Brady Appears To Be Ready For Season Opener

After enduring multiple surgeries and working through a lengthy rehabilitation process, Tom Brady looks like he will be ready to start the 2009 season. Brady has already begun to throw passes and work on his mechanics. There are no additional procedures scheduled for Brady’s knee, which means he appears to be well into the recovery stage. Brady is running, performing drills, and passing during workouts and although there is some stiffness in his knee, that is normal for someone recovering from an ACL injury.

These recent developments are great signs for the Patriots, who were somewhat shaky on offense under Matt Cassel. With Brady as quarterback, the offense will be much more explosive and based on stretching the opposing linebacker and secondary defense, instead of purely relying on the short passing game, which the Patriots did last season. Considering New England struggled in pass defense last season, and with an aging group of cornerbacks and safeties, acquiring defensive players in the off season would be a solid move. Assuming Brady is ready for the season opener, trading Cassel to a team that is desperate for a quarterback, such as the Chiefs or Lions would make sense. It would allow New England to rebuild their defense and avoid using the franchise tag on Cassel, which would cost them nearly as much as they are paying for Brady’s current salary.

By Chad Fukuoka
ProFootball-fans.com New England Patriots Correspondent