Said [Herm] Edwards: "They beat Atlanta, and all of a sudden they're 2-1. Everybody in New England's talking about the sky is falling. It's not falling."
New England's shaky start mostly can be explained by Brady's continuing recovery from reconstructive knee surgery and the startling Richard Seymour trade.
The five-time Pro Bowler's departure further depleted a defense in transition. Seymour's departure added another void to a unit that already lost linebackers Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel and safety Rodney Harrison.