FOXBOROUGH, MA - NOVEMBER 24: Tom Brady #12 talks to head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots before a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Gillette Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
There’s no doubt the New England Patriots missed Tom Brady in 2020. The offense was stagnant. A new quarterback was learning a complex playbook. The team lost a ton of talent.
Brady was the unquestioned leader of the organization and had been a force for two decades. That kind of influence just one day disappearing has to have serious lingering effects.