Tom Brady: Far From Just a Product of the “System”

March 20, 2010   ·   Carl Ragsdale   ·   Jump to comments

After the past two seasons, many have called into question the New England Patriots' need for Tom Brady.
Matt Cassel came in and led the team to an 11-5 record and almost to a playoff berth— leading many to label Brady as a product of the Patriots offensive "system" rather than one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.
However, a closer analysis of the Patriots team performances with and without Brady—particularly on offense—tells a much different story than many would like to believe.
 
 
Offensive Line
 
The first point of discussion is the Patriots offensive line. In 2007, they had the most highly regarded offensive line in the NFL. Brady was only sacked 21 times—despite close to 600 dropbacks. Matt Light, Logan Mankins, and Dan Koppen all made the Pro Bowl and started a collective 47 out of 48 possible games.
In 2008, the Patriots offensive line was under criticism for not doing enough to p...

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