Bedard: Tom Brady knows he needs reinforcements for Patriots to be Super

FOXBOROUGH — It's not all that often that Tom Brady says something meaningful. There's nothing wrong that; that's who he is. He knows exactly how his words will be used, so he chooses them carefully and, in the end, doesn't really say much of anything.

But on Sunday, after the Patriots' offense finished off a sluggish final five games to the season with another herky-jerky effort (nine of 11 drives resulted in 48 yards or less) in the 26-6 victory over the Jets, Brady said plenty when asked about the prospect of getting back some of his prized weapons.

"I think it’s got to be more than just two or three guys doing it," Brady said. "If we can get five or six guys healthy and everyone plays a role, then that’s going to be great for the offense."

Truer words have never been spoken by Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.

Basically, Brady said: "Thank you, Phillip Dorsett, Kenny Britt, Jacob Hollister, Dwayne Allen and Brandon Bolden for helping us to go 13-3, win the AFC East and lock up the AFC's top seed for the playoffs. Your contributions were terrific, and you guys helped us to survive and advance. But, and I mean this with all the respect in the world -- I hope I'm not throwing to any of you guys once the playoffs start."

He could have gone further and talked about how Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola aren't supposed to getting 11 and seven targets, respectively, in a game like the did on Sunday when Gronkowski was on mothballs. But you get the idea.

Everyone wants to know why Brady's throwing deep so often. They also want to know why his stat line over the past five games (87.3 rating, 10 TDs, and six INTs) has been so far off career December numbers prior to this season (93.0 rating, 108 TDs, 40 INTs).

We've discussed it before, but it deserves more explanation.

We knew once Julian Edelman was lost for the season, that the Patriots offense would look somewhat different. But there was still plenty of talent for the Patriots to keep most of its short-passing game intact. Chris Hogan and Amendola could approximate some of what Edelman did, and James White and Rex Burkhead were huge assets in the short passing. And it's no coincidence that the offense was at its best in the two games after the bye week against the Broncos and Raiders, when Martellus Bennett was on the roster and giving Brady another weapon in the short area of the field.

Since then, and especially once Burkhead and White were lost against the Steelers, the offense has changed. Without short-area receivers — Amendola and Lewis are the only two accustomed to that role — Josh McDaniels and Brady have had to morph the Patriots' passing attack from a quick-throw scheme, to one that featured deeper drops and deeper routes for the receivers. That's where the weapons they have at their disposal — Gronk, Dorsett, Cooks, and Britt — are at their best. It's not what Brady does best, but he's Brady and he can make do. His completion percentage would take a hit, and he'd have to throw a few more dangerous passes, but that's what the Patriots had to work with. That's why it has looked so different.

But I expect, once the playoffs start, for the Patriots to be back and running their normal scheme.

If they can get everyone back — and that includes Malcolm Mitchell, who is the biggest question mark — then I think everyone's role will change outside of Gronk.

In base and three-wide sets, I would expect Cooks and Mitchell to split time, depending on who Brady feels more comfortable with. Brady desperately needs the security of Mitchell's hitches and back-shoulder throws to his left side. That just isn't Cooks' game, and he needs to go back to his original role: a home-run hitter with about 5-6 targets per game.

There's a reason why Hogan started the first six games: he's the player best able to approximate what Edelman gives them on the first two downs. Amendola can, if he's used more in his reserve role. And he can also be an asset in three- and four-wide sets.

At times, we saw Burkhead fill in at Amendola's slot role. But Burkhead can do so many things, his versatility is his best asset.

And, finally, there aren't many better pass-catching running backs in the league than White. Lewis can't continue to have 30-plus touches per game. Lewis would be at his peak playing 65 percent of the time, and White playing the other 35.

Gronkowski, Lewis and Cooks were the two-to-three players Brady was referencing as the only real targets he can count on right now. The rest are a bunch of guys that have been thrown together but don't have any real chemistry with Brady.

Add Hogan, White, Burkhead and possibly Mitchell and the Patriots' offense can again be "great," as Brady said.

Have a feeling it will be that way again when we see these Patriots in two weeks.