The End of the Brady era?

Tom Brady is human. Tom Brady throws interceptions. Tom Brady can lose a playoff game at home. All of these things are true. I am not a Tom Brady apologist but something else needs to be said. The Patriots loss yesterday was not a Tom Brady loss.

The Patriots are broken. The defense has been poor all year. Teams throw on them at will and yesterday the punishing runners of the Ravens did the same.

This is a team that went 11 and 5 which was a good season. Many teams would welcome this. Patriot fans are spoiled and want more. The fact is they do not have the weapons at this time to win playoff games in bunches. Yesterdays game had a start that would not be replicated if they played again each Sunday for the next six months. But Baltimore was and is the better team.

Tom Brady cannot have to throw the ball for the team to be successful. His receiving targets are not enough. Ben Watson was invisible this year and Randy Moss was not the Randy Moss Tom Brady needs. Will Moss come back next year, will he return to his former self? He might, but the more likely scenario is that the Patriots have gotten all they can out of Moss. He checked out this year and he may not be coming back.

Tom Brady may not be a great quarterback anymore. Then again he may still be. What he is not right now is a great quarterback with the New England Patriots. As they exist right now he will not be anytime soon.