No rest for the weary

Some of the first things that you will think about when someone says the New England Patriots are Tom Brady and winning.  But this hasn't been the case this year.  This year the Patriots have seemed to do nothing but struggle to get through each game on their schedule.  The team has not been playing up to the hype that is always built around them.  Brady is 81/137 for 791 yards 4 touchdowns and has thrown 2 interceptions.  These are decent numbers, but they definitely are not Brady numbers.

Maybe it's his lack of weapons around him.  His leading receiver on the team is Julian Edelman, who was in fact a quarterback in college.  Next down the line would be Brandon LaFell, who isn't a bad receiver but he is far from being a number one.  Rob Gronkowski has not been playing very well and seems to constantly be getting injured and there is a definite lack of a running game.

But skill positions aside it really is the offensive line that is causing this team to fail.  They never seem to get any of the praise but it is in fact an offensive line that really drives the entire football team.  If you have a good offensive line that allows for your quarterback to be protected and be able to make the throws that he is expected to make.  It allows for the run game to get going, which leads to a greater time of possession.  Greater time of possession leads to a more rested defense and allows them to play their best game.  So having a good offensive line really is key for a team.

If the patriots had a more experienced, more talented, more gelled offensive line, maybe Brady would in fact have more than 2 seconds to throw the ball.  We all saw in the Kansas City Chiefs game how bad this line really is.  It looks as if the Chiefs were lining up against a high school offensive line.  Brady was constantly scrambling, or on his back.

Now Brady is getting up there in age but he still has what it takes to play quarterback, and play well in the NFL.  The Patriots just have to put the right players around him.