jducoeur

Okay, let's take a break from being annoyed with the media about politics -- and instead be annoyed with the media about football.

Yes, it's bad that Tom Brady has probably been knocked out for the season. But implying that that's the end of the season for the team is seriously missing the point. The thing that has made the Patriots such a good team is that they *aren't* just a single arm with a bunch of backup singers. Indeed, the Brady era has been defined by a team that uses all of its members effectively.

The fact is, Matt Cassel led a good solid game today. Is he likely to be entirely Brady's equal? Probably not -- but let's not forget that he's been training for this for years now, and Brady's been the one training him. And the rest of the team played well. (Indeed, in general the Patriots played considerably *better* after Brady got knocked out: as usual, adversity made them raise their game.) No, they didn't crush the opposition, but it's worth noting that they did win, and did so pretty elegantly. If they continue to play as they did today, they've got every chance of a good season.

So I'm not writing them off, the way some of the sportscasters seem to be doing. It'll be a new challenge, but I'd love to see them drive home that it's the team, not the individual, that makes the Pats special...