The Evolution of Tom Brady's Patriots

The Drew Bledsoe Era (2000)

For the longest time the New England Patriots were a terrible organization. I mean Washington Redskins and pre-2011 Detroit Lions terrible. No, it wasn't Bill Belichick that brought the Patriots out of their slump, it was Bill Parcels and a number one overall pick named Drew Bledsoe. In 2000, the Patriots drafted Tom Brady in the 6th round. Even though the team already had their franchise quarterback and had no use for Brady, the team drafted him anyways. Further proof how much the Patriots loved Bledsoe (besides the numbers he was putting up), they offered him a record (at the time) ten year/$103 million dollar salary in March of 2001. Whoops.

Tom Brady's Stats: N/A

The Defensive Era (2001-2003)

Bill Belichick has always been a defensive guy. It may not seem like that now but Belichick won a Super Bowl with the Giants as Bill Parcells defensive coordinator before he ever was a head coach. Belichick came into the Patriots with two main goals: establish a great defense (slash a great team) and do it as cheaply as possible. In free agency he went out and got veterans like Mike Vrabel and Roman Pfifer to go along side linebacker/defensive end guys already on the roster like Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest. In 2001 Belichick drafted in the first round a kid out of Georgia named Richard Seymour (DT). Belichick set up a 3-4 scheme with an emphasis on versatility. Linebackers and defensive ends that were dropped by other teams flourished in Belichick's system which focused heavily on confusing opposing offenses.

Belichick went out and got some scrubs to help out his offense, guys like wide receiver David Patten and running back Antowain Smith to low but heavily incentive-laden deals. Plus, the Patriots already had an elite wide receiver on their roster- Terry Glenn.

Belichick originally designed his system around a versatile and cheap defense and around his franchise quarterback- Drew Bledsoe. Reports indicate that Belichick was not thrilled with the huge contract Bledsoe received considering how economically fiscal he was trying to be, but he had a franchise quarterback nonetheless.

Then Bledsoe gets injured in Week One of the 2001 season and never started another game for the Patriots.

Jets DE John Abraham tackled Bledsoe hard in the middle of the game which caused Bledsoe to gt a concussion and have internal bleeding. Belichick puts in this youngster from Michigan by the name of Tom Brady. Then wouldn't you know it, the Patriots not only go on and make it to the Superbowl, but they defeat the Greatest Show On Turf.

People forget many things though about Brady early in his career. First, Bledsoe didn't go away in 2001. Bledsoe was eligible to play later in the 2001 season but Belichick chose to stick with Brady because his team was winning. Also, Bledsoe played in the second half of the Patriots/Steelers 2001 AFC Championship game and led the Pats after Brady got injured to a game-winning drive towards the end of the game.

Second, Brady was not *that* good of a quarterback early in his career.

While the Brady-led Patriots won both the 2001 and 2002 Superbowls, Brady was really only good in the fourth quarter of those games. Most of the early Brady-led teams were won by defense and special teams, not offense. The Pats needed something called "The Tuck Rule" in order to defeat the Raiders during the AFC Divisional Round.

Tom Brady's Stats: 61.9 completion percentage, 3,409 passing yards/year, 23 TD/year, 12.67 INT/year, 1.82 TD/INT, 6.64 YPA

The Corey Dillon Era (2004-2006)

The Patriots finally had a running back! Most of the Patriots offense was centered around Brady and his passing attack. Sure the Patriots had guys like Kevin Faulk, backs who were versatile enough to block and catch, but were really not all that great at running. You know that essential skill every running backs needs to have. So in 2004, the Patriots traded away a second round pick for Bengals running back Corey Dillon. Rudi Johnson was emerging in Cincy after Dillon got injured and Dillon got upset so the Bengals traded away their "troubled" back.

Before we move on, I just need to go on a tangent real quick. When Dillon was complaining about his reduced role in Cincy before he got traded, he made it public that he wanted out. Then, when he came to New England, he was quiet as a mouse. You didn't hear a peep out of him. Commentators and those in the media use Dillon as an example now of how Belichick can take on troubled athletes. Bullshit. Not that Belichick can't take on troubled athletes, but the fact that Dillon was labeled a troublemaker. Same logic that because Chad Ochocinco danced in the endzone he was automatically deemed a hindrance to his team. Dillon just wanted to be the main guy and as history as shown us, it sucks to be in Cincy and that front staff is stubborn to the point of retardation. (Hell, Marvin Lewis is still their head coach). Maybe Corey Dillon should not have make his frustrations public, but he was never a troublemaker from the getco.

Anyways, off tangent. Brady now has started to emerge as an elite regular season quarterback, the Patriots finally have a running back that's legitimately Pro-Bowl worthy (Dillon did go to the Pro Bowl in 2004), and the Patriots defense full of former nobodys is still holding strong.

The 2004 Patriots was the most well-rounded team Tom Brady has ever played for and that showed when the Patriots won their third Superbowl in three years.

Dillon played two more years with the Patriots but never replicated his 2004 season again and was cut by the Pats in 2007 with Laurence Mauroney now becoming the main back for the Patriots.

During this time we also start to see signs of a shift away from a defensive oriented team to an offense oriented team which is almost epitomized by Brady's stats. Brady went to his second and third Pro Bowls in 2004 and 2005 and in 2005 Brady, for the first time in his career, had a 4,000+ passing yard season.

Although do not get it twisted, the Patriots were still good from 05-06 and they were still winning games and going to the playoffs. In 2005 the Patriots won the AFC East with 10 wins and in 2006 they won the division again going 12-4.

Tom Brady's Stats: 61.9 completion percentage, 3,777 passing yards/year, 26 TD/year, 13.33 INT/year, 1.95 TD/INT, 7.45 YPA

The Record Breaking Season (2007)

During the off-season the Patriots traded a 4th round draft pick to the Oakland Raiders for Randy Moss and offered free agent Wes Welker a one year/1.35 million dollar contract. Finally Brady had some legitimate receivers to throw to. As well as David Patten and Deion Branch worked within Belichick's offensive system, these guys would barely be number three recovers for most other franchises (In fact, look how well Branch ended up in Seattle).

Then Spygate happened. The Patriots were playing the New York Jets- led by former Patriots defensive coordinator Eric Mangini- and whooped them 38-14. Eric Mangini then decided to be a little bitch and ratted out Belichick for stealing signals. So what did Belichick do? He said to everyone "fuck y'all" and starting running up the score on everyone. This caused the magical record breaking season for the Pats.

We all know how this season went. Brady threw for a record 50 touchdowns. Randy Moss caught a record 23 touchdowns (just FYI Jerry Rice caught 22 touchdowns in 12 games. Moss did it in 16. Barely). The Patriots went 16-0 and won their first two playoff games leading to Tom Brady's fourth Superbowl appearance.

Sadly, the Patriots lost to the Giants. While the defense was able to hold and contain Eli Manning for the vast majority of the game (I mean, come on, Eli needed a no-name to catch the ball on his head slash have Pats safety Rodney Harrison be an idiot and not knock the ball down in order to win), the Giants defense did what no team was able to do throughout the 2007 season- put a halt to the Tom Brady and the Patriots offense.

This brings me to the Pats defense. While statistically we do not to start to see the Patriots defense falter, philosophically we do. As we will see later, this will bite them in the ass. This change of philosophy was evidenced by the Pats signing linebacker Adelius Thomas to a five year/35 million dollar contract. The Patriots hadn't needed to pay big money for a linebacker before because they were able to find versatile, hungry guys to play for them. After New England starting winning Superbowls, signing veteran linebackers was even easier. New England was the place you could come to in order to retire on a high note (at least that was their sales pitch). But Thomas was a big name. He was extremely talented yet versatile enough and willing to play in a Belichick defense. However, two years later Belichick got pissy at him, starting benching him, and eventually released him after the 2009 season. This was just an indication and a foreshadow of what was later to become of the Patriots defense and its philosophy.

Tom Brady's Stats: 68.9 completion percentage, 4806 passing yards, 50 TD, 8 INT, 6.25 TD/INT, 9.4 YPA

The Matt Cassel Era (2008)

During the first game of 2008, Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard dives at Brady's feet in an attempt to sack him. However, what Pollard ended up doing was three things. First, he caused Brady to tear up his knee which in turn caused Brady to miss the entire 2008 season. Second, he changed the way officials and referees call penalties for quarterbacks. Now if a defender looks at a QB wrong his team is charged with a 20 yard penalty. Third, we finally got to answer the question: What was the cause of the Patriot's success: Tom Brady or Bill Belichick? The answer: both.

First, let's take a look at what this offense looks like without Tom Brady. This team still had Wes Welker and Randy Moss as wide receivers. Plus, the Patriots had one of the best offensive lines in the game. What's been going unnoticed throughout Belichick's tenure in New England was his stock piling of offensive lineman.

The Pats drafted Dan Koppen in the fifth round of the 2003 draft. He has been to a Pro Bowl. The Pats drafted Matt Light in the second round of the 2001 draft. He has been to three Pro Bowls. The Pats drafted Logan Mankins with their first pick in the 2005 draft. He has been to three Pro Bowls. Three-fifths of this offensive line are Pro Bowlers and the other two lineman who started for the Patriots in 2008 (Dan Connelly and Nick Kaczur) no slouches themselves.

With the great O-line and wide receivers the Patriots had, it's no wonder they were still able to put up points. While Cassel ended up putting good end-of-the-year numbers, those numbers are skewed a bit by two 400 yards passing games he had in Weeks 10 and Weeks 11. Throughout Cassel's first ten games he only averages 200 passing yards per game (Also, as a Cassel fantasy owner this year and as a guy who rode Cassel to a fantasy championship, I can tell you that I was not starting Cassel until Week 12)

Cassel wasn't losing games for the Patriots and the defense hadn't completely fallen off yet as the Patriots went 11-5 yet missed the playoffs (even though San Diego got to go to the playoffs at 8-8 just because they won their division)

Tom Brady's Stats: N/A

Everybody Leaves (2009)

Things change. It's the way of the world. Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis and Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel left after the 2004 season to pursue head coaching gigs after they won three Superbowls with the Pats.

In 2009, everybody seemed to have left.

Another aspect of this entire post that has not been mentioned was the Pats Vice President Scott Pioli. Belichick brought in Pioli when he got hired by the Patriots to help run the front office. The two clearly brought magic and great things to the franchise. Then, in 2009 Pioli leaves the Patriots to become the Kansas City Chiefs GM. Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels also leaves to become the new Denver Broncos head coach. The Pats then trade QB Matt Cassel to Pioli's Chiefs which in turn caused the Denver Broncos to trade away their Pro Bowl and franchise QB Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears (Thank you Josh McDaniels!) Rodney Harrison and Tedy Brushci retired in 2009 and the Patriots shipped Mike Vrabel to Kansas City in the Cassel trade.

These changes did not seem to have any short term effects as the Patriots won ten games in 2009 and again won the AFC East. But these changes become extremely important for what the Patriots are today.

One of the main reasons Tom Brady and the Patriots won three Superbowls was because of Belichick's defense and his ability to pick linebackers/defensive lineman to fit his scheme. However, after 2004, Belichick stopped doing that. As mentioned earlier, the Adelius Thomas signing was the beginning of the end for Belichick's defensive scheme. The loss of the scheme along with losing most of his core defensive nucleus of guys caused the Patriots to start to lose their defensive identity.

Tom Brady's Stats: 65.7 completion percentage, 4398 passing yards, 28 TD, 13 INT, 2.15 TD/INT, 7.8 YPA

The Defenseless Era (2010-2011)

For the past season and a half, Belichick's team has focused so heavy on the offensive side of the ball to win games and watched his defensive side suffer. Everything the Patriots had done defensively since 2004 has now started to catch up with the team.

In 2010, we saw that the Patriots didn't need their defense to win games like they did in the early 2000's. The Pats won 14 games and earned the #1 seed in the AFC. Tom Brady only threw four interceptions during the 2010 regular season and only threw an interceptions in two regular season games. They shipped out Randy Moss early in 2010 and created an offense around Wes Welker and Deion Branch; an offense that didn't turn over the ball. There have only been two quarterback seasons where a quarterback finished the season with a TD/INT ratio above 6:1- Tom Brady in 2007 and Tom Brady in 2010.

To further emphasize the offense, BenJarvis Green-Ellis emerged as an elite running back for the Patriots scoring 13 rushing touchdowns and also did not fumble the ball. The Patriots also signed RB Danny Woodhead off of the Jets practice squad to make their 2010 team one of Tom Brady's most explosive seasons ever.

The Patriots also drafted two great tight ends to help the offense (Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez) in 2010 who have become great players for the Pats. In the 2011 draft, Belihick drafted an offensive lineman in the first round and two running backs in the second round.

However, the lack of defense caused the Patriots to lose to the Jets in the first round of the playoffs in 2010. The Jets defense shut down Tom Brady and the Patriots defense was so bad that they were not able to shut down Mark Sanchez. As Jets LB Bart Scott famously said after the game:

[Haters] talk crap about the defense, like we ain't the third best defense in the league. All we here is about they defense, they can't stop a nosebleed! 25th in the league, and we the ones that get disrespected!?

Scott's comments would hold especially true for the Patriots 2011 season. As of the writing of this post, the Patriots defense is 17th in terms of points allowed, 9th in terms of rushing yards allowed, and last in terms of passing yards allowed.

Tom Brady's Stats: 66.0 completion percentage, 278.08 yards/game (Brady has only played 25 games through these two seasons. This number extrapolated to a full seasons would average 4,449.28 yards/season), 59 TDs, 14 INT, 4.21 TD/INT, 8.14 YPA
_____________________

So what does this all mean? I don't know. In 2011, the Patriots still look like they are going to win their division. They may not be winning games like they used to but they're doing better than their AFC East rivals the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.

What about going forward? I think as long as Bill Belichick is the Patriots head coach, they will continue to win games and win a lot of them. He's an extremely smart man and knows how to run an offense (even though he might now know how to pick wide receivers). He knows first and foremost that nothing happens without an offensive line. In the 2011 draft he drafted Colorado offensive lineman Nate Solder who looks amazing. I feel like the the quarterback has eight seconds to throw the ball of every play for the past ten years. I believe Belichick will continue to draft offensive lineman because he knows that is his bread and butter. He also has an elite quarterback waiting in the wings- Ryan Mallet. I have no doubt that in 3-5 years when Brady starts being washed up, Mallet will take his place and help the Patriots score points and win games.

However, the Patriots defense going forward scares me. Since 2004, the Pats have not focused on their defense (at least like they used to) and have not been doing anything close to what the did a decade ago in order to help them get back to winning Superbowls. To me this 2011 season looks like a trend, not an outlier. Since 2007, the Patriots have shown that if they do not improve their defense, they will not win another Superbowl.

NFL Free Agency Thoughts. Part I.

Maybe this will be like History of the World and not have a Part II. Or maybe this will be like Kill Bill. Who knows. Either way, Part I is awesome.

Was it in the new CBA that 50% of your roster in 2010 was not allowed to be on your roster in 2011? I understand there was a lockout and everything but I can't remember an offseason being this crazy. Ever. Who isn't a free agent? Or got traded? Or flat out released?

New England Patriots

- Chad Ochocinco reminds me a lot of another disgruntled Cincinnati Bengals player who went to New England and transformed the Patriots offense- RB Corey Dillon. Both Dillon and Ochocinco were great players who got bad raps unfairly. Dillon, like Ochocinco, was just upset at being in Cincy and just wanted out. Maybe he shouldn't have created a fuss in the press but ultimately he got his wish- a trade and a playoff ring. But Corey Dillon was 29 and still in his prime when he got traded. Chad is currently 33 and has looked really bad in the past two seasons. Dillon was just injured in his last season in Ohio. What's Ochocinco's excuse? Although having the great Tom Brady can do wonders for a person's career.
- On a recent podcast, Cubsfan said he's rank Braylon Edwards a top 5 wide out in fantasy if he signed with New England. I assume he'd feel pretty strongly about Ochocinco as well. I still don't trust it and won't draft Ochocinco, but I'm risk averse. I"m sure he'll be the next Randy Moss.
- DT Albert Haynesworth has always had the talent to be a top 3 DT in the game since leaving Tennessee. Washington tends to do that to players though- bring out the crapiness in players (Although in Rex Grossman's case, there was nothing to bring out. It was already there). In Belichick we trust. However, I do find it strange that Haynesworth threw a stink when he was forced to play nose tackle in the 3-4 scheme under Shanahan. I really hope Albert knows the Pats play in a 3-4 scheme. Plus the Pats have one of, if not the best, nose tackles in game in Vince Wilfork. This moves seems really strange.
- The Pats mold for winning championships was always having the best offense and defensive lines, linebackers who were hungry and versatile enough to play in Belichick's scheme and Tom Brady to win on the very last drive because the team really wasn't that good throughout the first 3.75 quarters. Didn't the Patriots learn from Adalius Thomas! Paying for free agents will always backfire in your face!

Philadelphia Eagles

- Two years ago Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie was a top two cornerback. Last year he wasn't even close to the mediocrity that his cousin (Antonio Cromartie) was. Gotta think he'll be back to his top self playing next to Asante Samuel. Although he'll still be like his cousin was last year in the sense that quarterbacks will still be targeting him because he's the second best CB on his team. However, very few teams can have the privilege of having the caliber and talent of a guy like ARC as their *number two* corner.
- The sun will rise tomorrow. Bill Belichick will give the most boring press conferences in the world. And Michael Vick will get hurt in 2011. If it was just for draft picks, the Eagles shouldn't have traded QB Kevin Kolb because they will absolutely need him for games next season. However, you could not have passed up a deal like what Arizona gave them.
- DE Jason Babin was one of the best pass rushers (if not the best. How often do you think I can say that phrase in this post? My over/under is 5. I'm at 2 now) in the game in 2010. However, he was on his 5th team last year and had his break out season at age 31. This is also his second go-around with the Eagles. I don't trust him moving forward and thought that was a dumb move signing Babin by the normally smart Eagles.

Quarterbacks

- If Washington Redskins fans hated Donovan McNabb boy they are going to love Rex Grossman
- Kevin Kolb can hit the broad side of a barn. He can throw a ball into the ocean and it will actually hit water. Sounds easy right? Well it was something Derek Anderson, Max Hall, and John Skelton could not do in 2010. Larry Fitzgerald is now a top ten fantasy wide out and will most likely go to the Pro Bowl in 2011. It looks like Early Doucet will play opposite of Fitzy which I don't like as much as if Steve Breaston was there. But hey, Steve Smith and Jake Delhomme went to a Superbowl and Pro Bowls together with less. (Less meaning Jake Delhomme was in the equation)
- McNabb and Christian Ponder both probably have the same skill set right now. McNabb's skill is declining while Ponder's skill is rising and right now they're meeting at the exact same spot. However, both suck and will suck long term. Have fun being in the cellar for the next couple of years Minnesota!
- Matt Hasselbeck will do his best Kerry Collins impression in Tennessee.
- Matt Leinart choose to stay in Houston as opposed to go to Seattle and be reunited with his college coach Pete Carrol. He claims he wanted to have a starting job and with Tavaris Jackson there that shot is lost. It makes sense because Matt Schaub is not even close to what Tavaris Jackson is. Matt Schuab wishes one day he could be Tavaris Jackson. Leinart had/has the talent to be a damn fine, if not great, starting quarterback (Three?). Instead he wants to be a perennial back up so he doesn't actually have to do shit and still gets to say to chicks that he's a professional football player to fuck them. It's a pussy-shit move on Leinart's part and of many in the storied career of the Heisman winner.
- In a post I wrote in February and re-wrote in last July, the best quarterback available this offseason is Kyle Orton. He has proven how good he is in both Chicago and Denver and can adapt to your system. I find it hard to believe that it's difficult to pry him away from Denver right now.

Chicago Bears

- This comes from a facebook status of a friend of mine:

Busy sports day! Getting rid of Maynard, Olsen, Manumaleuna, losing Daniel Manning, and possibly kreutz is not what worries me. What worries me is that many of the players that the Bears initially went after had no interest in the Bears. I think its time for the Bears to do a little Self-reflection and figure out why?

Well, we know why- the Bears are a shit organization right now filled with shit leadership going all the way to the top.
- I actually don't mind getting rid of Greg Olson, it's what we got back that upsets me. Once I saw him get full playing time I started to grow weary and disdainful of him. TBO ragged on me for that for the past two years. Apparently the rest of the league knew what I knew as he gets traded only for a 3rd round draft pick. That's a bit ridiculous.
- With Olson gone I don't know who Jay Cutler is going to have butt sex with now. Is he going to have secret trysts, Brokeback Mountain style, to North Carolina? Maybe breaking up with KC was premature.
- The Bears do not need Olin Kruetz. He's way past his prime and he's 34 years old. He has not been good for years and the Bears do not need him. Being in Chicago I keep hearing the Bears do. ESPN radio host here in Chicago Carmen DeFalco was upset because the Cardinals signed center Kyle Sendlein (???) and he was to be the fall back plan if Kruetz doesn't sign with us. The Bears can trot out right now as an offensive line this year- Gabe Carimi, Chris Williams, Roberto Garza, J'Marcus Webb, and Frank Omiyale and it will still be better than our porous O-line from last year because we have Carimi. Either Webb or Garza an play center just as well as Kruetz did the past few seasons. So can you.
- A sidenote to my previous point- the New York Giants just released center Shaun O'Hara and G Rich Seubert. Both would be upgrades over what Chicago has now. Center Jonathan Goodwin (formerly of New Orleans) is also still available. Plenty of O-lineman still out there for the Bears to get.
- There are plenty of great wide outs still left as well. The Bears will not get any of them. The Rams should get a few if they're smart.

I know there are many, many, many, many more free agent stuff to talk about but I had to delete the word "quick" from the title of my post because this mofo is like three hours long. If I have time maybe some thoughts on guys like Reggie Bush, Takeo Spikes, and Sidney Rice. But for another time.

2011 Draft Special: Pick #17- New England Patriots

Technically, Pick 17 was reserved to the Oakland Raiders but they traded away their 2011 first round draft pick to the Patriots for Richard Seymour. I know I should talk about the Raiders team right here considering this is technically their pick, but I need to do a full discussion on the Patriots 1) In order to know what player they should draft with the 17th overall pick in order to realistically help the draft board move along 2) so I know what the Pats need when their next pick comes along and 3) I'll just do a full discussion of the Raiders when it comes to Pick 28- the true New England draft position.

If I was the GM on th New Patriots I would just go up to Bill Belichick and say, "what would you like to do with your team". I promise I'm not just saying this because I'm a Patriots fan, but I'm saying it because it's true. Bill Belichick is THE greatest active coach and is one of the greatest football coaches of all time. He truly is a football genius when it comes to play designing, player evaluation, and how to run an NFL football team. Needless to say what I think about the New England Patriots does not matter. What you think of the New England Patriots does not matter. All that matters is what Bill Belichick thinks because he is smarter than you.

It's because of this that I'm kind of going to half-ass this post. Not because I'm lazy (albeit I am) but because I really don't know how Belichick's scheme works completely. Here's what I do know:

1) Don't turn over the ball on offense.

Yes, obviously a huge cliche in football, but the Patriots are masters of it. From Week 6 on Tom Brady didn't throw an interception in the regular season and only threw at least one interception in 14 out of the 16 games he played in. Running back BenJaarvis Green-Ellis hasn't had a fumble in his entire professional career. Danny Woodhead and Wes Welker each and one last year. You can't teach awesomeness. Well, Bill Belichick can.

2) Have an amazing offensive line.

The only other team that could possibly rival the New England Patriots in terms of offensive line talent is the New York Jets- and with the Patriots putting the franchise tag on G Logan Mankins, their offensive line will still be awesome. Although it is a legitimate concerns that Mankins leaves after next year, this line is not only the catalyst for this offense (and what it should be with every team) but it gives Tom Brady so much times that it's easy not to give up turnovers.

Belichick also takes the philosophy that The 'Bright' One and I teach- it is unnecessary to draft running backs (and wide receivers) when you have an amazing offensive line. The Pats line creates more holes than a carpenter (he has drills, makes stuff... never mind) that even undrafted, 4th-guy-on-the-depth-chart BenJarvis Green-Ellis looked amazing and was a Pro Bowler in my eyes for the 2010 season.

I know many talking heads (especially those on ESPN) say the Patriots should draft a running back, but why waste the draft pick?

3)If you play defense, be extremely versatile

What made the Patriots teams of the early naughts so great was a) Because of Belichick's awesome system b) Bill was a great motivator/ found great defensive players who were hungry enough to want to win Superbowl(s) and c) Bill's great 3-4 scheme calls for versatility and Bill has always been able to find those guys.

Like any good defense- you have to be able to rush the passer. The Patriots have kind of lost that edge and lost those great linebackers like Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Roosevelt Colvin, and Willis McGinest. Sure, individually those guys were average at best. But you put them together and under a Belichick team and they did great things.

The Patriots defense have some elite parts. They probably have the best nose tackle in the game right now in Vince Wilfork, one of the best linebackers in Jerrod Mayo, and a rookie elite cornerback in Devin McCourty. Sure, the only reason I can name any other Patriots defensive player is because they have names like Tully Banta-Cain and Rob Ninkovich, but name brand really doesn't do anything because, like I've preached for the past five minutes, this is a Bill Belichick team.

In order for a Bill Belichick team to run well it needs two main parts: great offensive lineman and pass rushers. Hell, it doesn't even need an elite quarterback as Matt Cassel's 11 wins showed us in 2007 (Granted, it absolutely helps).

So let's see who fits the bill under this Patriots system that's still left to draft. In terms of offensive lineman, both Mel Kiper Jr and Scouts Inc agree that Wisconsin's Gabe Carimi and USC's Tyron Smith are here for taking. In terms of pass rush, Todd McShay thinks that Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn is a good choice while Mel Kiper believes that Purdue's DE Ryan Kerrigan would be better.

I think in terms of who the Patriots should draft (because they think they way I do) and in terms of what Kiper and McShay agree upon- the New England Patriots will take Tyron Smith. Offensive tackle out of University of Southern California.

Patriots' Needs:

- Versatile Linebackers

- Defensive Backs

Game Of Inches Mock Draft (so far):
1) Carolina Panthers- DT Nick Fairley (Auburn)
2) Denver Broncos- DE Da'Quan Bowers (Clemson)
3) Buffalo Bills- CB Patrick Peterson (LSU)
4) Cincinnati Bengals- WR A.J. Green (Georgia)
5) Arizona Cardinals- QB Blaine Gabbert (Missouri)
6) Cleveland Browns- OLB Von Miller (Texas A&M)
7) San Fransisco 49ers- CB Prince Amukamara (Nebraska)
8) Tennessee Titans- QB Cam Newton (Auburn)
9) Dallas Cowboys- DT Marcell Dareus (Alabama)
10) Washington Redskins- DE Robert Quinn (North Carolina)
11) Houston Texans- CB Jimmy Smith (Colorado)
12) Minnesota Vikings- OT Nate Solder (Colorado)
13) Detriot Lions- OLB Akeem Ayers (UCLA)
14) St. Louis Rams- WR Julio Jones (Alabama)
15) Miami Dolphins- DE/OLB Aldon Smith (Missouri)
16) Jacksonville Jaguars- DE J.J. Watt (Wisconsin)

Bill Belichick Does Not Live In His Mothers Basement

The greatest football coach in the history of the NFL does not like stats. Cause stats dont win games, points win games. Wait, points are stats so stats do win games? I'm confused. But Bill Belichick is never confused. Anyone who thought the Patriots' success is a product of statistical analysis, you would be wrong. The hooded sweatshirt tells us how it is after being questioned about Randy Moss' questionable performance.

"Everybody can't have high stats every week," he told the Web site. "It's impossible. We can always pick out somebody and say, 'What happened to them?'..."Stats are for losers[who live in their mother's basement]," Belichick said. "The final score is for winners."

When you have the intangibles of Tom Brady on your team, who needs numbers. Joe Girardi doesnt need numbers. It's Derek Jeter's perpetuate clapping in the dugout that wins games. Obviously this website is a waste of time. It's not like we have won any championships with our number crunching. Looks like there wont be a 2nd anniversary for Game of Inches. Boo hoo : (

Charlie Weis is Finally out!

Charlie Weis was fired yesterday. That is not news considering we have been waiting weeks for this to happen. What took so long? It is being rumored that Charlie Weis is going to go back to the New England Patriots though. He left the Patriots a few years ago to be the head coach at Notre Dame. I find it funny that less than 24 hours after being funny he already has a job lined up. When I first heard this I thought it was for next year, but it is being rumored that he may go back this year. Talk about not taking a break from one job to the next with a very nice severance package! We will see if this report is accurate though.

We could use Weis as the offensive coordinator here in Chicago. It would never happen because I don’t think he could co-exist with Lovie Smith. He would be a big upgrade over Ron Turner.

The Best Offense Ever?

I mentioned this is my last podcast (sameless plug: which you can visit here or via iTunes- if you search "gameofinches" at the iTunes store, it's under podcasts) that I think the New England Patriot offense this upcoming year, barring good health, will be the best offense Tom Brady has ever player with and might be the best offense in the history of the NFL. While the passing offense won't be as good as it was in 2006 and Tom Brady may not eclipse 50 TDs, I think the overall offense, as whole, will be better than any team he's ever played on.

The new main reasons I say that is because this year the team added WR Joey Galloway and RB Fred Taylor. First Taylor.

Taylor is a borderline HOFer who is proven to be successful. He has a career 4.6 YPC (which is fantastic. Hell I thought he had a career 4.2 YPC which I thought was really good) and he doesn't fumble the ball or lose them (He's only lost three fumbles in a year which was in '03 and only has 20 career fumbles and 13 lost fumbles in 11 years and 2,428 attempts). His worst YPC was last year with 3.9 (which again extremeley impressive) and that I mainly contribute that to his below average (19th ranked) rushing offense line. Taylor is now moving to a team with an amazing rushing offense line. Last year New England's rushing O-line was ranked 2nd overall and ranked first in '07. They have also increased their run blocking between 2005-2007. Now while Taylor really only gets about 10-15 touches a game, I think him platooned with any of NE four RBs they used last year/ when Laurence Mauroney is healthy will make the NE running game the best running game Brady has ever had. I also think Taylor will do amazing things with his limited touches.

The second main addition is Joey Galloway. Galloway is also a borderline HOFer has has been proven successful in recent years. And while Galloway will not be the same reciever he was in Tampa Bay, he doesn't need to be. He'll be the third wide out in NE. Last year (with Matt Cassel throwing to them) Randy Moss was 13th in the AFC in YPG and was first in TDs. Wes Welker was third in the AFC in YPG. In 2007, when Brady played, Moss was first in DVOA and DYAR and Welker was 4th in DYAR and 11th in DVOA. In 2007, Galloway's last healthy season, he was 12th in DYAR and 16th in DVOA. This will be an upgrade to Donte Stallworth (the Pats #3 reciever in '07) who, last year, was the bottom of the league in DYAR ansd DVOA. In '07, when he had Brady throwing to him, Stallworth was 29th in DYAR and 30th DVOA. This means, if Galloway can stay healthy (which I think he can because he won't be the go-to guy), Galloway will be an upgrade to Stallworth, especially with Tom Brady thowing to him.

The the key factor here is Bill Bellichick. The first game of the '07 season, Bill Bellichick was caught taping the Pats/Jets game. So on the heels of Spygate, Belichick decided to say "fuck you" to the league and decided to throw more and run up the scoreboard which led to Brady and Moss barely setting league records. Peyton Manning had a better TD/attempt in his record setting year (mainly because he sat a lot during the 4th quarter) and Jerry Rice had one less TD than Moss but did it in four less games.) So I know it's hard to think Brady and Moss and the others will put up 2007-like numbers, and in fact they probably won't, but when you include the huge upgrade in the running game and the slight upgrade in the passing game, on paper, this teams seems better than it was in 2007. But will they put up more TDs? I guess probably not because Belichick probably won't be as much of a dick as he was 2 years ago. But does this team have the potential to? Absolutely. So I know it's kind of hard to say this NE offense will be better than it was in 2007 because they score less TDs, but the team and individual talent seems better.

I am also not saying the Pats will go undefeated again. I think their defense has decreased the past few years due to age and free agency and I don't like their secondary. And even if this team does end up having a better overall offense, it's just so so so so hard to go 16-0 and obviously hard to go 19-0. But I do think the offense alone will be better.

Some concerns TBO mentioned: 1) the AFC East is much improved sicne '07 and 2) the Pats have had too much coaching turnover. My response to that is 1) I agree the division is harder but when you're that talented it doesn't matter. 2) That team is Bill Belichick's team. I don't care if Charlie Weis, Josh McDaniels, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini or whoever is on the sidelines, Bill Belichick is the master of that team and as long as he is there, the specific coordintors will make no difference.

So, Patriots, don't prove me wrong!

The Matt Cassel Trade

Yesterday, the Chiefs new GM, former Patriots VP, traded away their 2009 2nd round, 34th overall draft pick. What did they get in return, QB Matt Cassell and LB Mike Vrabel.

The Chiefs side: A great benefit of going 2-14 is that you get an amazing draft position. The Chiefs 2nd pick is extremely valuable because that draftee is going to be a high quality player and there's no reason to think this said player can't compete at a high level for many years to come. The Chiefs are a young team and this draft pick would fit right in with the team. Instead, now the Chiefs get a young QB whom I'm not convinced will play at a high level consistently like he did late year and a 12 year LB on the decline.

Matt Cassel: This kid was great last year. He really was on of the top ten QBs of 2008. But the thing was, he played for the New England Patriots. He had Randy Moss and Wes Welker has receivers and had just a fantastic offensive line. Plenty of time and great receivers make any QB look better than they actually are. Now Cassel moves to Kansas City where his receivers are Mark Bradley (former Bear BTW) and Dwayne Bowe. Don't get me wrong, their fine receivers, but they're nowhere close to the level of Moss and Welker. Cassel will now also see a decrease in the amount of time he has to throw the ball which will decrease his production. And here's the thing, the Chiefs have a fine young QB they can develop in Tyler Thigpen. This kid improved throughout the year and if used correctly, would have had better numbers in 2008. Just watching Thigpen, you can see KC had a QB for the future

Mike Vrabel: Don't get me wrong, I love Vrabel. As a Pats fan, I love what he's done for the organization. I just don't see him helping out the Chiefs all that much. It seems he's much better suited for New England than he is in Kansas City. Plus he's OLD. At least with Cassel there's theoretical upside, with Vrabel I just don't see this 12 year vet doing a whole lot

The Patriots side: I think the Patriots got the better end out of this deal. Yes, they give up a key guy in Mike Vrabel, but as I said before, he's old. And if the Pats are willing to part with him, I just don't see him doing a whole lot now. And the Pats didn't need Cassel at all. Next season they'll have Tom Brady, the best(or second best depending on who you talk to) QB in the NFL right now. If he's healthy, he'll be a stud and no reason to have Cassel on the roster. Now I think it was really stupid to franchise Cassel because it ate up cap room, but I guess the Pats were planning on trading him. And they did. Now if Brady does get injured again, then the Pats now lose that valuable back up. But the Patriots system is so good, I'm sure which ever QB the Pats sign as their back up (how funny would that be if that guy was Rex Grossman!), that player will be just as effective as Cassell was- at cheaper too.

Plus the Patriots get a great draft pick in return. As I mentioned earlier, that 34th pick overall is very high and the Pats can now get a young stud of their choosing in return.

Winner: New England Patriots. The Pats gave up a QB they didn't need, a LB who probably won't be THAT effective and gained ton of cap room to sign players they did need (like Vince Wilfork) and gained a young player that will be extremely effective because the Pats know how to draft well. Meanwhile, the Chiefs gained a QB who probably won't produce that the organization would want him to, a LB that won't be THAT effective, and lost a ton of cap room and the chance to pick a great young player.