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Volume CXXXIII, Number 9 |
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Tom Brady: real deal at QB
J.P. BOX
ORIENT STAFF
The New England Patriots are better than the Denver Broncos. As a diehard
Broncos' fan for life, the thought of the formerly shoddy Patriots becoming
a better team than the Broncos makes me shudder.
Both teams are 4-4 and need to establish a winning streak in the second
half of the season to make the playoffs. Led by second-year quarterback
Tom Brady, the Patriots are poised to make a run at it.
However, the Broncos, led by the fourth-year QB Brian Griese, are a team
destined for mediocrity - in other words, an 8-8 record. A trip to the
Super Bowl in New Orleans is out of the question unless they plan on paying
admission for bleacher seats.
And it all starts with the quarterbacks for these two organizations.
Brady backed-up the older Griese at the University of Michigan. In college,
Brady watched as Griese led the Wolverines to a national championship
in 1997.
Four years later, both QBs start in the National Football League in the
AFC. Furthermore, they are in the process of establishing themselves as
legitimate starters.
To make their transition from college to the NFL even more difficult,
they are following in the footsteps of Drew Bledsoe and John Elway - two
of the greatest quarterbacks of the 1990s.
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| Tom Brady. |
With Brady at the helm, New England has won four out of its past six
games to assert themselves as a quasi-force in the AFC East. During these
six games, Brady has completed 62.5% of his passes, throwing 10 touchdowns
with only four interceptions.
More importantly, Brady is making New England fans and his teammates
believe. After tossing four picks in the fourth quarter of 31-20 loss
to the Broncos, Brady bounced back the next week and threw for three touchdowns
in a 24-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Thus far, Brady's arm strength, poise, and leadership ability is responsible
for a porous football team making a run at a playoff birth.
The story is different for Brian Griese and his Broncos. Last year, Griese
played like a young Joe Montana by tossing 19 TDs and only four interceptions
in a season cut short by injury.
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| Brian Griese. |
However, after his breakout year, Brian Griese is currently floundering
due to the absence of stable running game, wide-out Ed McCaffrey, and
a dominant offensive line.
Like Brady, he has the poise, smarts, and guts to be a quarterback in
the National Football League. In fact, offensive mastermind and head coach
of the Denver Broncos, Mike Shanahan, said that Griese is a smarter signal-caller
than Steve Young and John Elway - two Hall-of-Fame QBs who played for
Shanahan.
Griese proved his mettle by playing in the second of a game last season
against the Oakland Raiders in which he had suffered a third-degree shoulder
separation. Despite his knowledge of the game and his desire, Griese simply
lacks the talent and play-making ability to lead an imperfect team.
When the offense breaks down, Griese stumbles as evidenced by his 12
interceptions this season. While he has thrown 15 TDs and completed 64.3%
of his passes, he has yet to prove himself as a play-maker who can create
on his own.
His predecessor, John Elway, was at his very best when the offensive
game plan failed and the game necessitated originality. Elway's knack
to create offense coupled with his natural ability forced his teammates
to elevate their level of play.
Griese, on the other hand, depends on his teammates to his elevate his
play. He lacks the arm strength and physical ability to lead a team without
a strong supporting cast.
Here within lies the difference between Tom Brady and Brian Griese. Brady's
4-4 Patriots are a less-talented bunch than the Broncos - especially offensively.
However, Brady's physical talent and his play-making ability have elevated
his teammates' play.
Players like wide-receiver David Patten are making major contributions
and are largely responsible for New England's recent success. Griese has
not - and will not - unearth a David Patten in the Broncos roster.
Brian Griese does have a future in the NFL, however. Oddly enough, it
is with the New England Patriots.
Denver and Boston love making trades with each other in every sport -
except for football. Players like Raymond Bourque, Mike Lansing, Ron Mercer,
Tony Battie, and Chris Herren are only a few of the players who management
traded to either Denver or Boston.
If the Broncos trade one of their three 1000-yard rushers along with
Griese to New England, the Pats will have their first bonafide RB since
Curtis Martin as well as a great back-up QB.
In return, the Broncos receive Drew Bledsoe whose services are no longer
needed in New England. With Denver, Bledsoe will have the opportunity
to resurrect his career under the tutelage of Mike Shanahan.
Within two years, the Broncos and the Patriots will be the two best teams
in the National Football League. A rivalry reminiscent of the 49'ers/Cowboys
competition of the the early '90s will ensue.
If no deal is reached, the Broncos will continue to be a mediocre team
led by a mediocre quarterback.
And the Patriots? Internal strife between Bledsoe and Brady will slowly
tear apart the team. The Patriots will continue to be a mediocre team
pulled apart by two talented QBs.
The first Denver-New England football trade is in order.