The Patriots might actually be a trap game if other teams focus on Brady leaving as much as some fans are, and overlook that Belichick is still here.
The Patriots mystique will be eroded in other teams’ minds because Brady has gone. Belichick’s mystique will not be as impactful to other teams, because he is right when he says that players win games, coaches lose them.
But Belichick’s mystique will still be strong inside the locker room. The players he has there will respond to it, and he will bring out the best in them.
That is why I expect this team to surprise many of the doubters. It may not be as dominant as we’ve come to expect, although I’m not going to rule that out if they all overachieve enough, but I expect it will be a lot more competitive than many posts in this thread suggest.
In the past Brady made everyone around him better. I think Belichick does the same, getting players to perform better than anyone expects they can. The two of them together was a force multiplier that created the greatest dynasty the NFL has ever seen.
Last year Brady didn’t do that. More than anything else I think that’s why the team let him go. Now the question is whether Belichick can work that magic without Brady. It’s my opinion that he can, but not as strongly as when they were both doing it. We will see if he can, and how well. But he will have to do it without the same fear factor from other teams that was there in years past, at least at first.