nowhere near the way they did at last season’s end, and now Merriman is out. And the Colts had a lot of trouble on both sides of the ball against a Chicago team that I didn’t think was capable of notching a first down, let alone a touchdown. Every other big AFC team appears to have taken a step back with the Patriots, whom may I add, was the only of the four major AFC teams to actually win in week 1.

Bottom line: As long as their defense remains one of the best in the game, The Patriots are still the team to beat.