Fox/Caplan: New England Patriots Offseason Review

Eh, not much you didn’t already know here,  it’s yet another broad view of the Pats from a national writer who won’t tell you things like despite only having one sack Cunningham was solid in both the run and pass game, and it was his pressure that forced Peyton Manning into that game sealing interception.

As always any kind of potential improvement of young teams is always counted secondary to the personnel additions. The Patriots have assembled one of the youngest defenses in the NFL, and under the great coaching they receive you can never discount the impact of improvement.

As for the “Pats will only go as far as the defense takes them, and can no longer rely on Tom Brady like they used to” I heartily disagree. The Patriots were never just about Tom Brady. They were about a great veteran defense, and a clutch offense and special teams that came through when they needed to. The moment the Pats became too reliant on Tom Brady (2006) they stopped winning Super Bowls.

So in one respect yes, it is all about the defense now. It’s about getting it back to a level where it can perform on the biggest of stages and make plays when it’s all on the line. When they start doing that Brady and the offense will be ready to do their part.