Goodbye 2008 season

Now that several media outlets are reporting that Tom Brady has torn his ACL and his out for the season, this pretty much kills the Patriots Super Bowl chances. I was snorkeling in San Diego during the game, but when I got back home and watched the full game on TiVo, several things were clear to me:

-Patriots offense was on a completely different level with Brady. They ran some plays that almost no one else in the NFL could run.

-Matt Cassel has talent, but he will struggle to win games, even with the supporting cast around him.

-Patriots defense, while above average, is no longer elite and cannot win games on its own. Holding the KC Chiefs to 10 points, while positive, is not particularly impressive.

-Winning the AFC East is now the best the Patriots can hope for.

This is unbelievably sad for me. Not only is the 2008 Patriots season pretty much lost, but I feel as if I've been robbed of watching some of the best offensive football that has ever been played. Realistically, a full year of Brady's prime is now gone, possibly more. Not even the Colts losing their home opener to the lowly Bears could put a smile on my face.

(Well, I admit that it did make me smile a little)

Now that the balance of power in the AFC has shifted, what now? Even though they both lost today, it still seems that Indy and San Diego are atop the conference. The Jets look primed to take the AFC East (though I'll be rooting for the Bills, thank you very much). Thanks to the easy schedule, the Pats have a decent shot at the playoffs, though what are they supposed to do once they get there?