Patriots gridiron news: Why Tom Brady won’t fall off the cliff in 2018
Underpaid and over-scrutinized, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady enters his 19th season in the NFL under the biggest spotlight of his NFL career.
Sorry Max Kellerman and Rob Parker, the demise of Tom Brady won’t happen in the 2018 season as he will once again lead the New England Patriots to another Super Bowl.
Sure, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texas, Pittsburgh Steelers or someone AFC team that raises out of the shadows will have something to say about that, but so will the ageless wonder.
Now that the Alex Guerrero drama appears to be solved, the 41-year-old quarterback has quite the challenge ahead of him. Not only will he have to prove he can still play at a high level at his age, he will have to do so with a wide receiving group that scares no one.
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Add to that the fact that he is coming off a Super Bowl loss in which he threw for over 500 yards, Tom Brady has every motivation to be great during the 2018 NFL season. He also has playmakers surrounding him who can provide mismatches in opposing defenses.
Yes, the receiving group is unproven, but there is Chris Hogan who is primed for a big year. There is also the very healthy and motivated Rob Gronkowski leading the pack. With a group of versatile running backs who can catch the ball out of the backfield at his disposal, Tom Brady will have the opportunity to be creative.
That creativity may involve turning him back into the game manager he was during the beginning of his career, at least until Julian Edelman returns in Week 5. If Philip Dorsett and/or Cordarelle Patterson turn their first-round talent into anything on the field, Tom Brady will just be that much more dangerous. There’s a good bet one of them will make fans forget Dez Bryant is still out there (at least we hope).
While Brady does have every reason to fall off the cliff due to both age and the lack of overall weapons he has at his disposal, he simply won’t.
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Why?
Because everyone is waiting for it. Unless there is some kind of major injury that knocks him off the field, this man will show the NFL world that he isn’t going anywhere. He will prove that he can in fact play until he is 45. And for the first time in his NFL career, he will have to prove to his own team that he is not on the decline.
While the owner may want him to finish his career with the New England Patriots, he has a head coach who was prepared to move on four seasons ago. If that is not enough motivation for a man selected No.199 in the 2000 NFL draft, then it really would be time to call it a career.
New England Patriots claim two wide receivers
Dez Bryant isn’t walking through that door. Neither is any of the notable wide receivers available who could help a desperate Patriots wide receiver group. The team did claim two wide receivers off waivers Sunday to at least add some bodies.
According to the team’s official web site, New England claimed wide receiver Amara Darboh off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks and Chad Hansen off waivers from the New York Jets.
Neither player is anything to get excited about, but both have experience on special teams. Darboh, a third-round pick out of Michigan in 2017, caught eight passes for 71 yards in 16 games with the Seahawks. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, he could add something in the passing game.
Hansen, a 2017 fourth-round pick, made one start last season and also has the size and speed to be a factor. Both players will have to build chemistry and trust from Tom Brady. But, if any quarterback can maximize the potential of either receiver, it is the 41-year-old reigning MVP.
The New England Patriots will enter the 2018 season with six receivers. Julian Edelman will miss the first four games of the season serving an NFL suspension for testing positive for a banned (although unknown) substance.
Tom Brady’s blindside missing in practice
There was a huge absence among the New England Patriots players taking part in the team’s first regular-season practice Sunday.
Offensive tackle Trent Brown was not spotted on the field. It was the first practice the 6-foot-8, 380-pound Nate Solder replacement has missed since being traded to the Patriots from the San Francisco 49ers.
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While no apparent injury has been reported, it is worth watching the status of Brown, who has impressed during training camp and the preseason. With the talented pass rush of the Houston Texas stampeding into Foxborough for a Week 1 showdown, Trent Brown’s presence will be a necessity in keeping Tom Brady on his feet.