As Patriots gear up again
 

Leahy does a reasonable job at analyzing the Pats, I disagree with a few points he made breaking down the various team components, and the obligatory paranoia over Tommy's knee is old, but if you're going to write a Patriots article, you can't go wrong using Tedy Bruschi for your talking points.

As Patriots gear up again, their hopes rest on Brady's health - USATODAY.com

Re: As Patriots gear up again
 

Sticking with a Brady theme - Patriot Ledger's Glen Farley checks in.

First-and-10: Brady?s return should give Pats a leg up on competition - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger

Re: As Patriots gear up again
 

I agree, Box. I have to say, though I understand the value of a long snapper, Lonie gets a bit more weight in Leahy's piece than necessary. That said, there's really little to pick on the Pats' offseason for thus far.

Re: As Patriots gear up again
 

Barring any injury to Tom Brady, there isn't a team in the AFC that is a threat to the Pats. As much as I think their defense has a lot to prove, I still think it's enough to get the Pats back to the super bowl. Also, I think they will play either the Eagles, Cowboys or Giants out of the NFC East.

Re: As Patriots gear up again
 

Of the top few teams, maybe most are in the NFC. In the SB years, it seemed like NE had to get through all the top teams to win the last game (see 03 & 04). There will be competition, but I wonder if the road is more difficult for teams in the other conference...

Re: As Patriots gear up again
 

Some parity between the conferences is creeping in, but other than NYG and Philadelphia, I'm not seeing anyone who can consistently slug it out with Pit, Indy, Ten, SD, Baltimore in Dr. Jekyl years, and NE...

Re: As Patriots gear up again
 

Pre-season prognostications are unavoidable, I guess. And these are the doldrum days before Training Camps open, so we have to read a lot of them. But, whenever I try to assess the value of this stuff, I look back on some of the copy leading up to the 2001 season. Here's something that James Adler wrote on August 10, 2001. He wasn't alone in this view:

"The AFC Eastern Division Championship will be a three-team race this season, and one of those teams will not be the New England Patriots. They still have Drew Bledsoe running the offense, but this team has a shortage of impact players on offense and defense. If they manage to put together a decent running game, they may win as many as six games this year."

I still like Bill Belichick's approach to every new season; 32 teams starting at the bottom and trying to claw their way up the mountain.

Re: As Patriots gear up again
 

I think the most famous of the 2001 prognostications came from ProFootballWeekly's editor, who listed the 5 teams LEAST likely to win a superbowl in the next 5 years. #1 on that list was the NE Patriots. :D I can't remember the guys name off hand. It was Fred something and he was very well thought of...and recently passed away. I guess even the good guys get it wrong sometimes. But I have to believe someone in the Pats FO has that article Framed and hanging in someones office. :D

Re: As Patriots gear up again
 

The bold is more important. As in baseball, great pitching stops great hitting. In the NFL, a great D stops a great O.

Analysts like to focus on Brady. Had the Pats had the '09 improvements implemented in 2008, the Pats would have gone deep into the playoffs and just might have won the SB.

If the Pats passing D continues to suck (I don't think that will be the case) then Brady's return won't matter in the end.