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Tony's Top 5 candidates to step up in Brady's absence
5
Matt Cassel, QB. Drafted in 2005, he's had three full seasons as Brady's understudy. So is he the next Tom Brady? Or just another Tommy Hodson?
4
Stephen Gostkowski, K. Why is he even on this list? Think about it: With Brady out, doesn't it stand to reason that the Pats might have to start converting field goals?
3
The defense. Last year, the Pats set an NFL record for points scored and dominated games with their offense. Without Brady, their ability to stop opponents grows in importance.
2
The running backs. Suddenly, keeping five in the backfield doesn't seem like such a bad idea. Of Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, LaMont Jordan, Kevin Faulk, and Heath Evans, the Pats may need all of them.
1
Bill Belichick. The mastermind has arguably his greatest challenge. If he can win a title without Brady, he'll go down as the undisputed Best Coach in History.
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About Mazz
Tony Massarotti is a Globe sportswriter and has been writing about sports in Boston for the last 19 years. A lifelong Bostonian, Massarotti graduated from Waltham High School and Tufts University. He was voted the Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by his peers in 2000 and 2008 and has been a finalist for the award on several other occasions. This blog won a 2008 EPpy award for "Best Sports Blog".
Tony's Top 5
NFL power rankings
5
Broncos. OK, we’re convinced. Kyle Orton is now 26-12 in his career as a starter. Josh McDaniels looks like a real coach. And the defense is much improved.
4
Saints. Went into Philly and beat the Eagles, went into New York and beat the Jets. Better defense than we thought. Right?
3
Vikings. If you’re a Vikes fan, Brett Favre should scare you come playoff time. But in the regular season? So far, so good.
2
Colts. Don’t look now, but only three teams in the NFL have allowed fewer points than Indy. And have we mentioned the quarterback?
1
Giants. They can run, pass and play defense. And did we mention they’re well-coached? Who needs Plaxico?
Featured Comments
Sox pitching depth hits bottomThe real reason for concern is that key pieces of the 04 and 07 winning teams are old and rusty.
Ortiz, Lowell, Varitek. Is there a baseball "Cash for Clunkers" program? Trade them in for new models.
Bob
'Big Papi' revealed as a mythWow....no sugar coating here, huh Tony? It is bitterly disappointing to confirm what I think most honest Red Sox fans must have at least suspected. Does it change anything? Not really. Again no honest Red Sox fan really believed none of the Home Town players were involved with this, did they? Baseball could have ended this whole story years ago by just making "The List" public. Instead, it will continue to trickle out over the next 10 years and we'll never get past this.
Steve from Plattsburgh, NY
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