Well, all right, let’s see. Tom Brady loses one game – his first during the regular season in two years – and, depending on who you’re reading, he’s no longer comfortable standing in the pocket, he’s rusty, or he’s on his way down.Seriously, I’ve never seen more people either eager for someone to fail, or so sure that he’s heading in that direction. Such has been the reaction to Brady thus far.So just for the heck of it, let’s see how things have gone thus far.In Week 1, Brady was harassed by a Buffalo Bills defensive line that included the massive Aaron Schobel, who pretty much tossed Matt Light around like a rag doll. He had difficulty early, but found his rhythm (not to mention Wes Welker for 12 completions) late in the game, and led the Patriots to a furious comeback win.Last Sunday, against the New York Loudmouth Jets, Brady matched up with Rex Ryan, who came up with the “throw-the-kitchen-sink-at-him” defense in 2007 while he was Baltimore’s defensive coordinator. Ryan’s defense almost held him in check on that night, so it was certain he’d try that again.He did. But this time, Brady did not have Welker – who is always his first option when the pocket starts to close. Not surprisingly, without his virtual right arm, Brady struggled again. And the Patriots’ loss to the Jets certainly reflected that.So I’d say off the first two weeks, the reason the Patriots are 1-1 is because they had Welker for the game they won; and didn’t have him for the game they lost. You know, sometimes, injuries do make a difference. We’ve been conditioned to think they don’t, because coach-speak demands that somebody else “step up.”But of course, that’s ludicrous. Rookie Julian Edelman didn’t do badly in Welker’s slot, but you could see pretty easily that neither he nor Brady was 100 percent in sync with one another.If I blew my knee out, I’d be pretty careful once I got back, too. I’m sure Brady is fully aware that one false move ? one late hit ? could knock him out of action again, too.But it’s a little early to suggest that he’s gun-shy. It’s more realistic to suggest that there’s no substitute for a Pro Bowl safety valve, and that Brady will probably appear a whole lot less gun-shy once Welker is back on the field.How much attention, for example, did the Jets feel like they had to pay to Edelman as opposed to Welker? You don’t suppose that had anything to do with how they ultimately handled Randy Moss, do you?I think people just need to relax. The Patriots have always figured it out, and they’ll do it again this year, too. Whether that translates into a division championship and a berth in the Super Bowl ? well ? that’s probably assuming a little too much at this point, especially since they don’t have the world’s easiest schedule.But can we please all come in off the ledge? The only excuse these days for going out there is when Manny Delcarmen pitches.Steve Krause is sports editor of The Item.