Don Banks is predicting Brady will miss 1-3 games at some point this season

[Rob0729]

From his column of ten predictions:

4. Speaking of ironman quarterbacks, this will be the year New England finally has to come face to face with its greatest fear: Trying to win a game or three without Tom Brady. We're not predicting major gloom and doom for the Patriots, like a season-ending whatever to the league's reigning MVP. But with New England's offensive line suddenly a point of real concern, protecting the Franchise won't be as seamless as the Patriots have made it look in recent years.

While I can't see any opponent succeeding in bum-rushing Brady like the Giants did to great effect in the Super Bowl, I also don't imagine No. 12 is going to have forever and a day to stand back there in the pocket and perform surgery on his opponent's secondary, as was the case so many times in the Patriots' record-breaking 2007 run. Teams are going to be sending the house against Brady this year, because they saw what New York accomplished and will realize anew that giving him time to throw is nothing but a recipe for defeat.

Matt Cassel, you've been put on notice. Better be readier than you looked this preseason. Otherwise the only thing the Patriots will be perfectly inclined to this season is a modest losing streak while Brady heals.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/don_banks/09/04/crystal.ball/index.html

I'm sorry, but I must be missing something. How does this o-line go from being arguably the best pass blocking o-line last year other than the Super Bowl to swiss cheese because they don't have one of their starters back from last season (at least for the first six games)?

I know the o-line looked like crap this preseason, but they played most of the preseason without Matt Light and his return in the last game did actually help to stablize the o-line quite a bit. This isn't the worst o-line the Pats have fielded to protect Brady in his career and he hasn't gone down. Why now?

I don't believe that teams "sending the house" to blitz Brady is going to make a difference because Brady was the most blitzed QB in the league last year. Few teams in the NFL have the front seven that the Giants had last year to disrupt the line like they did.

In fact, I hope teams blitz a lot because Brady has destroyed defenses who blitzed him far more than they have gotten to him. If you blitz Brady and fail to get to him, you are not going to win the game because Brady will put 30 plus points on you. Banks seems to be forgetting that Brady has one of the best pocket prescense in the history of the NFL and can step up to avoid the blitz even if the o-line cannot contain the edge rush.

 

[Rob0729]

Also, he predicts Law will be back in a Patriots uniform:

9. His price tag might be too high right now, but at some point in the season's first six weeks Ty Law and the cornerback-needy Patriots are destined to have a reunion in Foxboro. New England lost its top corner, Asante Samuel, in free agency and was hoping that either Fernando Bryant or Jason Webster could help fill the void in the secondary. But Webster couldn't stay healthy this preseason and Bryant was deemed not to be the answer as well. Both newcomers were released before ever appearing in a regular-season game.

The Patriots this week added two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Deltha O'Neal, who was released by Cincinnati, and for now he'll get his shot to hold down Samuel's slot. But Law, who left New England after winning his third Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2004, is an option that clearly continues to intrigue Bill Belichick. Providing he drops his salary demands into the reasonable category that the Patriots routinely do business, Law should get the chance to resume his career in New England.

Don't forget, he owns Peyton Manning, having picked off the Colts quarterback a record five times in the playoffs.

 

[DefenseRules]

WE ARE DOOMED...SO SAY THE EXPERTS.

 

[letekro]

Misleading thread title - makes it seem like Banks has information on Brady's injury. Otherwise, these guys have to poop out a certain number of columns - don't take what they write so seriously.

 

[BadMoFo]

From his column of ten predictions:



http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/don_banks/09/04/crystal.ball/index.html

I'm sorry, but I must be missing something. How does this o-line go from being arguably the best pass blocking o-line last year other than the Super Bowl to swiss cheese because they don't have one of their starters back from last season (at least for the first six games)?

I know the o-line looked like crap this preseason, but they played most of the preseason without Matt Light and his return in the last game did actually help to stablize the o-line quite a bit. This isn't the worst o-line the Pats have fielded to protect Brady in his career and he hasn't gone down. Why now?

I don't believe that teams "sending the house" to blitz Brady is going to make a difference because Brady was the most blitzed QB in the league last year. Few teams in the NFL have the front seven that the Giants had last year to disrupt the line like they did.

In fact, I hope teams blitz a lot because Brady has destroyed defenses who blitzed him far more than they have gotten to him. If you blitz Brady and fail to get to him, you are not going to win the game because Brady will put 30 plus points on you. Banks seems to be forgetting that Brady has one of the best pocket prescense in the history of the NFL and can step up to avoid the blitz even if the o-line cannot contain the edge rush.

Dude, they're called predictions. They may or may not happen.

 

[Rob0729]

Misleading thread title - makes it seem like Banks has information on Brady's injury. Otherwise, these guys have to poop out a certain number of columns - don't take what they write so seriously.

I did say at some point this season to try to qualify it, but he is predicting that Brady will miss games this year.

I don't take anything any columnist write too seriously because most of them don't know much more than people on this board. In some cases, they know a lot less. But if he writes it, there is no reason why you can't debate it.

Funny though, I still think that Manning's starting record is in more doubt than Brady's. The guy has three new players playing the interior line. Tony Ugoh was very up and down last year playing great one game and lousy the next. Manning has historically had problems when teams are successful at rushing him up the middle. We also don't know how his knee will hold up after his surgery. Both he and Brady are warriors and it will take a lot to make either miss a game.

I think with the Pats' o-line, the perception is the reality. People ignore what they did all last year and only focus how they played in the Super Bowl followed up by a lousy preseason where Light missed the first three games. If you look at the Colts' o-line this preseason, it has been almost as bad even before Saturday went down. People's last memory of that line wasn't as horrible performance though so people aren't talking about the concerns eventhough they only have one player on the o-line with more than one year of NFL experience.

 

[Rob0729]

Dude, they're called predictions. They may or may not happen.

I understand what predictions are. I never said he was guaranteeing anything. In fact, I used the word "predicting" in the title of this thread.

He makes a prediction and explains his reasoning behind it. Is it against the law to dispute that reasoning? Sorry, I guess I missed that clause in the message board handbook.

 

[SamusAranX]

Don Banks is predicting Brady will miss 1-3 games at some point this season

Oh good lord, I hope not. Moss and Welker are on my fantasy team, and if Cassel were to be the QB throwing to them...

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

GO ahead and let those teams blitz Brady all day - If the offense can get the screen pass into play and succeed with it regularly then who needs Brady to throw long bombs?

Case in point is in one of the rare better moments of offense in last years SB was the screen pass to Stallworth with the Giants sending a safety blitz- Donte got a clean alley to run thru with the OL actually blocking well that play and got 14 yards out of it

I will take that kind of offensive production anyday over a risky bomb

 

[Garbanza]

Reporters

What Mr. Banks fails to mention is that Josh McDaniels, and that hideous game plan, had as much to do with the Giants pass rush as the actual pass rush did. I suspect the coaches have learned from that. So, go ahead, blitz..the Pats will just kill you with the run and Mr. Welker.

 

[mdhprime]

You know....for an experienced sports writer, Banks has made a really wierd prediction here. I mean...how in the world can you predict that someone is going to get hurt. It is like predicting where lightning is going to strike, it just doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

[Jackson 2]

You know....for an experienced sports writer, Banks has made a really wierd prediction here. I mean...how in the world can you predict that someone is going to get hurt. It is like predicting where lightning is going to strike, it just doesn't make a lot of sense.

I agree. This guy is really beginning to sound strange with both his writing and TV appearances. What really pisses me off is that Banks, Felger, Borges, et al, can make all of these outrageous predictions and when they fail to come to fruition, it's just let's move on to the next pile of crap we can throw against the wall and see what sticks. there is never a statement saying" I was wrong."

 

[stcjones]

Reporters

What Mr. Banks fails to mention is that Josh McDaniels, and that hideous game plan, had as much to do with the Giants pass rush as the actual pass rush did. I suspect the coaches have learned from that. So, go ahead, blitz..the Pats will just kill you with the run and Mr. Welker.

Ding ding ding....agree with the first part of your your statement.....McDaniels INABILITY to do anything to ADJUST to what the Gints D was doing was EQUALLY to blame with the piss POOR play of our OL (Who still deserve the biggest chunk of blame)

Now as to the second part of your statement......what gives you ANY KIND of confidence that McDaniels has IMPROVED in his ability to make adjustments offensively? You can't go by ANYTHING from this horrid preseason......so unless you have some inside info....be prepared for more of the same.....from the end of last season......

 

[Rob0729]

Ding ding ding....agree with the first part of your your statement.....McDaniels INABILITY to do anything to ADJUST to what the Gints D was doing was EQUALLY to blame with the piss POOR play of our OL (Who still deserve the biggest chunk of blame)

Now as to the second part of your statement......what gives you ANY KIND of confidence that McDaniels has IMPROVED in his ability to make adjustments offensively? You can't go by ANYTHING from this horrid preseason......so unless you have some inside info....be prepared for more of the same.....from the end of last season......

McDaniels did fairly good halftime adjustments last year most notably the AFC Championship game. As for this preseason, he made some very good halftime adjustments in the third preseason game. Otherwise, his play calling has been attrocious this preseason because he didn't call a sing play where Brady touched the ball. That is how bad of an OC he is that he has a HOF QB and he doesn't give him the ball a single time during the preseason.

I think this takes the cake in blantant McDaniels bashing. Bashing McDaniels for lack of adjustments in the preseason? Really?!? I guess if you knew absolutely nothing about football, that would be a strong argument.

I hope McDaniels coaches exactly like he did for the entire season last year. He played a big roll in the Patriots having the most prolific offense in NFL history no matter what his detractors say. If people are going to trash him for lack adjustment made in the preseason, it just shows some of his detractors just bash him because they hate him not because they are looking at things rationally.

You do realize that other than the third game, coordinators are focusing in on making adjustments. Many coaches approach preseason games trying to accomplish certain things and not trying to adjust their offensive or defensive strategies to actually beat their opponnent.

Personally, I am preparing myself for more of the same from the first 18 games where McDaniels was pretty good to downright spectacular at times.

 

[Brady to Brown]

You know....for an experienced sports writer, Banks has made a really wierd prediction here. I mean...how in the world can you predict that someone is going to get hurt. It is like predicting where lightning is going to strike, it just doesn't make a lot of sense.

I wish that I had his phone number. The lottery is Saturday, maybe he could set me up with the winning numbers.

 

[Patslifer]

Brady has an injured foot, and its weird to predict that he will miss 1-3 games over the course of an NFL season? One bad hit to that foot, and he could miss some time.

 

[Brady to Brown]

Brady has an injured foot, and its weird to predict that he will miss 1-3 games over the course of an NFL season? One bad hit to that foot, and he could miss some time.

Peyton Mannings leg is a mess, one hit may end his career.

 

[ICSB]

lol I don't think he misses any games unless you rest starters.

I am starting to think the media is anti Patriots.

 

[spacecrime]

Oh good lord, I hope not. Moss and Welker are on my fantasy team, and if Cassel were to be the QB throwing to them...

Yeah, that's everyone's big worry. What happens to our fantasy teams if Brady goes down

 

[IcyPatriot]

Hate to say it but Brady is older, he has taken many hits because he stands in the pocket until the last millisecond ... and just simply because the law of averages says he has been extraordinary in how many games he has played and not been on an injury list. Belichick is no fool ... i bet there was more than 1 big fat guy he would have loved to grab in the 3rd round but he took O'Connell because he knows how much of a warrior Brady has been.