Colin Cowherd believes we might be getting ahead of ourselves when it comes to Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Many viewed New England’s loss to the Tennessee Titans as not only a season-ender, but also the “end” of a dynasty and Brady’s final game with the franchise. This, of course, isn’t a completely wild assertion, as the Patriots are poised for heavy changeover this offseason, perhaps including Brady, who’s set to become a free agent for the first time in his NFL career.
Cowherd originally thought now was the right time for Brady to call it quits, but after letting the situation breathe a bit, “The Herd” host now thinks there’s an 80-20 chance the six-time Super Bowl champion is back under center in New England next season. In addition to Brady being a creature of habit, Cowherd also believes the Patriots might not be as bad in 2020 as people think.
“Let’s look at New England. Let’s take a deep breath now. The season’s over. We love football, we get emotional, we bet it, they lose, they win,” Cowherd said. “They were 12-4. They have the best coach in the league. They have the best offensive line coach in the league, matters for quarterbacks. Their division is still below-average compared to other divisions. They get their fullback, James Develin, their kicker, (Stephen) Gostkowski and their center, David Andrews, back. Those will all help scoring. N’Keal Harry’s in their second year as a wide receiver. Takes a long time. Mohamed Sanu comes back probably for another year. Let’s be honest, best wide receiver draft ever. They didn’t miss defense, it was No. 1 in the NFL. Special teams weren’t a problem, that was great. What they didn’t have was weapons. It’s the best wide receiver draft class ever. A.J. Green’s a free agent, Amari Cooper’s a free agent, Robbie Anderson of the Jets, a deep threat, is a deep threat. You don’t even have to bring up OBJ (Odell Beckham Jr.) or AB (Antonio Brown). There are all sorts of free-agent wide receivers out there. We tend to bury things before they’re dead.”
"Tom Brady loves habit. He loves process and repetition… I think it's 80-20 he's a Patriot next season." — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/VJAF9H9HCQ
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 8, 2020
So while some might tell you the sky is falling in Foxboro, the Patriots’ issues heading into the offseason might not be as grand as they’re being portrayed. New England surely won’t be the consensus Super Bowl favorite heading into the 2020 campaign, but with Bill Belichick still at the helm, Patriots fans, at the very minimum, probably can expect a competitive bunch with legitimate playoff aspirations.
