season over after 7 minutes 33 seconds

For years we've been hearing how indispensable Tom Brady is to the success of the New England Patriots and how he's the one player whom they could not afford to lose to an injury.

Well, halfway through the first quarter of the Patriots 17-10 win over Kansas City yesterday, Brady went down with a season ending left knee injury, forcing 4th year back up Matt Cassel to step into the fray and carry this team as far as he can.

How many games will the Patriots win now in 2008? I had them penciled in for 13-14 wins and a long run through the playoffs as a #1 or #2 seed. Now I'd say the Patriots are a 10-11 win team and a best case scenario 4th seed in the tough American Football Conference.

Yes, it will be an adjustment for the Patriots and fans to get used to Matt Cassel. Matt who?? As important as Tom Brady is (he is after all the franchise), there are other talented players on this team who will now have to step up and play better each week to help fill the void. The Patriots struck gold in a similar situation in 2001, can they do it again?.

I was listening to the game on the radio when it happened and watched the hit on Brady (ad nauseum on Boston area television stations) and I agree that it looked like there was no maliciousness involved in it. It was a football play, as Steve Young put it on ESPN tonight, that happened within the game.

Who needs a sure-fire first ballot Hall-of-Famer, two-time Super Bowl and reigning league MVP Quarterback anyway?? Fifty touchdown passes. Bah! Who needs that?

We'll see how much the Patriots do over the next four months, that's for sure....