Only 95 Days Left.... Patriots Preview (QBs)

This is the start of our 2009 Patriots Preview. In the coming days, we'll give you our takes on each of their positions. We'll start things off with quarterbacks:

Tom Brady, #12
Strengths: Arguably the best quarterback of all time. Still in his prime, deceptively mobile, above-average arm strenth, excellent accuracy, unparalleled leadership and intangibles
Weaknesses: Coming off a catastrophic knee injury.
Summary: It remains to be seen if Brady can successfully come back from the ACL/MCL tear he suffered in Week 1 of the 2008 campaign. Most injuries of this type cause subpar performance in the first year back, so Brady may not be fully ready until 2010. However, if anyone can fight through the rust and pain, he can. Suffering the injury in week 1 was also a blessing in disguise as he has had a full year to prepare.
Grade: A


Kevin O'Connell, #5
Strengths: Tall, strong arm, and very mobile.
Weaknesses: Very green, saw limited action in his rookie year, decision-making has to be a concern
Summary: If Brady goes down, O'Connell is likely to be his replacement, which has to be a scary thought for New Englanders. But that's what many thought about Cassel last year, and he turned out to be a very good player. We have to trust BB and Co. here, and hope that passing on the usual veteran free agents won't come back to haunt us.
Grade: C+

Matt Gutierrez, #7
Strengths: Size, highly touted coming out of high school (attended Michigan before transferring due to injury)
Weaknesses: Limited experience both in the professional and college ranks
Summary: Now we're really scraping the bottom of the barrel. The only way he sees the field is if Brady and O'Connell both go down in the same game, as you have to believe BB will find another backup if needed. Gutierrez was cut in last year's preseason, then resigned when Brady went down, so BB's faith in him has to be suspect.
Grade: D

Overall: Despite the seemingly lack of depth as this critical position, one has to be pretty confident in Brady's health, as he has had access to the best care over the past 12 months. Coach Bill has proven himself to be the smartest coach in football, if not all sports, and he wouldn't go to war without a Plan B if the unthinkable happens two years in a row. He won't need it though, the old Brady will return successfully on September 14 on national TV versus the Jills. Expect to see those losers run out of Foxborough with their tails between their legs.

Tomorrow: Running Backs