The Cassel Treatment

As far as I’m concerned, QB Tom Brady’s knee is fine. It’s everything else that’s bothering him.

What’s known is Brady has a bad ring finger on his throwing hand, hurt ribs, and there’s also the “chronic” throwing shoulder. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were other nicks and dings that Brady is playing through but won’t mention.

But Brady won’t make excuses. If he’s able to step onto the field to play, then any questions about his ailments hindering his ability to play are thrown out. I agree with that approach, but that doesn’t mean the offense should be run like the 2007 juggernaut.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve seen a very different RB Laurence Maroney. The Hammertime prodigy is gone, replaced with a no-nonsense downhill runner. The change in style appears to have been rewarded with more carries. And with more touches, the production has increased as well.

How the game progresses determines how many carries Maroney gets. But since the bye week, when Maroney carried the ball at least 20 times, the Patriots won comfortably. In the losses, he had 13, 15, and 13 carries.

I’ve always been a proponent of running the ball and believe a balanced team usually is a successful team. This year the Pats have been especially pass heavy, with 505 pass attempts to 377 rushes.

Of course winning is the first priority, but the Patriots’ best chance of winning is with Brady under center. Every time he drops back to pass, he is at risk of getting hit by a charging defender. It won’t be long before something is added to his bad finger, ribs and shoulder if Brady keeps on taking hits.

Brady isn’t a young signal-caller in need of protection, but right now I would be in favor of the team treating Brady more like Matt Cassel last year.

In 2008, New England had the sixth-ranked rush offense. But more importantly, they attempted 513 rushes, averaging 32.1 rush attempts per game. The Pats aren’t far behind that pace with 29 attempts per game this year, but three less attempts per game over a season is 48 attempts. Those attempts would become pass attempts, putting Brady in harm’s way more and more. That’s a scary thought considering the Pats are just 30 pass attempts from exceeding last year’s total of 534.

It’s not rocket science. In seven of New England’s eleven wins last year they ran the ball more than they passed. In the other four wins, the pass-run differential was one, four, 18, and 19. In all five losses, the Patriots passed more than ran.

This isn’t about running the ball more equals wins. The Pats won six this year by throwing more. If they have an equal chance of winning by running more than passing, I hope they run more for Brady’s preservation.

Buffalo, Jacksonville, and Houston all give up more than 100 yards per game. These are the kinds of defenses that New England should have a run first mentality against. Of course anything goes when they reach the playoffs. The idea is to do everything to make sure Brady plays when the playoffs arrive.