An Effective Draft could put the Patriots back in Contention

One man can never make a team but Tom Brady came pretty close. In 20 years with the New England Patriots, the quarterback took his franchise to six Super Bowl wins and was the MVP in no fewer than four of those matches.

As he reached his fortieth year, Brady remained at the top but his eventual departure to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has left a big hole in the Patriots’ offense. New England’s quest to return to the top involves adequately replacing one player but carrying out that task hasn’t been so easy.

Definitely not a Coincidence

It’s surely no coincidence that Tom Brady just kept on winning with his new franchise in 2020. With a 43 year old quarterback now pulling the strings, Tampa Bay won their first Super Bowl since 2002 and only their second in the club’s history.

At the same time, the fortunes of the New England Patriots took a nosedive. The franchise started with their worst ever opening to a season since Brady joined the club in 2000. Eventually, Bill Belichick’s side finished with a record of 7-9 and failed to make it through to the postseason.

Taking those statistics into consideration, it’s no surprise that New England are not expected to make a substantial improvement in the upcoming season. The best betting sites, according to markets supplied by sbo.net, show the Patriots as an outsider option for Super Bowl LVI at around 30/1. The Kansas City Chiefs lead the market, with Tampa Bay and the Green Bay Packers among those who are close behind.

It’s almost certain that the markets will adjust as the new NFL season draws closer. Sbo.net will be on top of things with updated markets along with news and opinion pieces on all things American football. Sportsbooks will be on hand with offers and promotions for anyone looking to sign up and get involved.

New England are a distant option but would they be worth following if they managed to solve their issues at quarterback?

The Man at the Helm

Cam Newton had the unenviable task of replacing Tom Brady when the legendary quarterback called time on his Patriots’ career. He came with experience, having spent eight seasons at Carolina Panthers and he won the NFL’s MVP award as his team won their Conference in 2015.

It was always going to be a tough ask to replace one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time but it’s fair to say that Newton endured a nightmare campaign. Some of his throws missed their mark by some distance and were an embarrassment to the player at times. 13 of those throws were batted down at the scrimmage line and that was the second highest total in the league.

The poor displays, however, masked some of his better stats: Newton completed 65.8% of his passes last season compared to Tom Brady’s return of 60.8% in his final campaign with New England.

There are suggestions that Newton will bounce back and he is signed on for another year. There will, however, have to be a significant improvement in his numbers if the Patriots are to make it beyond the regular season.

To the Draft

There is no shortage of quality quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL draft and New England Patriots have been linked with a number of promising names. Mac Jones from Alabama is believed to be on the radar although most sources suggest that San Francisco is a more likely destination.

Trey Lance is a different proposition, however, with the Patriots believed to be in pole position to acquire the pivotal QB for North Dakota State. Reports claim that Lance is the more likely signing and that he will bed in behind Newton for a season before taking over permanently.

Therefore, this could be another transitional season for the Patriots: Cam Newton is a better player than his 2020 stats suggested but it appears that New England are already looking to the future. The draft can lead to a better campaign but Patriots’ fans may have to wait until 2022 to reap its dividends.

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