If you haven’t heard, some quarterback on the Patriots is out for the entire 2008 season. I’m not sure, but I think he was the MVP, set the touchdown record, and led his team to a 16-0 regular season last year. Oh yeah, Tom Brady, that guy.

Since the GQ cover boy (just a fun joke, I respect him as a very good football player) went down early in Sunday’s game verse Kansas City, everyone is talking about two things: the Patriots rallying around this moment of possible panic, and the damage this does for the NFL. I firmly disagree with both of those sentiments.

Brady's injury opens the door very wide for a ton of teams (Photo: Winslow Townson -- Associated Press)

The first point the ‘experts’ bring up is that the Patriots will use this injury as a tool, as motivation and bulletin board material. They’re predicting in the area of 12 wins, instead of a Brady-led 14-16, and a certain playoff berth. But let’s hold on one second. Whenever you lose the face of your franchise it’s devastating. But add on top that you lost the most important player on the field, the quarterback, then you’re in crisis mode. I don’t care how highly the Patriots staff and players believe in Matt Cassel, there’s one glaring fact that remains: he is not Tom Brady and he will never be Tom Brady. He hasn’t started a game in nearly a decade with his last starting gig coming in high school. With an average quarterback, the Patriots struggled to hold off the Chiefs on Sunday, 17-10. Yikes. And with that average quarterback the rest of the 2008 season, the Pats will have to rely even more on the running game and an aging defense: two things that opposing teams can now pinpoint for attack. People say the pre-season doesn’t matter, but I disagree. This team went 0-4 and the defense looked its age. Without Brady they still have talent to win, but not as many times as they’ve become accustomed to. I give them 9-10 wins, maybe a wild card.

The second point people are bringing up is that Brady’s injury is bad for not just New England, but the entire league. Sure, the guy brings good ratings, and yes, he is occasionally good for a highlight reel by himself. But if you aren’t from New England, take a step back and look at the big picture. The Patriots haven’t been a dynasty, but they’re the closest the NFL has had since the Cowgirls in the mid 90’s. They haven’t strung together 3 Super Bowls in a row or something to that sort, but each year they’re a scary threat. They went undefeated last year: something only one other team can say in NFL history. But again, take that step back and look at the field now. With Brady gone, the Patriots become an above average AFC team. And in a conference with the Chargers, Colts, Jaguars, Steelers, Broncos, and Jets (same division) looking to make a playoff run, the door has swung wide open for each and every one of those teams.

Who's going to win Super Bowl XLIII? Count out the Patriots (Photo: ESPN.com/ESPN magazine)

Every team in the AFC can set its sights on the Super Bowl in Tampa this year and not have to worry about the Patriots lurking in the distance. The Chargers were one win away in 2007, and granted they lost their opener to Carolina, I guarantee they’ll be in the mix in December/January. What this injury allows ultimately is more fun in the NFL. More and more teams are going to start believing they can win, and this is a wide open field across the board. The NFC has some strong contenders too in the Eagles, Cowboys, Packers, Vikings, and Saints.

In the end, the bottom line is that injuries are a part of the game. Football is the most physical and brutal sport out there, and players go down every Sunday, sometimes career ending. The good news for Tom Brady is that he’ll most likely be back in 2009 and the confidence for a Patriots Super Bowl run will be renewed. But for this year at the very least, the NFL is wide open - the trophy is up for grabs. The chance for so many teams to end on top has increased because of it, and that’s good for the fans, and good for the NFL.