Media Narrative Insisting Bill Belichick 'Has a Plan' is an Insult to Tom Brady

The New England Patriots are preparing for life without Tom Brady, as the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback decided to leave the team in favor of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The NFL is officially turned upside down by this move, but don't let most members of the media fool you, this won't be an easy fix for head coach Bill Belichick.

Many are quick to point to the time when Brady went down due to a torn ACL and MCL in the 2008 regular season opener, forcing Belichick to call upon backup Matt Cassel. Those individuals will point out "Cassell led the Patriots to 11 wins that year! Bill can win with anyone!"

Let's just put that opinion to rest. Cassel still had receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker at his disposal, both of whom accumulated over 1,000 receiving yards. Cassel had the same Patriots team that went 16-0 the year prior. Anybody under center could succeed with that team.

Right now, this Patriots teams is nowhere near the caliber of the 2008 squad.

Last season, the offense struggled due to lack of weapons, with the lone exception being Julian Edelman. N'Keal Harry, Phillip Dorsett, and Mohammed Sanu all failed to help Brady succeed like he did in previous years. And to make matters worse, everyone besides Dorsett will return in 2020, and they've made zero improvements via free agency.

Why do you think Brady left for Tampa Bay? He was frustrated with this receiving corps, and saw the Patriots had minimal cap space to bring in new additions to the offense. How do you think he felt when seeing the Arizona Cardinals acquiring DeAndre Hopkins for pennies on the dollar and the rival Buffalo Bills bringing in Stefon Diggs? If the Patriots had made either one of those trades, Brady could have stayed put.

The Patriots will learn just how hard it is to replicate the success that Brady brought to them. Stidham isn't pulling a Cassel with this current roster, and Belichick will see that quickly.