I agree with the other Pats fans who said they’re glad TB didn’t try to come back. His recovery was already set back from the infection he got in that same knee. I can’t imagine his coming back the same year. And Cassel did do better after a rocky start. He wasn’t the reason they didn’t make the playoffs that year.

However, as someone pointed out, the possibility of abusing this rule in order to have more players on your roster is significant.

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I think you meant to say:

Meanwhile, that the NE Patriots are 0-2 against the injury faking NY GNats in Superbowls…

Its a 53 man roster Bozo-the-4thgrader.

You gonna make it to 5th grade this year? You know all of us New Englanders are pulling 4 ya!

Signed, Bozosforall

(Frontrunning Yanks and Lakers fan who won’t state my football team)

Fixed it for ya.

Yes, I am referring to that game and many others like it that year. He was scared and he was unsteady. He was unsure of his footwork. I was at that opening night MNF game and aside from the final 2 minutes he did not play well. The offense was just plain painful to watch that night for 95% of the game. Also, I think you may be forgetting the two incredible TD catches and the forced fumble needed to win that game. Ben Watson had to make one of the greatest grabs every because Brady was off. And let’s not forget the game in Denver in 2009. I was at that game too. You know the one where he was throwing the ball at everyone’s (and most notably Welker’s) feet. With the game on the line, he hit Welker in the back of his foot. He was off all game because he was scared of the pressure and bodies around his feet. He was not mentally ready for several weeks. Some people rate players on stats. Others (like myself) rate players by watching them week in and week out. He did not pass the eyeball test for several weeks. And yes, I totally agree that Cassell sucked. I went to the game in Seattle that year and was fortunate to escape without humiliation in front of several Seahawks fans who are friends. That was an unfortunate time. You know it’s bad if Brandon Merriweather had to save the game. I did not say Brady sucked. I said he was a shell of himself for the first several weeks. Go back and watch the film. It is obvious.

That’s all changed since they implemented a salary cap and teams share revenue. Now, for instance, if the rule was removed in the modern NFL you could choose to have a 70 player team but you wouldn’t be able to pay as many high salaries as a 50 player team. It wouldn’t give the same competitive advantage because the salary cap places restrictions on hiring already, in fact having a 70 player team would probably put you at a competitive disadvantage. Sure you could have five Quarterbacks on your team, but none of them would be great QBs that could demand high salaries elsewhere.

In essence, the salary cap would already punish you for over-hiring, because being deep with a bunch of mediocre players wouldn’t help you win more then having a bunch of great players without as much insurance.

Brady had 4,398 yards, 28 touchdowns and a 96.2 rating in 2009. I’d say it was a Brady like season.

I don’t know if he could have or should have come back at the end of 2008, but it would have been better than Matt Cassel in any case.
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His stats were fine but he definitely didn’t pass the eyeball test. He wasn’t nearly as clutch and we had a 10-6 record (tied with 2005 as our worst record in the last 10 years).

I know that shows just how spoiled pats fans are but Brady (understandably) looked completely different that year.

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Clutch? Brady hasn’t won a title since he got injured. All he has been doing lately is trying to pile up stats to catch Peyton Manning. Meanwhile, Peyton’s little brother is 2-0 in Super Bowls against Tommy Boy.

Teams want this change so that they have another place to stash a player safely that they think they may be able to use later in the season, unlike the practice squad where players they are trying to stash can be signed away at any time.

It has nothing to do with injuries.

Brady had 4,398 yards, 28 touchdowns and a 96.2 rating in 2009. I’d say it was a Brady like season.

I don’t know if he could have or should have come back at the end of 2008, but it would have been better than Matt Cassel in any case.
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His stats were fine but he definitely didn’t pass the eyeball test. He wasn’t nearly as clutch and we had a 10-6 record (tied with 2005 as our worst record in the last 10 years).

I know that shows just how spoiled pats fans are but Brady (understandably) looked completely different that year.

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Certainly one of the most ignorant and mind-numbing comments i’ve read in a while. You should be ashamed of your inability to coherently comprehend the actual happenings around you.

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Speaking of ignorant, your screen name is about as ignorant as they come. Thanks for taking the bait though, idiot.

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Tried to give you a “thumbs up” but it appears that PFT is manipulating the function somehow to your detriment. Just one more reason why the buttons are an absolute joke.

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Certainly one of the most ignorant and mind-numbing comments i’ve read in a while. You should be ashamed of your inability to coherently comprehend the actual happenings around you.

Propriety of the rule change aside, I am glad he was not able to come back. He was a shell of himself the following season.

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You mean like when he came back from two touchdowns down against the Bills and threw for 378 yards in his first game back?

Brady had 4,398 yards, 28 touchdowns and a 96.2 rating in 2009. I’d say it was a Brady like season.

I don’t know if he could have or should have come back at the end of 2008, but it would have been better than Matt Cassel in any case.

Let’s put in a rule that would encourage players to rush back from serious injuries.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the league would speak about increasing player safety out of BOTH sides of their mouths?