Ambivalence.
This is probably the best way to describe the football world’s view of the New England Patriots. Passionate fans view this team as a dynasty; one of the greatest franchises of the modern era. Detractors view this squad as past its prime, overrated, and resting on the laurels of great accomplishments from over a decade ago
Too Soon to Write Off the Patriots
Patriot hate reached an all time high this week in the aftermath of a nationally televised 41-14 drubbing at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Fans heard everything this week. “Tom Brady is done.” “Bill Belichick isn’t as smart as he thinks he is.” “The team has let too many key players walk.” “The Patriots are heading to the league’s basement.”
Regardless of one’s opinion on any of these statements, the fact is, this team is far from finished. Sitting at 2-2, they face an enormous test heading to Sunday Night’s pivotal match up in Cincinnati versus the undefeated Bengals. It is entirely possible that the world will witness a sub .500 football team after the final whistle sounds.
And it will still be too soon to panic.
The facts here are simple. Yes, this team is struggling. Yes, they’re certainly not playing up to the standard we’ve all become accustomed to seeing, but there is plenty for this team to be optimistic about. To begin with, the Patriots play in perhaps the most winnable division in football, the AFC East. While the Jets, the Bills, and the Dolphins are certainly capable of challenging the Pats on any given game day, this division still runs through Foxborough. When the chips are down, it remains very difficult to conceive any of these improving but still non-elite franchises wresting the divisional championship away. This team always finds a way to win when it counts.
And yes, it’s clear that Tom Brady is playing his worst football in recent memory, but it’s important to consider that he’s not working with a full complement of weapons right now. To declare him “finished” at this early juncture of the season is unfair. To prove this, all we need to do is look at the 2013 season. Last year, the Pats were a tale of two offenses: with Rob Gronkowski and without Rob Gronkowski, and that pretty well describes it. In games where Gronk didn’t dress, the offense struggled to move the ball and pick up chunks of yardage. In games where he was active and operating at full capacity, the offense ranked among the league’s best and Brady’s numbers were elite.
It’s isn’t difficult to tell that while Gronk has been active for all four games this year, he is clearly not at full capacity. He’s still playing limited snaps, and lacks the game-changing attributes that made him one of the league’s most dangerous weapons. When Gronk gets back to full speed, expect the offense to return to form.
There’s no question that the defense need to be better. In Weeks One and Four, the Dolphins and Chiefs respectively ran all over the Pats, and it’s hard to win football games if you can’t stop the run. With that said, it’s not as if this unit is suddenly horrendous. In Weeks Two and Three the Patriots allowed a mere combined sixteen points to the Vikings and Raiders. It’s too early in the season to tell which two showing reflect the true nature of the defense.
None of this is to imply that the Patriots are a top AFC contender this year. The detractors could very well be proven correct in due time, but it’s unfair two right of a season that is only a quarter of the way through. This team faces many challenges in the coming months but it’s never smart to bet against Belichick, Brady, and company. They thrive on proving doubters wrong, and now more than ever, the have the opportunity to do so.
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