New England Patriots: Why the Offense Is Set Up for Success After Tom Brady

It's the one thought that no fan of the New England Patriots ever wants to endure: The thought of two-time NFL MVP Tom Brady retiring. It's not for at least a few years down the road, but inevitably, it will happen.

Even if Patriots fans refuse to acknowledge it, Bill Belichick doesn't. In fact, he has already begun to gear up the offense for life after Tom Brady.

Of course, the Patriots made Nate Solder their first pick of the 2011 NFL draft. His technique can use some improvement, and he can use to add some strength to his upper body. With a bit of work, the Patriots hope to make him their franchise left tackle.

Sebastian Vollmer was a second-round pick in 2009. The 6'8", 315-pound behemoth has been a fixture at right tackle since his rookie year, and was believed by some to be the heir apparent at left tackle. That is, until Solder was drafted.

Solder may not start immediately—although he's far more likely to if Matt Light doesn't come back—but the future of the Patriots offensive line lies in the hands of two enormous offense tackles.

The success of the undrafted duo of Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus Green-Ellis in 2010 will be paired with two rookie backs, chosen consecutively by the Patriots at picks 56 and 73. Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley were both regarded as mid-round prospects, but not many thought they would go in the second and third rounds respectively.

Add the drafting of three tight ends in the past two years—Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Marshall's Lee Smith this year—and it's easy to see that the offense has been making this transition for the past couple of years.

What transition, you ask? To life after Brady.

This has nothing to do with the Patriots drafting Ryan Mallett. He could be their quarterback of the future, or he could just be a pawn for a future trade; at this point, it's anyone's guess. What I do know is the framework of this offense—in terms of the offensive line and the running backs—is geared toward a run-heavy offense.

Could it be that what was a record-setting spread offense just four years ago will soon be a smash-mouth rushing attack?

Consider this: In four years, most of the players the Patriots have picked up since 2009 will be entering or already in their prime, between 26 and 30 years old. This offense will continue to compete even after Brady is gone.

But that's not all. The real eye-opener doesn't even lie with the Patriots, but with the NFL as a whole.

As the rules have changed in favor of pass attacks, the offenses have become more pass-oriented. As a result, defenses have also evolved to counter that. We now see a lot more of the small linebackers that can cover a lot of ground quickly to stop those short patterns and dump-offs dead in their tracks.

One thing they can't stop, though, is an enormous group of linemen and running backs that know how to hit the hole hard.

Belichick really brings the whole thing full-circle. Those defenses that have been built to counter spread offenses will now face a mismatch against the Patriots offense. Belichick knows that the word is out on his offense, too, and continues to evolve to combat his old coaches tactically stopping his offense.

I don't see this offense changing to a style similar to the Steelers or the Jets. The Patriots could feature a much more balanced attack, with a legitimate ground attack to complement one of the top three quarterbacks in the NFL.

ESPN Boston Patriots beat writer Mike Reiss brought up a great point on the May 8 edition of the "Pats Propaganda & Frenz" podcast, saying, "Enough people have left the nest, if you will, and sort of come up with different ways to combat the Patriots [offense]." As coaches have fallen from the Belichick coaching tree and landed with other teams, Belichick is countering the knowledge of his system by giving it a new dynamic.

This does nothing to change the fact that the Patriots will need to find a competent quarterback to take over the offense when Brady retires. What it does, though, is put whoever that quarterback may be into a great position to grow.

With this current personnel grouping, it's interesting to see Belichick really get started making those preparations for life after Brady. Where it all goes from here will be an interesting story to watch.