If Drew Bledsoe would have never got hurt and Brady would have never got the chance to come in and play in relief of Bledsoe.. would Brady have ever gotten a chance? Would Brady even be in N.E anymore??? would the patriots go on to win the SB that year? or all the others? when it all is said and done Brady is the corner stone of this franchise.. Without Brady i doubt the pats would be as good as they are year in and year out
Probably not, but BB's philosophy has never been to grab the highly sought after FA. When players have reached the end of their contract the Pats have never waivered in their resolve to only offer fair market value. They bring in guys who buy into the system like Vrabel, Colvin, Harrison, Dillon & most recently Caldwell. Early on everyone wanted to give all the credit to the defense. Saying that Brady was just a product of the system. When they lost McGinest, Vinatieri, Givens & Branch the popular theory was the era of FA has finally caught up with the Pats organization. The dynasty is very much alive & well. I think Brady deserves a lot of the credit, but no more than the guys who don't put on the pads every Sunday.
That is a tough, good question Bears#1Fan. If someone were to ask me what one member of the Pats organization would hurt the most if they left I would have to say Bill Belichick. The following is a good article and it is shocking to me that it is from the media: http://www.sportsline.com/columns/story/9770095 There is no doubt in my mind that Tom Brady is incredibly good and is a valuable asset to this team but Bill Belichick is the one that puts everything into motion. I know that he isn't on the field playing but he does his job getting players on the field that are smart, players that respect him, and players that do what he tells them to do. I hear that you can't "teach" talent but you can damn sure show your players how to pick apart the talent of another team. He is very good at doing this. He is also very good at evaluating talent. I am amazed at what the WR corps has become after only 7 games this season with the only player being here for at least a full season being Troy Brown. Monday night was very impressive to me, knowing that they relied on the passing game to get it done. Not only did they get it done wit hthis new group, they made this new group look almost as "in sync" as the Colts passing game. Almost. So yeah, Belichick is a huge part of the success of this team.
Don't forget about Pioli. I like how BB drafts smart & versatile players. Great thread. On a related note, I had been wondering what might have happened if Brad Johnson chose Miami over Tampa.
