Say It Ain't So

Q: What do Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have in common? 

I doubt this is the riddle Pats fans want to be hearing right about now after the showing the backup QBs had in training camp. But sometimes you've got to face reality. Brady has a bum left knee now and, judging by the reaction in Foxborough, Bernard Pollard has 68,000 new enemies. Those are the facts. We can whine like our beloved Randy (Randy Moss...whine?!...) or we can believe Pollard when he says the play was not intentional. But to Belichick the details are quite trivial. The show must go on with or without Esquire's Best Dressed Man of 2007.

Matt Cassel may not have been offered millions to model Calvin Klein underwear but he still has to work with the same tight end. The kid came out strong on the first drive with a third down completion to Moss that let fans exhale...at least for a second. The former Trojan did okay for himself (13-18, 152 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT) but in the city of champions good just isn't good enough. The defense helped eek out the 17-10 win over Kansas City but the victory was not satisfactory for fans who watched the Brady Bunch beat opponents by an average of almost 20 points in the 2007 regular season. I think it's safe to say that #12 is not about to get Wally Pipp-ed. 

I do not mean to discourage anyone or put a damper on the season. For all we know Brady could be back out there in a week or two. Or, maybe his name will actually be on the injury report for a reason this time. Either way, keep your heads up Pats fans. The man is more effective with one leg than most QBs are with two, and knowing him he will push to get back on the field before he's ready. Until then we will wait until Bill gives us some medical updates. In Belichick, we trust...even if he cheats sometimes.

VIDEO: Belichick and Cassel post-game reactions, Big Shoutout to NECN Sports.