Think Tom Brady will be on the injury report next week? Seriously, don't drop him until the MRI results are in - it may not be as bad as the hype (but it probably is). Matt Cassel was not nearly as good as Brady in relief, but his number were OK (13 of 18 for 152 yards and TD), and if he is starting, will put up good numbers and would be a good QB2 for most teams. And no, I don't see Belicheck handing the reins over to anybody else this season.
The player that may be hurt the most by Brady's absence is Wes Welker. Short passes to Welker had become a part of the Patriots "running game," now the running game will more likely be the more traditional handoffs.
So which running back will benefit if the Patriots run the ball more? Today Sammie Morris and Lawrence Maroney had 10 carries each, to the chagrin of those that thought Maroney would have a break out year. Expect this trend to continue, as it has become obvious that Belicheck does not trust Maroney to be an every-down back.
Another surprise in this game is that Jamal Charles (5 rushes for 28 yards, 2 catches for 6 yards) spelled Larry Johnson, and not Kolby Smith. It appears that Charles has passed up Smith for the #2 RB. If LJ gets hurt, I would still expect Charles and Smith to split carries.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment