How many gaskets does the typical NFL quarterback come equipped with? Someone should research that because Tom Brady has probably blown just about all he's got.
Thankfully he's got nine days to get them replaced.
In a move that will pay important dividends as the season progresses, Brady and New England Patriots' coach Bill Belichick did exactly what they should have done, going to their rookie wide receivers early and often...
...and though there were as many drops and wrong turns on routes as there were completed passes, New England was able to ride their thieving defense to a 13-10 victory over hated division rival New York Jets at rainy Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Thursday night...
...and at the same time got their kennel of new pass catching pups the kind of experience that only comes with real-game snaps, and though the litter of talented yet uncoordinated curs dropped messes all over the field, the verbal rolled up newspaper they got smacked with by Brady will eventually sink in.
“Tom’s been around the game for a while, so he knows how to handle the situation that he’s in." said defensive tackle Vince Wilfork of the Patriots' offensive struggles, "Those guys work their tails off, so it’s not a lack of effort - it’s just getting the confidence and being able to make those plays, and once those guys start developing and getting more experience, I think you’ll start seeing a different ball club.”
It took a lot of guts for Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to lean so heavily on a receiving corps that, other than 5th year veteran Julian Edelman, has exactly one NFL game between them - though their only other choice was to go run-heavy against a Jets' defense whose massive defensive line was keyed in on stopping the Patriots' ground game...
...and while it was as ugly as it looked, what was witnessed on Thursday night was the infancy of a passing game that is only going to get better.
Edelman carried the load in the passing game in the interim, catching 13 of 18 targets from Brady for 78 yards and a minuscule average of six yards per reception - matching the average of the Jets' rushing game - and took some big hits for his trouble, and even seemed to get away with a fumble that would have given the Jets' the ball at midfield, but the call was reversed by the officials.
Brady was a frustrating 19 for 39 for only 185 yards and a touchdown, many of those missed connections came via either dropped passes by the rookies, or by them zigging when they should have zagged - and Brady's mood soured with every miscue until just before halftime he went into full-tilt, fit-throwing mode.
The drops were frustrating, but lost in the water-logged nightmare was that on every target, those rookie receivers had worked themselves open, and were it not for being able to hold onto the ball or to just properly secure it, the score would have been much different.
The Jets didn't fare much better, quarterback Geno Smith having his rookie moments as well, but he was aided by a running game that averaged six yards per carry as his offensive line dominated the Patriots defensive line early - but Jets' coach Rex Ryan curiously veered away from the ground game, even on short yardage situations, in favor of Smith's arm - and it ended up costing them the game in the end...
...particularly in the 4th quarter when the Patriots defense turned up the heat on the rookie when they absolutely had to, coming away with three interceptions and four sacks on the night. Smith was also victimized by dropped passes by his veteran receiving corps.
The Jets' offensive line repeatedly smacked New England's defensive line in it's collective mouth through three quarters - but when it came to winning time, defensive end Chandler Jones became a one man wrecking crew, sacking Smith twice and hitting him hard several other times. Rookie end Michael Buchanan and veteran defensive tackle Tommy Kelly also nailed Smith for sacks...
...the increased pressure paying off in the form of poor throws by Smith into the teeth of the Patriots secondary, resulting in a trio of 4th quarter interceptions, one by cornerback Alfonzo Dennard and two by Aqib Talib, the second of which secured the game in the waning seconds.
The defense also forced two fumbles, one by Talib and the other by defensive end Rob Ninkovich, and have now yielded just 31 points in two divisional games to start the season and stand 2-0 despite the offensive struggles - while the Jets, whom many picked to be worst team in the NFL in preseason polls, have been competitive and at times dominant, but see their record fall to 1-1.
Now both teams have nine days to reset and reload - and both should look improved upon their return to action next Sunday, as the Jets will likely gain back concussed receiver Jeremy Kerley and New England should have all world tight end Rob Gronkowski back in uniform, an addition that will create both a security blanket for Brady and also more room for the rookies to grow into their roles...
...a much needed security blanket for Brady, who actually has struggled early in both game thus far, though becoming more accurate as the games wore on - so the onus is not solely on the young pass catchers. But with Gronkowski returning and the rookie receivers getting valuable real-game snaps, things are not as bad as they looked at times on Thursday night.
Actually, things could not look any worse than they did at times on Thursday night, but being 2-0 makes things look a little better.
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