I guess he had to write something

There's an old cliche about how generals are always preparing to fight the last war. Well, sometimes we get pundits who are ready with an analysis of last year's team. For example, this gem from John Clayton at ESPN.

Brady has to control the tempo of the game because the defense is showing some age and leakage.

How much age, exactly, is the defense showing? And how much leakage? They were aging a couple of years ago, and they've made a concerted effort to get younger and faster. Players in New England last year who won't be playing this year include Mike Vrabel (34), Tedi Bruschi (35), Richard Seymour (30), Junior Seau (40), Rodney Harrison (36) and Deltha O'Neill (32). Of the six defensive "starters" from the 2008 season who were older than 28 years old, one of them, 32 year-old Adalius Thomas, is back.

Will the defense be better? I bet it will, though it may take a while to establish itself. What it clearly is not at this point is "showing some age."