Any good quarterback who plays football college or pro wishes for two things one a successful team and two good protection. So far after seven games, Brady has thrown for over two thousand yards and thrown fifteen touchdown passes. Forty_ five may not happen Overall not a bad season considering he’s been sacked for a total of eighteen times. Last season, for example, Brady was sacked fifteen times in twelve games. If you think about deflate_ gate was the best thing to happen to him. He had four games to rest his shoulder which enabled him to stay healthy and advance to the super bowl. This season,_ however, Brady’s protection has been horrible at best. Offensive tackle Nate Solder a ten- year member of the team has been called for having several penalties which put added pressure on Brady. The Patriots are already thin on offense with a season_ ending to slot receiver Julian Edelman. Edelman was Brady’s most trusted receiver before he got hurt. Brady is known for his quick release, but with so many penalties Brady may be in for a long season. On the defensive side, the Patriots have been improving each week. On a sad note the Patriots did learn that defensive captain Donta Hightower is out for the season . This certainly doesn’t help New England who had difficulty stopping the run even when Hightower was healthy. Injuries are part of the game, but with bad protection and Hightowers injury Brady’s health could be in danger. As the season approaches the halfway point look for New England to be active at the trade deadline. With eight games left and three out of the four games on the road the Patriots need to focus on two things one good protection and two stopping the run. Middle linebackers Kyle Van Noy and David Harris have been playing better. If the Patriots want to go deep in the playoffs then they will have to play sixty minutes of smart football. The 4-3 Bills have been the surprise of the division. If Brady continues to play under heavy pressure then his plans to play until he’s forty five may be in jeopardy.
Last weeks firing of Red Sox manager John Farrell makes him the third manager to be fired in six years. Farrell, however, did take the Red Sox to their third World title in three years. Farrell also has two consecutive Eastern division titles two his credit, only to lose two years in a row to Houston. The merry go round continues. Last season however, their were several distractions that led to his firing. Unprofessional conduct from his players that resulted in upper management apologizing to the victim, certainly did not help. Now that Farrell is gone general manager Dave Dombrowski has already been interviewing several candidates. The past week Dombrowski has interviewed Astros bench coach Alex Cora. Tigers fired manager Brad Ausmus, and has since gotten permission to interview Diamondbacks, bench coach Ron Gardenhire. Ausmus on the other hand also has managerial experience with Detroit. . At the time Dombrowski was hired John Farrell was already the manager. The new manager will strictly be under Dombrowski’s control. Overall, the Red Sox have a solid group of core players. The next manager has to be strict, and have fresh new ideas. The Red Sox are also a fairly young team, with the right manage they could return to the World Series within a year or two. Lack of power was the main issue with this years Red Sox. With the retirement of David Ortiz the Red Sox just could not find that big bat in the middle of the lineup. With a big bat and a strict manager, Boston may not be that far away. With the firing of John Farrell the Red Sox have gone through three managers in six years. Terry Francona was let go after a disappointing 2011 season in which the Sox blew a large lead in September. And who could forget the immortal Bobby Valentine. Valentine had one of the worst records in the history of Red Sox managers with a record of 69-93 in 2012 It’s clear that the Red Sox need a tough no non sense manager at the helm. Talent wise the Red Sox are not to far behind Houston. If the Red Sox can get the right man for the job 2018 should be a very exciting season. If not the merry go round will continue in Boston. .
