Felger & Mazz: Is The Patriots Offense Championship Caliber?
BOSTON (CBS) - Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti have long been the proponent of teams needing superior quarterbacks to win Super Bowls because of how the game has evolved into a passing league.
However, you're that much more dangerous when you have a dominating rushing attack to complement it, which is what the Patriots have right now.
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But can it carry them to a Super Bowl?
Will it last?
Felger has been pleasantly surprised with the balance of this team, but wonders if it can get them over the top.
"If you've got a great power running game and no quarterback do you know who you are? You're the Tennessee Titans, or the Jets or the Vikings."
"In this day and age you've got to have a good thrower and passing game. If you've got a good quarterback and you've got the ability to run the ball, then I think you're in business - and that's championship caliber."
"Are the Patriots really that team? Is it really an elite power running game? And is it an elite passing game? I still think you can wonder about those things," said Felger.
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It's hard to comprehend a team with Tom Brady having a suspect passing game, but Tony Massarotti still wonders if the Patriots have enough weapons at wide receiver to pick up the slack should the running game falter.
"I'm more worried about the passing game at this stage. Isn't that crazy? That's what I'm more worried about."
"I think the Patriots can throw inside the numbers well enough. I think [Danny] Amendola has been good enough, [Julian] Edelman has been excellent and Shane Vereen gives them some weapon there too - but when San Diego started moving the ball against Denver it was all outside the numbers."
"If Denver uses the same gameplan against the Patriots, what do you do? What if they jam the middle and don't let you throw or run there? Now you've got to go outside - how do you beat that?"
"Aaron Dobson is out, maybe Kenbrell Thompkins is the answer. I don't know, maybe he is. Maybe he has the game of his life - I don't know. It's the one scenario that concerns me. If they need to go outside the numbers do the Patriots have the receivers in those spots?"
Listen below for the full discussion:
