Are the offensive struggles solely due to the overhaul in personnel or is Tom Brady starting to show signs of decline?
Jason: I think it's an 85-15 split between personnel and decline. He's not making bad decisions with the football, but he's undoubtably playing carefully with the football since he doesn't have the same trust with this receiving corps and he had in years past. It's entirely possible that the majority of those throws are being put in spots where the receiver will make a difficult catch or the ball will fall incomplete. Those throws can look pretty darn ugly when they're just a foot or two off target or the receiver is a yard or two away from where Brady thought he'd be.
Raj: I don't think Brady is showing any signs of decline, except in the athletic category. He can throw but he can't run at all. If Brady had the same reviewers as last year, I think the Pats would still be a lethal team in the AFC. With rookie receivers and an improved running game, they're good. But we as Patriots fans, know what separates this 2013 team from a Super Bowl-contending team.
Derek: I think the drop-off in Brady's play has little to do with his physical or mental state. I think it's really just a matter of comfort and trust. Brady and Welker had a seemingly telepathic connection. Being able to sync with your receivers like that is invaluable and there's simply no way that he could have formed a bond like that with this new core of players. We just need to give these young some time and the picture will start to look much prettier. It wasn't until about this time in the season in 2010 that Brady really started to grow a connection with the rookies Gronkowski and Hernandez and the team really took off.
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