It was made official today - Tom Brady's knee injury suffered in yesterday's game against the Chiefs is serious enough to make the reigning MVP miss the rest of the season.
The scuttlebutt around the media today is centered around the "other" teams in the AFC, who now have a chance to win the conference - and even the division.
Now, let me take you back to '01. Patriots star quarterback Drew Bledsoe goes down early in the season. Previously unknown 6th-round pick from Michigan (where he backed up Drew Henson) takes the reigns and leads New England to the Super Bowl.
Now, fast forward to today. Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady goes down early in the season. Previously unknown 7th-round pick from USC (where he backed up Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart) takes the reigns and...
Well, we'll see.
If Matt Cassel, who will likely make his first career NFL start against Brett Favre and the Jets on Sunday, can succeed in the Bill Belichick offence and lead the Pats back to the Super Bowl, or at least deep in the playoffs, all discussion of the greatness of Tom Brady must stop.
Forever.
If Cassel succeeds, it will be proven that any quarterback will a head on his shoulders and a decent arm can win in the Pats' system. Now, whether that success is from coaching and match-ups, or from cheating and spying, remains unknown. But a Patriots Super Bowl is not out of the question simply because #12 isn't behind centre anymore.
Certainly there will be a learning curve, as there was with Brady. But Belichick's system is solid, and after a few weeks, Cassel should thrive and bring the Patriots back to the playoffs. And if he does, the cynical members of the media will begin to doubt the merits of whomever New England puts behind centre.
And if he doesn't succeed, and whoever the Patriots bring in fails also, we will know that Tom Brady is worth all the praise heaped upon him.
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