Ask any doctor who performs surgeries on torn ACLs and they will tell you that the knee is essentially like a plate overcooked spaghetti wrapped in tissue paper. In other words, its a flimsy tasty meal.
Its not surprising then, that knee injuries are a plague on the NFL. Of course, we've all heard of Tom Brady. More on that in a moment. But did you know that Jacksonville's Vince Manuwai, Arizona's Al Johnson, San Diego's Shawne Merriman, and Seattle's Nate Burleson, and all went down to season ending knee injuries last week?
At this rate, 85 NFL players will suffer ligament tears and rips over the course of the season. Note to parents everywhere - encourage your kids to become doctors not interior linemen.
Returning to Brady, this is obviously bad for the Patriots. They are not the same team without Brady under center. Whatever happens, Brady will always be my QB in tight pants. But how bad of a blow this is to the 2008 season depends on a whole bunch of things - things like "the system" and "Belichick's genius" and "Matt Cassel", who you may have heard the first ten thousand times it was mentioned "hasn't started a meaningful football game since high school."
Lost in all the fury is the fact that the Patriots still have Randy Moss and Wes Welker. They still have pro-bowlers Matt Light, Logan Mankins, and Dan Koppen on the offensive line. They still have the easiest schedule in the NFL. They still were eighth in league last week in terms of Football Outsiders defense-adjusted value over average.
And I am still not sold on the alternatives in the AFC East. The New York media is high on the Jets simply because Brett "The Geriatric Gunslinger" Farve threw two dangerous wild heaves up into the air that just happened to be caught for improbable touchdowns. And the Jets still almost lost, to the hapless Dolphins.
What about the AFC writ large? The Colts, Chargers, and Jaguars all looked terrible. The Steelers are a flashy pick after their manhandling of the Texans. But I would make two observations: (1) they beat the Texans who play like my grandmother in pads and (2) the Steelers still have the toughest schedule in the league - they have to face twelve teams with winning records including eight former playoff teams. The season is young.
American's love their sports heros, but in the end, football is largely a team sport. You put any average quarterback behind an offensive line full of pro-bowlers and give him a plethora of pro-bowl targets at wide receiver and they are going to look a heck of a lot better.
And as Cold, Hard Football Facts pointed out, a number of teams have rebounded from a devastating injury to their franchise quarterback. Teams like the 1999 Rams or the 2001 Patriots. Remember those guys? I think they won a shiny phallus with a silver plated football on top.
Bottom line: expect a slide, but the Patriots season is not turning and turning in the widening gyre.
