Offseasons like the one the Patriots just endured break most NFL franchises.
Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski combined to score 22 touchdowns last year for the Patriots, who came within one win of their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
Welker, whose salary demands the Patriots opted not to meet, is now in Denver. Hernandez is in jail awaiting trial for murder. And Gronkowski is in his third month recovering from offseason back surgery, uncertain of when he’ll play again.
Two weeks after Hernandez was arrested, second-year cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, a projected starter, was charged with driving under the influence in Lincoln, Neb. Dennard is awaiting a court ruling on whether the DUI is a violation of the two years’ probation he received after being convicted of assaulting a police officer in April 2012 — an incident occurred a week before the Patriots drafted him in the seventh round.
The Patriots even survived a summer of Tim Tebow without Jets-like distraction, before cutting him last week.
Despite their remarkable run of nine AFC East titles in the past 10 seasons and their 10 consecutive double-digit win seasons, the Patriots should be reeling heading into Sunday’s season opener in Buffalo.
But a funny thing has happened to the Patriots en route to their decline. Despite the rampant offseason tumult, they remain the overwhelming favorite to win the division yet again. In many prognostication circles they are a favorite to reach the Super Bowl.
Why? How?
Two reasons: Tom Brady and Bill Belichick — in that order.
Brady remains perhaps the best quarterback in the game, and Belichick might be the best coach in the league.
Brady, with new receivers all around him — including a Welker-like Danny Amendola, whom they signed to take over the slot receiver duties — will make stars out of all of them, even if most of us never have heard of many of them before now.
Take note of these non-household names who will be catching passes from Brady — receivers Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins (both rookies) and tight ends Jake Ballard, Daniel Fells and rookie Zach Sudfield.
Brady, who won multiple Super Bowls with David Patten and Troy Brown as starting receivers, likely will turn them all into key pass catchers, because that’s what he does best — elevate those around him.
When the season is over and neither the Jets, Bills nor Dolphins have posed even a modest threat to New England’s AFC East stranglehold, this offseason of angst will be long forgotten.
“Every year there’s some kind of surprise you can’t anticipate,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft told reporters recently. “Sometimes the difficult things help bring a team together. I’m actually pretty excited about this team. It’s a very young team. They seem to be coming together pretty well. I’m excited about this season and the next few seasons.”