NFL: New England Patriots shouldn't worry about Tom Brady's suspension
There are a lot of nervous people in the Northeastern states of New England, as the NFL world waits on a legal ruling to determine whether Tom Brady’s 4-game suspension to start the 2015 season will be upheld. The ‘Deflate-Gate’ scandal has taken up a lot of the off-season coverage since it was alleged that the New England Patriots were tampering with game balls during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts in January.
With a ruling anticipated before the beginning of the regular season, optimists and doomsayers alike have chimed in to predict the impact this will have on the Patriots’ season. If Brady’s suspension is upheld, second year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will take the reins. The Eastern Illinois alum made his debut during garbage time in the Patriots' Week 4 road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished the season completing 19 of 26 passes for 182 yards and one touchdown in six games, with a passer rating of 101.2. They’re nice numbers, but nothing like enough of a sample size to truly judge the quarterback’s talent.
Asked whether the Patriots should be panicking in the light of the possible suspension, NFL.com's Dan Hanzus said, “Jimmy Garoppolo is a nice prospect and all, but this team will face an uphill climb to go .500 in a stretch that includes home matchups against the Steelers and Jaguars, and road games against the Bills and Cowboys.”
I'm a huge fan of Hanzus and the rest of the Around The NFL team, and I completely agree that the Patriots will find it tough to go 2-2 on the back of their early season schedule.
The Patriots have many shortcomings
Head coach Bill Belichick certainly knows how to coach without Brady; he led the team to an 11-5 record with Matt Cassel in 2008. He is well known to be a master of tactically overcoming his team’s shortcomings.
However, achieving that will be more difficult this year because the Patriots have so many shortcomings. They are unsure at the running back position, at defensive tackle, at cornerback and obviously at quarterback. If anyone can get a couple of wins with an offence led by Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback and [insert name here] at running back, not to mention a dramatically talent-drained defence, it’s Belichick. But it will be tough.
In all likelihood, Hanzus is right; New England will be 1-3 or 2-2 when Brady returns to the fold in week 6. But as Hanzus' colleague Greg Rozenthal pointed out on NFL.com, that isn't a dooming reality.
“Three of the Patriots' four Super Bowl titles came in seasons where they started 2-2 or worse,” Rosenthal pointed out. “As long as Brady is ready to go for January, New England is one of the favorites in the conference. Bill Belichick can figure out how to survive September.”
Brady and the Patriots play at their best when they have an ‘us-against-the-world’, chip on the shoulder type mentality. Coming off a fantastic super bowl victory, that would have been missing this season without this controversy. Now, Belichick gets to tell his team that they are the villain of the league, and get them to play like it. With a talent-depleted team and a tough schedule that includes a much improved AFC East and a frisky NFC East, that might be the edge the Patriots need to push their way to a 13th straight double-digit win season.
Who will replace Tom Brady?
The positive to this situation in case New England doesn’t end up being competitive in 2015, is that the team will have the chance to take a good look at the potential successor to Brady in New England. After four meaningful games watching Jimmy Garopollo under centre, Belichick and his staff will have a much better idea of what they have to work with moving forward, and whether Garoppolo is the long-term answer under centre. Gary Kubiak won't be able to give Brock Osweiler such a road test in Denver, and nor will Tom Coughlin with Ryan Nassib in New York.
The idea that the Patriots will continue to float along on their ‘throne of ease’ where any obstacle can be overcome is a fairly popular one around the league. Chris Long expected as much when he heard the news of the suspension:
In all seriousness..Pats will probably make the playoffs AND they'll have a better idea of what they have at QB post Brady. They'll be fine.
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) July 28, 2015
Garoppolo’s dress rehearsal may be the silver lining to a dark cloud that, come February, might not turn out to be a cloud after all, but the exhaust fumes of yet another Patriots' parade bus.
And that, folks, is how a Patriot makes lemonade.