With the Patriots’ 2018 season done, we’re going to take a look back at the team by position, and provide a few thoughts as to what they might need at that spot moving forward. So far, we’ve looked at the wide receivers, running backs, tight ends and offensive line. Now, it’s the quarterback.
2018 depth chart: Tom Brady (365-570 4,355 yards, 29 TDs, 11 INTs), Brian Hoyer (1-2, 7 yards), Danny Etling (practice squad)
Contract status: Brady (signed through 2019), Hoyer (signed through 2019), Etling (signed to a futures contract)
Overview: On Aug. 14, Brady told us, “This team needs a great quarterback, and, you know, hopefully, I can go out and be that.” For parts of the season, he was great. There were games — including the regular-season contests against Indy, Kansas City, Chicago, and Miami and in the first two playoff games — where he looked like someone 20 years his junior. The good thing for the Patriots? In most of the cases this past year where he wasn’t great, he was able to lean on a suddenly sturdy running game and a fearsome defense. The bottom line? The quarterback didn’t deserve to be a part of the MVP conversation, but he was ably supported by a group of players who came damn near close to perfecting the art of complementary football at the right time the past year.
By the numbers: 100 - Brady is the only quarterback in league history to have two different consecutive start streaks of 100 games or more.
A few thoughts about the position moving forward: As we saw for great stretches this year, this is no longer Brady the vengeful football god, raining lightning bolts down upon opposing defenses like Zeus attacking frightened villagers. In 2018, he was seemingly more conservative in his approach, more willing to lean on the run game, the quick outs to backs and the other “make-you-miss” guys.” (There’s something to be said for trust in an offensive line, too. His 21 sacks this past season was one of the lowest of his career.) That’s not to say he didn’t take an occasional shot downfield. It’s just the decision-making process appeared to have changed a bit. Maybe it was the fact he had a ton of turnover at wide receiver this year, and if they get a home-run hitter this offseason, he’ll open it up again. Maybe it’s a concession to age. Or maybe it’s just him taking what the defense has given him and figuring out a way to make it all work. Whatever the case, with a new cast of characters around him in 2019, it’ll be interesting to see how much of that offensive philosophy carries over.
So where does he go from here? He’ll be 42 the next time he takes a snap in the regular season, and if you thought we were in uncharted waters before with him, now, it’s a whole new ballgame. When Brady entered his 40s, you could try and measure him against the likes of other signal-callers who played into their 40s like Warren Moon, Brett Favre and Doug Flutie. For purposes of this conversation, it’s worth noting Moon threw 11 touchdowns and 1,632 yards as a 42-year-old starter for the 1998 Seahawks. But if Brady stays healthy, who among us doesn’t think he could match that output before Columbus Day? From his viewpoint, by the end of it all, the only record he’ll have left to zero in on belongs to Steve DeBerg, and even then, that now appears in his sights, as it sounds more and more like ownership is inching toward a possible extension for Brady, one that could ultimately allow him to make good on his wish of playing until the age of 45.
Regardless of might happen this offseason with his contract, the quarterback has always been one of the most compelling stories in the league every year -- 2019 should be no exception.
Chance Patriots address this position in free agency: Slim. New England will occasionally go looking for a Damon Huard-type, but for the most part, they prefer to acquired quarterbacks via the draft.
Chance Patriots address this position in the draft: Good. Regardless of the fact it has had the most stable quarterback situation in the league for almost 20 years, New England has always been one of the most aggressive teams in the league when it comes to either drafting quarterbacks or signing street free agents. The only question this year: Do they think they can identify a potential heir to Brady this time around, or are they just going to be satisfied with a camp arm/late-round type who could challenge Hoyer and Etling? We shall see.