Raise your hand if you thought the Pats would be 5-2 after seeing Tom Brady go down in Week One. Anyone else think five wins would maybe be the total for the season?
I mean realistically, with the way things have gone in the NFL this year, the Pats very well could’ve gone 5-2 WITH Brady. So if you’re a Patriots fan and you’re still complaining about something it’s time to find a new team to root for.
What did we learn from the Rams game? Matt Cassel looks like he’s improving; between the game winning TD toss to Kevin Faulk and the shoulda-been-a-TD drop by Randy Moss we saw some Brady-esque accuracy out of the Cassel this week. I don’t think anyone can argue now that this guy is, at the very least, a solid NFL backup, and could get a shot to start somewhere else in 2009 if the Pats don’t resign him.
The defense, despite numerous injuries and playing without Rodney Harrison, still managed to buckle down and play solid. True, the Rams didn’t have a ton of threats without Steven Jackson and the Pats did give up a couple long pass plays yet again, but it looks like the defense is really starting to come into their own.
They’re younger and thus less experience, but they look faster and at time, more aggressive. We’re seeing the rise of the next generation Pats defense.
The young defensive backs are all getting significant experience and have looked pretty good so far.
Brandon Meriweather is starting to play up to his first round billing. Richard Seymour is back to being an absolute nightmare for opposing offensive lines. Jerod Mayo, Gary Guyton and Pierre Woods have brought a sorely needed youth infusion at linebacker.
All in all, things are looking up for the Patriots defense heading into the next decade, which will be an important part in getting Brady at least one more ring before he’s done.
One thing to note, when you hit on draft picks and undrafted players like those mentioned above, you get them on the cheap, which enables you to free up more money for free agents and extensions. So it’d be nice to see Wilfork and Mankins extended asap…
Look, it really just comes down to the fact that the Patriots have the best coach in the league. No matter who they lose to injury or free agency, they will always come to play and play hard.
So now we move on to the Colts game, which will have a different feel than recent years but is none the less important for either team. The Keyz toVictory coming later in the week…
Keywords: New England Patriots Indianapolis Colts St. Louis Rams Matt Cassel
