The Tribune

By Ricardo Wells

rwells@tribunemedia.net

WITH the news that Rob Gronkowski is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the year, all of New England breathes a sigh of regret, while the rest of the league lets out a sigh of relief.

At 6’6 and 260 plus pounds, the loss of the feared ‘Gronk’ almost guarantees that the Patriots would fall short of the Lombardi right?

But before you rush to condemn the AFC East leaders, here are a couple of reasons why you shouldn’t rush to conclusions.

Tom Brady still throws passes. As we all know by now, the Patriots go as Tom Brady does. His struggles often times translate in to wins and losses for the team.

Prior to the start of this season it was often argued that no quarterback was more critical to his team’s successes than Mr Brady, but recent stints by back-up Jimmy Garoppolo and a spot start by third-string QB Jacoby Brissett has left many wondering which is actually more valuable to the other, Brady or that vaunted New England system.

I am a staunch believer that the two are inseparable and depend on each other for their individual success.

Now some critics would argue that at his age, Tom Brady is nearing a decline.

Others would probably tell you that his arm strength isn’t what it used to be, or that his accuracy isn’t what it once was.

Some may even say that his late game poise isn’t what it usually is, or that his ability to read zone rush packages has gone out the window.

Scary thing is, they could even be right.

But despite the noise in the market however, one thing is clear, nearing 40-years-old, Tom Brady is still among the NFL’s best at the quarterback position.

Even after been “sacked” by the NFL for the first four games of the year Mr Brady has still found a way to put up top-tier passing numbers, re-write the history books; and before I forget, led his team to a AFC best 11-2; what fall off?

Brady has put up north of 2,500 yards, 20 touchdowns in nine games.

Trust me, a quick glance at the statistical charts would reveal that Tom Brady is going have a MVP-like season and is poised for something special this postseason.

I mean at the end of the day, say what you want to say about the man, and just don’t run from the truth. Tom Brady is still the real deal.

Simply unstoppable.

Brady’s Bunch

Now that we have settled the quarterback controversy, let’s turn our focus to the guys catching the ball.

While I have to admit that Gronk is a big part of what New England does to be successful, it often goes unsaid that Rob Gronkowski is just one part of the cerebral machinery known as the Patriots receiving core.

Brady has made a career out of spreading the ball around and keeping the entire squad involved and interested over the course of the entire year.

Equipped with two of the game’s best possession receivers in Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, the Patriots have made a living off of a steady, 4 to 5 yard style of offence for well over a decade.

Heading into Sunday’s match-up with the Los Angeles Rams, Edelman had 23 catches for 259 yards over his last three games, and three touchdowns in the last two games.

Amendola, in his fourth season with the Patriots, has morphed into the team’s security blanket on third down.

In fact, one third of Amendola’s catches this year have occurred on third down, 80 per cent of which have gone for first downs.

Add to that mix a speedy Chris Hogan who came over to the team last offseason, a role expansion for first year deep threat, Malcolm Mitchell and the steady resurgence of Martellus Bennett; this year’s unit maybe team’s best chance at a post season run since threw lobs to Randy Moss and crew back in the day.

Stingy Defence

As the old adage goes, defence wins championships.

Sure, with a secondary as patchy as theirs, you could expect yards to be put up. But what this team does well and rarely receives credit for is they keep teams out of the redzone; especially when it matters most.

The 2016 Patriots defence continues to be one of the league’s peskiest units. Embodying the phrase: “bend, but don’t break”, the Pats defence has made a living this year of limiting opposing teams to field goals.

I mean we like to point fingers at the ridiculous numbers produced by Tom’s gang on the other side of the ball, but this tough, physical and intense defensive unit deserves a lot of credit for what they have done over the course of the season.

Littered with certified pass rushers and run stuffers that make up for the team’s passive secondary, the Patriots have managed to amass the league’s third rank defence from the perspective of points allowed.

Believe it or not, New England is allowing, on average, 3.5 points per game fewer than its 2016 opponents.

Trust me, this unit has enough talent to keep the Patriots in any game.

Big Bad Bill

And finally, similar to any world-renounced choirmaster, the symphony orchestra known as the New England Patriots seems to execute best when Big Bad Bill Belichick is at his best.

To keep it frank, 2016 has to be up there with some of Coach Belichick’s best work. Starting the year without his franchise quarterback and Rob Gronkowski, the maestro guided his team to a 3-0 start.

We have seen his level of mastery on display throughout his career. In fact, it would be best to say that no one has managed to fill gaps and holes better than Coach Belichick. It seems that just as quick as he loses a player, he finds a way to coach a replacement up to par.

Yes, like I said before, Gronk is a tremendous player that most teams will self-destruct after losing, but as you know by now, the Patriots are always the exception to the rules.

*Sly Wink!

• Ricardo Wells writes Fourth Quarter Press every Monday. Comments to rwells@tribunemedia.net