by Jake Morrison

Created on: August 25, 2009   Last Updated: June 14, 2010

The New England Patriots went 11-5 in the 2008 season with the best player in the league on the bench. The first game of the 2008 Tom Brady went down with a knee surgery and missed the entire season. Back up Quarterback Matt Cassel got a lot of playing time and played so well that after the season he left the Patriots and signed a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. The impact that Tom Brady will have in the 2009 season will depend entirely on the health of Tom Brady's knee.

If healthy, Tom Brady will need a good supporting cast to give the patriots a boost and his offense has improved while he was not playing. In addition to Randy Moss and Wes Welker, the team has added receiver Joey Galloway who is a proven star in the NFL. The Patriots have also signed running back Fred Taylor. These additions outweigh the few losses that their team has had

There defense has been great for a long time now and everything points to another great year. The only loss was line backer Mike Vrabel. Most of their picks in the drafts were on defensive prospects and all things point to another great defensive year. They have also improved their defense by adding cornerback Shawn Springs.

The Patriots are coached by none other that Bill Belichick. Bill is know by most for his cut sleeved sweatshirts, and his phenomenal job coaching throughout the years. This team is in good coaching hands and has nothing to worry about there.

The boost that Tom will give to the Patriots will be more complete passes, leadership on a team with tons of ego's and stars, and experience in tight situations that will be on the road ahead for this team. The overall boost will be judged by the fans at the end of the season.

After an almost undefeated season in 2007, anything other that a super bowl victory will be judged by the fans as disappointment. That is a lot of pressure for the once greatest player in the league to carry on a knee that is still recovering. With super bowl expectations and a stacked team, it looks like the sky is the limit for this team if Tom's knee can hold up. If not, Matt Cassel is gone so it will be a long season for a different back-up with not much experience. My prediction is it is Tom's knee will be alright and it is going to take an awful lot to stop this team from the super bowl

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