Sean Lee’s concussion is several things; one, it’s a severe blow to the plans the team had built, because Sean Lee is the difference between a functional Dallas team on defense and what we saw late Sunday night.
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They face a Cowboys team that is 2-2, struggling without injured stars Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. After the 27-point defeat by the Chiefs, though, Brady and the Patriots went on to win 13 of their next 15 games including their magical Super Bowl victory. They’ve got to rebuild, and we’ve got to continue to make improvements on the things we need to improve on. Still, the Cowboys are in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins. New England fans would still support their UGG boot model, but the national perception would be starkly different.
With an early bye for the Patriots this past week, the importance of those first three games for Brady’s legacy following Deflategate were paramount. They played a lot of Cover 1 man against the Saints (man coverage with one really deep safety) and will show Cover 3 and Cover 4 zones from time to time.
Quarterbacks don’t have to pay the players on the team’s practice squad, so Brady certainly goes above and beyond in that regard.
According to former National Football League wide receiver Donte Stallworth, who played with Brady on the Patriots in 2007 and very briefly in 2012, Brady was the exact opposite of Tannehill. The teams have never met in the postseason. But they are the opposite of healthy as they enter Sunday’s showdown with the Patriots riding a two-game losing streak. He’s scored touchdowns of 52 and 50 yards in his career. Tight ends coach Dan Campbell will take the reins and become the eighth head man to appear in a game for Miami since 2000 – the season the Patriots hired Bill Belichick. We have a lot of work to do. Receiver Julian Edelman averages 10 catches a game. LeGarrette Blount had a big game on the ground for the Patriots, gaining 78 yards and three TDs on 18 carries.
When healthy, the Cowboys have the offensive firepower and relentless pass rush to be a Super Bowl contender.
However, help is on the way. In classic Brady fashion, he relentlessly fought the four-game suspension and ultimately received exoneration.
“Obviously, it’s good to be 3-0”, Brady told reporters last week. Matt Cassel started 15 games after Tom Brady’s knee injury in 2008, and Drew Bledsoe started in Belichick’s first season. The Patriots may have a hard time running against the Cowboys. He has a 119.6 passer rating, and was a no-brainer pick for AFC player of the month honors for September.
Now, the veteran will try to learn the New England scheme and carve out a role for himself on defense as soon as possible coming out of the bye week. He also writes for Examiner.com as the New England Patriots Examiner.
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Gregory Hunt is a Boston native and a life-long fan of the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics.
