Commentary: The Brady Effect

AFC QBs
The AFC East has been inSoccer jerseys quarterback flux ever since Brett Favre joined the Jets and Chad Pennington went to the Dolphins. The injury to Brady really opens up the division, which had already been shaken up a bit with the quarterback shuffle that sent Favre to the AFC and Pennington to Miami.

Although Cassel performed well, he is no Tom Brady. The Brady Effect—how his injury reshapes the AFC East—may be massive. Here's the way things shape up if New England's Tom Terrific is out for the entire season or a major part of it.

The Pats either start Cassel or bring in someone like Chris Sims or Dante Culpepper to start. Another option is to start Cassel but sign either Sims or Culpepper as the number two guy, giving the team some veteran insurance if Cassel's performance goes south.

The Jets are looking better after Favre's performance yesterday and the Miami Dolphins, even though they lost to the Jets, aren't looking half-bad either. Watch out, this division has suddenly become competitive. It is not necessarily stronger, it is simply a bit more competitive.

And let's not forget the Buffalo Bills. Starter Trent Edwards had a solid second-half on Sunday as he led his team to a one-sided 34-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks. He tossed one touchdown while going 19-of-30 (63.3%) for 215 yards. Edwards was sacked once and threw no picks. His rating was 95.8.
Patriot Strengths
The fact is simple—the Patriots are now fourth in the division as far a quarterbacking goes. That being said, there is another simple fact to consider—they still have the best receiver in football (Randy Moss) and another fine pass catcher (Wes Welker). Jabar Gaffney is a fine third receiver. Their O-line is respectable and they have some good running backs.

The New England defense is also first-rate. They can win games or at least give Cassel a fighting chance in any contest. The Pats also have one of the best head coaches in the game, a dedicated owner and a fine group of assistants and front office guys. Under coach Bill Belichick, this is a team that has never relied on one person, one game plan or one methodology when it comes to scheming and execution.
Bottom Line
Belichick, his coaches and the team will readily adjust to the situation. Although the Jets and their fans seem pretty heady about meeting the Patriots without Brady, the fact is that Favre still has to deal with the New England defense and the Jets will still need to stop a very talented offense. The true test for any champion is how they perform when the chips are down. The Pats are about to show the rest of the NFL if they are a championship caliber team.
Monday, September 8, 2008 -- It was the shot heard ‘round the football world—the hit that Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard put on New England quarterback Tom Brady’s left leg. Brady, who is considered by many to be the top player in the NFL, screamed out in pain as he went down and was writhing on the ground after the shot by Pollard.

That knocked Brady out of the game, and it may have knocked him out for the entire 2008-2009 season.
Backup Matt Cassel, who had struggled mightily in the preseason, came in and led the team to a 17-10 win. Cassel was 13 of 18 for 152 yards and one touchdown. He threw no picks.