September 10, 2008 - New England Patriots Minus Tom Brady
 -  = ?
Sunday, during the first quarter of the first game, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was injured and will be out for the season.
While the Patriots had been favored to win the Super Bowl prior to Brady's injury, sportswriters are quickly dismssing their chances.
It will be interesting to see how these assessments look at the end of the season.
Glen Farley - Patriot Ledger
"A sixth straight AFC East Division championship and the playoff appearance that goes along with it aren’t out of the question."
http://www.patriotledger.com/sports/x475160308/Pats-season-is-not-lost
Jim Donaldson - Projo
"There’s no reason to believe that the Patriots can’t still win the AFC East, although the Jets, and even the Bills, undoubtedly believe their chances of wresting the division title away from New England have improved considerably. I’d like to believe the Patriots still can win the Super Bowl — that Cassel can do in 2008 what Brady did in 2001. But I can’t."
http://www.projo.com/patriots/content/sp_fbn_patriots_jim_donaldson09_09-09-08_59BG_v10.16041c7.html
Jeff Jacobs - Hartford Courant
"There is no way the Patriots are winning the Super Bowl. They will make the playoffs."
http://www.courant.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sports/hc-jeffcol0909.artsep09,0,1222382.column
Pete Prisco - CBS Sportsline
"One week does not make a season -- unless you're the New England Patriots. Theirs is over. OK, so that's a bit of a rush. I'm guilty."
Prisco ranked them #17 in his Power Poll:
"Yes, they're 1-0. But they're down here because Brady is done. Don't give me that 2001 song and dance again. This team won't make the playoffs."
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10968862
Jeff Chadiha - ESPN.com
"Now that Brady is out for the year, it's hard to see New England winning more than eight games. "
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=chadiha_jeffri&id=3576284
Tim Graham - ESPN.com
"New kings of the AFC East: Buffalo Bills"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-3-49/Domino-effect--How-Brady-s-knee-impacts-AFC.html
Don Banks - SI.com
"I'm not ready to bury the Patriots' chances to defend their division title -- in fact, I still think they'll scrape out 10 wins."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/don_banks/09/08/brady/index.html?eref=T1
Candus Thomson - Baltimore Sun
"The Patriots won't make it to the Super Bowl, but they will be in the playoffs."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-faceoff910,0,213598.column
Childs Walker - Baltimore Sun
"The Patriots will flirt with playoff contention sans Tom Brady but will fall short because he was just that important to their excellence last year."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-faceoff910,0,213598.column
Jesse Palmer - TSN
"Now I don't even think the Patriots will finish as high as second in the AFC East division!"
http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/jesse_palmer/?id=248945&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_nfl
Buddy Thomas - New Bedford Standard-Times
"Thanks to the JV schedule the National Football League was nice enough to provide them, the Patriots probably will make the playoffs even if Marcia Brady has to play quarterback the rest of the way. But without Tom Terrific under center, the dust will continue to accumulate on the team's most recent Super Bowl trophy."
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/SPORTS/809110385/-1/SPORTS
Ross Tucker - SI.com
"For his part, I believe Cassel will play at a competent level and help the Pats win about half their games from here on out. Call it 8-8 or 9-7."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/ross_tucker/09/10/patriots/index.html
Gregg Easterbrook - ESPN
"As for any predictions New England will collapse without Brady, bear in mind: Currently the Patriots are on a 24-2 run, with their only losses being defeats decided late by that year's Super Bowl champion: the Colts and then the Giants. Even with Brady holding a clipboard all season the Patriots remain a monster team."
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/080909
Cold, Hard Football Facts
"Can the Patriots succeed without Tom Brady? Through the simple beauty of the English language (which some Americans still speak fluently), the short answer to this question is conveniently summed up with just two symbols: N-O.
If Brady’s absence is an extended one (and we now know it will be), New England will suffer dearly"
http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_2373_Patriots_fans:_bluer_than_blue.html
Andrew Perloff - SI.com
"New England will go back to its roots, winning 2001-style. The Pats will win a lot of games with what seems like smoke and mirrors. This season will prove the system is bigger than one player in Foxboro."
http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/for_the_record/posts/3222
Jeremy Green - Scouts, Inc.
"10-6, AFC East champs, lose in divisional playoffs."
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=3581734
Doug Kretz - Scouts, Inc.
"9-7, miss the playoffs. New England still is a good team, but not elite with Cassel behind center."
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=3581734
Tom Curran - NBC Sports
"They will improve as the season goes along and are certainly still a playoff-caliber team"
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/26672073/
Clark Judge - CBSSports.com
"So go ahead and scratch New England from the playoff mix if you'd like. Me? I'm not ready. It's not that I trust Cassel to make all the right moves; it's that I trust everyone else, starting with the head coach."
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10967646
Shannon Sharpe - NFL Today
"I like the Jets to overtake the Patriots to win the AFC East."
http://sportsmedianews.com/09/nfl-today-talks-tenn-qb-and-oakland-sideline/
Keyshawn Johnson - Sunday NFL Countdown
“Instead of wrapping up the division in November, they will do it in December...
I think they can get to the playoffs and anything can happen at that point and time.”
http://sportsmedianews.com/09/sunday-nfl-countdown-notes-and-quotes-week-2/
After the Patriots' 19-10 win versus the Jets, bringing their record to 2-0
John Clayton - ESPN
"The Patriots are still the team to beat in the AFC East, but boy, do they look beatable.
...
So in the big picture, it appears little has changed in the AFC East. The Patriots still have 10- or 11-win potential without Brady."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/notebook?page=lastcall08/week2
Do you know of any other sportwriters willing to predit the Patriots fate?
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