There are a few things we can tell about the Patriots' offense 13 games into the season. Randy Moss can run really fast and jump really high,Wes Welker is quick as a cat (that's why his friends call him Whiskers), and Bill O'Brien is either horrified of failing or vastly under qualified. Or both.
There are some things that I like about him. He is a local guy from Dorchester so he knows how important sports are in a town like Boston, and he was a linebacker at Brown. As far as his skills as an OC? Not so much.
The Patriots' offense has had some success this year. Two receivers over 1,000 yards in Moss and Welker, 26.8 ppg which is 6th in the NFL, 2nd in the NFL in passing yards at 3,811, and they will finish with over 2,000 yards rushing as a team. There aren't many offenses that can boast such a resume so what's the problem? The Patriots' offensive roster isn't built to be above average, good, or near the top of the league. It's built to be legendary.
There is some speculation about Brady not being the same after the knee injury but I don't buy it. Sure he has missed some easy completions at times and made more apparent misreads than we are used to but he has also made some of the same incredible passes that were his forte in 2007 which proves he is still physically and mentally capable. Perhaps Randy Moss' attitude and effort issues have finally broken through the New England mystique? Randy has always been Randy even in '07 and '08. He dogs routes that aren't necessarily designed for him and wows you when he is in the spotlight. No difference there. Laurence Maroney maybe? While he isn't my favorite Patriot, he is on his way to his best year as a pro and will finish with over ten TDs and 4.0 yards per carry. Welker? He does absolutely nothing wrong. Move on. The offensive line certainly has had their share of issues but Mankins, Neal, and Koppen are one of the best interiors groups in football and the emergence of Sebastian Vollmer has been a pleasant surprise.
Bill O'Brien has to take the majority of the blame. He has taken the reigns of an offensive roster that is as good as any in the NFL and made it simply ok. The success that they have had this year is due simply to physical attributes of individual players. Welker is too quick for linebackers and strong safeties so he gets his touches. Moss can simply ran past anyone on the field so he gets his scores. But where is the scheming? The Super Bowl teams of earlier in the decade did it with superior coaching and game planning, not physical prowess. Name one player on the Patriots' offense before 2007 that could simply dominate their opponent physically. If Charlie Weis can do it with David Givens, Troy Brown, Antowain Smith, and Christian Fauria then Bill O'Brien certainly has no excuse for not having done more with this team.
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