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THE TUFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXVIII, NUMBER 18

Where You Read It First Est. 1980 TUFTSDAILY.COM

Friday, October 3, 2014

Tisch College to host summit on civics with White House

by Daniel Gottfried Daily Editorial Board

The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service will host a Civic Learning and National Service Summit in partnership with the White House to discuss civic engagement and active citizenship on Oct. 16.

The White House announced the summit along with a series of initiatives designed to promote community service, civic engagement and active citizenship during the AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary Celebration on Sept. 12, according to Alan Solomont (A '70), the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Dean of Tisch College.

Solomont said he believes that Tufts was selected to host the summit because of Tisch College’s achievements in promoting these initiatives.

“A good deal of this is a result of the fact that the research arm of Tisch College, which is led by Peter Levine ... is probably the nation’s leading authority on civic engagement,” he said. “We study the benefits, the communities [and] the individuals that participate in democratic life.”

The purpose of the summit is to develop strategies for engaging policymakers and higher education on strengthening civics in America, Solomont added.

“We want to answer the questions of what higher education can do to promote civic engagement, what government policies can we suggest, what practices among universities can we suggest, how can we measure civic engagement of colleges and universities and how can we encourage institutions that fall behind and reward institutions that are leaders,” Solomont said.

The White House released a fact sheet on Sept. 12 explaining that the summit will address two key topics facing higher education: the value of civic engagement and how to measure and communicate civic engagement commitment and outcomes.

“There has been a conversation in academia about what role higher education needs to play in trying to fix that,” Solomont said. “It banks on a simple premise that American democracy faces significant challenges and that citizens are disengaging from civic life. In the 21st century, higher education has a huge responsibility to respond to that and help steer that in a different direction.”

According to Solomont, Tisch College is working closely with the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation at the White House, which is run by Tufts alumnus Jonathan Greenblatt (LA '92), as well as groups from the Department of Education to plan the summit.

"We have partnered together to develop an invitation list and to develop an agenda," Solomont said.

"Invitations just went out from the White House on behalf of both Tisch College and the administration, inviting folks to this summit."

Associate Dean for Research at Tisch College Peter Levine explained that attendees, including college leaders, experts on measurement and civic engagement and association leaders, will break into working groups and committees to discuss policy. Solomont added that he anticipates approximately 40-50 attendees at the summit.

see SUMMIT, page 2

Flashback Friday: Students protest rape culture, 1991 Although many things were different in 1991 — the clothes, the hair, the fact that Tufts had a chapter of the Psi Upsilon fraternity — others seem to have not changed much. On Saturday, Sept. 21, 1991, students gathered in front of the unofficial Psi Upsilon house to protest the spray painting of a rape scene on a car that had been attributed to the fraternity, according to a Sept. 23, 1991 article in the Daily. Tufts' chapter of Psi Upsilon was later suspended for the incident and their charter was revoked two years later, according to a Nov. 3, 1993 article in the Daily.

—by Jessica Mow

Karl Schatz / The Tufts Daily

Inside this issue

Matt Schreiber / The Tufts Daily

The atomic force microscope helps to advance research on nanoscale biology.

Tufts professor receives grant for cellular research

by Marianna Athanassiou Contributing Writer

Igor Sokolov, the Bernard M. Gordon senior faculty fellow and a professor of mechanical engineering, received a $408,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) award in August to be used for research on the mechanics of biological cells at the nanoscale.

Sokolov, who started at Tufts in October 2013, explained that the grant will be used to purchase a piece of equipment needed for mechanical spectroscopy that can be used to test the reactions of cells and will facilitate interdepartmental research on the topic.

“By getting this piece of equipment, it expands the capabilities of everyone in this topic," Department Chair and John R. Beaver Professor of Mechanical Engineering William Messner said. "In fact, I’ll be collaborating with [Sokolov], along with other people interested from the physics, biology and biomedical engineering departments."

While there are some scientific groups and laboratories that have experience with cellular modeling, including groups at Harvard University, Dartmouth College and the University of Rochester, Sokolov explained that his research on using a mechanism or model for looking at cells at the nanoscale is unique.

According to Messner, various Tufts departments will work together to conduct this research over the next few years, so the use of this model will facilitate future collaboration and communication between laboratories.

Since 2007, Sokolov and his team have been researching the mechanics and behaviors of biological cells at the nanoscale, a key area because of the cell’s role as the fundamental unit of life and the ever-growing presence of cellular diseases such as cancer.

Sokolov explained that with the grant, the team at Tufts will conduct research over the course of three years. They aim to develop a universal model and instrument which will be used to better under-

stand the mechanical properties of cells and their reactions and behaviors to external conditions such as stress.

According to the NSF’s website, there are three key phases of awarding grants: proposal preparation and submission, proposal review and processing and award processing.

Sokolov said that when applying for a grant, it is essential to have results to corroborate the idea, especially in times of financial constraint. Additionally, as science continues to expand, there is more competition among researchers for the same grant proposals.

“We received the grant because of our preliminary results on cells using atomic force microscopes, but also to some extent it was a lottery of whether our work would be recognized or not," he said.

According to Sokolov, the work that won him the grant focused on cells’ reactions using specific microscopes called atomic force microscopes, which allow for high visualization of the surface of the cells. These microscopes contain a probe-like needle that can feel the surface of the cells and can measure and manipulate certain forces.

He explained that the results obtained from these experiments proved that cells do not behave as expected, warranting additional years of research on their behavior. Since there is no clear model for cell behavior on the nanoscale, Sokolov's ultimate goal is to create a map of the cell at the nanoscale that can be used to interpret measurements in an independent way. As a result, cellular measurements and data from different labs and places can be compared on the basis of this model, Sokolov added.

Sokolov received his undergraduate degree in physics from St. Petersburg State University in 1984 and his Ph.D. from the D.I. Mendeleev Institute for Metrology in St. Petersburg in 1991.

Prior to starting at Tufts, he served as professor of physics and director of the Nanoengineering and Biotechnology Laboratories Center at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y.

Today’s sections

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute hosts second installment of “Free Thinker” lecture series.

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” continues its run with hilarious start to second season.

see NEWS page 2

see ARTS, page 3

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Friday, October 3, 2014

News

‘Free Thinkers’ lecture series continues with famed historian Robin Fleming

by Joann Kong

Contributing Writer

The second annual “Free Thinkers” lecture series, presented by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Tufts — a community membership opportunity for adults seeking intellectual stimulation — began last week by hosting Peter Diamond, a Nobel prize winning economist.

The series continued on Tuesday, Sept.

30 with Robin Fleming, a professor of early medieval history at Boston College, who is also a 2013 MacArthur "Genius" grant winner. Her lecture, entitled “Writing History from Bones,” focused on the importance of utilizing material culture and science to find out more about the history of the Early Medieval Era in Europe.

To begin her lecture, Fleming explained why material culture is particularly important to her research.

“I actually write history, not very much from text, because the period that I’m working in doesn’t have that many texts and the people I’m interested in never appear in texts, so instead I use material culture," she said.

Fleming mentioned four problems surrounding research of the Early Medieval Era: periodization, terminology, discipline and gender. She started by discussing gender. Today, the Early Medieval Era is largely remembered for what was accomplished by men, although women played equally, if not more important roles, according to Fleming. “[We have become accustomed to writing] narratives focused [on] weaponsbearing males and [imagining] the big story of the period as a political one, concerning primarily ... the things that males do: invading, conquering, colonizing,” she said. "[However,] the majority of our genuine contemporary evidence, which is material rather than textual, is associated not with men but with late adolescent girls and with adult women."

According to Fleming, multiple cemetery excavations show that women were buried with more brooches and with more objects than men were. Fleming therefore suggested that historical writing ought to be focused more on women than men.

Through two extended examples, Fleming discussed how researchers cannot take what they assume at first glance to be certain; much more examination is necessary. With the help of biochemical evidence, oxygen and strontium isotopes tell historians about the relative location of

Alex Knapp / The Tufts Daily

Audience members listen during the second installment of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute’s "Free Thinkers" lecture series. certain people during the Early Medieval Era, Fleming explained.

According to Fleming, rainwater is meshed into their bodies, and often the tracking of the oxygen isotopes using modern scientific technology can tell how far from a coast a person lived.

“Oxygen and strontium not only accumulate in bone, but in tooth enamel,” Fleming said.

By looking at the graves of young women at a cemetery in North Yorkshire, Fleming concluded that gravestones are not very reliable for tracing migration, according to what the graves had inside them and the position of the bones.

“Although these findings are based on only one cemetery and two isotopes, the evidence that I’ve just laid out is suggested and implies that women’s individual stories of migration are not reflected in their grave boards,” she said. “Perhaps as many as half of many adults who died in West Heslerton in the two and a half centuries that people were buried there were born someplace else.”

This proves that Heslerton was a relatively diverse society, one with mixed communities where people, namely women, came from different cultural backgrounds,

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Alex Knapp / The Tufts Daily

Professor Robin Fleming of Boston College delivered a lecture on the Early Medieval Era as part of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute’s “Free Thinker” lecture series.

according to Fleming. She later discussed how women who migrated to Heslerton tried different clothes and experimented with the material culture available in Britain.

Fleming also noted the importance of certain material objects found with the bones, saying that “things make people.” She compared two different brooches from two different places, explaining that while the dimensions of the brooches are very similar, differences can certainly be spotted.

“They’re made in entirely different ways with entirely different techniques,” she said.

According to Fleming, some objects found in the graves did not even belong to the culture she was studying. Many of the Roman wares found with these people had likely been dug from even older graves.

“Scavenging was a major economic occupation in this period,” she said.

“People, as much as they were interested in getting old Roman pots, didn’t use the pots they were collecting for cooking and dining, even though the Roman fine wares were much nicer."

Fleming added that people of the time period only kept the base of the pots — likely to use as discs.

“They don’t really care about pots as pots, they only care about the pots because they like the pot bottoms," she said. “This is a story of families and households; it’s not a story of war bands.”

Fleming concluded her lecture with two solidifying points. First, the time span of one's research is vital to the research process, and will affect a wide range of aspects. According to Fleming, the period she has been working with would look drastically different if she had begun her research right after the fall of Rome rather than starting around the year 300.

Second, she added that there is a growing divide between humanists and scientists — a divide that she hopes to help close with her research.

“If we don’t do something about it, we’re going to end up with two different sets of experts, working on exactly the same problems, times and places, but who don’t ever read one another’s works and are not equipped to understand one another,” Fleming said.

Summit to address civic engagement and higher education SUMMIT

continued from page 1

Levine hopes to choose a target audience upon identifying useful policy recommendations.

“There are a lot of different and important actors, and people at the summit need to decide who to target,” he said. “We could target the executive branch, laws passing in congress, the

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. EDITORIAL POLICY Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board.

state level or universities themselves.

We will be discussing who needs to do what. One of the jobs is going to be to narrow it down and figure out who the key audiences are.”

Solomont said he believes there is a need to renew civic responsibility and engagement in the United States, and higher education will need to play a major role in such a renewal.

“Today, the percentage of Americans that work with their neighbors to solve a local problem or belong to a civic organization or even follow the news is 40% less than in the 1970s,” he said. “There is a concern across the country that one of the strengths of the American democracy, which is our strong civic health and working with others to solve problems, has eroded steadily over the last few decades.”

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Arts & Living

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TV Review

courtesy Fox Flash

"Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s" new season features a strong cast and on-point humor.

'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' continues fresh humor in season opener

by Safiya Nanji Contributing Writer

Perhaps best described as the epitome of funny and satirical police shows, FOX’s "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (2013 - present) pre-

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Starring Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Trugelio, Chelsea Peretti

Airs Sundays at 8:30 p.m. on FOX miered its second season on Sept. 28. The show follows a team of detectives for the fictional 99th precinct of the New York City Police Department and their newly appointed leader, Captain Holt (Andre Braugher). This detectivestyle parody show is silly, but the jokes still come off as refreshing. The writers have done an excellent job in refraining from overused storylines and have made sure to give their gags a new take.

"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" has a rich cast comprised of comedians and actors that each bring their own style to the program. The show centers on Detective Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and the cases that he is assigned. Intelligently written,"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" also features supportive storylines for other zany characters.

Peralta, along with other detectives played by Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Truglio and Stephanie Beatriz, are constantly catching quirky criminals (e.g., perps named Joe Uterus).

Season one ended with Detective Peralta leaving the precinct in order to go undercover with the FBI for six months after confessing his feelings of attraction for Detective Santiago (Fumero). Boyle (Truglio) and Gina (Chelsea Peretti) awkwardly wake up in bed together, both horrified. Season two’s premiere, "Undercover," answers many of the questions that remain after the first season finale.

The season premiere begins with Peralta finishing his undercover duties, coming back to the precinct and learning via flashbacks what the rest of the gang was up to in his absence.

This brilliant tactic makes the viewer feel as if

the 99th precinct of the NYPD actually exists and didn’t take a six month break. Thankfully, these scenes were so fleshed out that viewers, if they had been following the series, would automatically feel caught up with their favorite characters, as if they hadn't missed a beat.

Then, in roughly 12 seconds, Peralta impressively recounts his time undercover and everyone goes back to their duties. Throughout the episode, we see snippets of different situations — Peralta confronts Santiago regarding his feelings, Boyle and Gina feel ashamed of what they’ve done (regardless of the fact that they end up sleeping together again) and Captain Holt has Terry (Crews) pose as potential victims: a confused old woman and a seven year old boy. The center of the storyline focuses on Peralta and Boyle trying to track down one of the mobsters that got away from the sting operation, which leads them to a crazy triggerhappy girlfriend, a couple of fist fights and overall hilarity in tense situations.

Only one possible issue might threaten to thwart the show's success — "Brooklyn NineNine," at times, could be re-dubbed "The Andy Samberg Show." Though all of the characters are vital to the show’s development, the writers do not give supporting cast members enough attention to satisfy viewers. The supporting characters are too shallow, and this lack of depth results in the show relying too much on its humor to succeed.

Nevertheless, "Brooklyn" does a superb job at making audiences laugh — the jokes are quirky, witty and simply entertaining. They’ve also managed to avoid cliches; it would be all too easy to create a love triangle between Peralta, Santiago and the man that she’s seeing.

Never failing to bring the laughs, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is a different take on the typical cop show. Some might consider it a "mockumentary" style program and its humor can best be compared to the early years of "The Office" (2005 — 2013). The deadpan humor and offbeat styles of the detectives drive "Brooklyn" forward. With a bit of character development to advance the story, it should reach soaring heights in the weeks to come. Best of all, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" isn't plagued by a sophomore slump (at least not yet) — season two starts strong, promising good things to come.

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Sports

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Football

Jumbos look for third straight win

by Wil Glavin

Daily Editorial Board

After a very convincing homecoming win against Bates on Saturday, Tufts will travel to Maine to face the 0-2 Bowdoin Polar Bears this weekend.

Bowdoin finished the 2013 season in 7th place in the NESCAC standings with a 3-5 record, and this season the Polar Bears have struggled mightily through their first two games. The team’s season began with a hugely disappointing 36-0 loss at Williams, and Bowdoin did not seem to play any better in its home debut last week against Amherst. The Polar Bears have been outscored 66-7 through their first two games.

Senior quarterback Mac Caputi has had trouble leading Bowdoin’s offense this season with zero touchdown passes, three interceptions and a 57.9 completion percentage to start the year. However, defense has been the primary issue for coach Dave Caputi’s squad.

Within two weeks, the Polar Bears defense has allowed 396.5 total yards per game (2nd worst

in the NESCAC), 170 of which have been on the ground.

While the Jumbos offense excelled in all facets against the Bates Bobcats, the team’s rushing game is its bread and butter. The Jumbos are 3rd in the NESCAC in rushing yards per game (130.5) and the team should have a lot of success on the ground against Bowdoin, especially considering how effective the team’s offensive line has been so far this season.

Possibly the largest discrepancy between Tufts and Bowdoin is their red zone conversion rates.

The Jumbos lead the NESCAC in red zone opportunities with 10, while the Polar Bears are tied for the fewest with three. Tufts has put points on the board in eight of those 10 chances, whereas Bowdoin has scored on just one of its red zone possessions.

While the Jumbos have been successful in all three phases of the game this season, one area that clearly needs improvement is the high number of costly penalties the team has committed. Two weeks into the season, Tufts has been flagged 15 times for a whopping 162 yards (second most in the NESCAC).

“We’ll definitely have to look at the film and see what we need [to fix], but you know, we did not have a perfect game [against Bates],” senior running back Zack Trause said. "We made some mental mistakes that are going to happen."

The Jumbos have a sparkling 2-0 record, but strength of schedule is definitely a factor.

Tufts opened the season against Hamilton, who was 0-8 in 2013, and is 0-2 this season. Then the team faced Bates, who went 4-4 last season, and is 0-2 this season. This weekend, Tufts faces a Bowdoin team that went 3-5 in 2013 yet is also 0-2 this season.

The team remains focused on Bowdoin, but the true test for the Jumbos will be when they play the 2-0 Trinity squad in Hartford later this month.

“Yeah, I mean, look, I think we just have to go in at 2-0, I think that’s a good step," coach Jay Civetti said. "We’ve got to get the team together. Get in the weight room. Get back at it. Get back into the routine.

Stick to the process. We have to assess [Bowdoin]. See what their

Volleyball

defense is looking like. We spent all last week on Bates. We’ve got to get on the film and see what fits best for the gameplan. Let the coaches do their job. Get [the players] set up and get them ready to play.”

Although coach Civetti did not want to divulge his game plan, it is safe to say the Tufts team will be running the football early and often. Across two games, the Jumbos have run the ball 79 times out of many differ-

ent formations, and their ability to move the ball consistently has been a huge reason for the team’s success. Despite the team’s victories, coach Civetti remains humble.

“It’ll be a [heck] of a test, we’re on the road for the first time," Civetti said. "Bowdoin is always a tough opponent.

I’ve got the utmost respect for coach Caputi and their staff and what they do. We’ve got a great task ahead of us."

Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily

Senior QB Jack Doll makes a pass during the homecoming victory last Saturday.

Inside the NFL

Tufts hits its stride after 1-3 start Patriots off to a rough start

by Tyler Maher Daily Editorial Board

Four weeks into its season, the women's volleyball team is firing on all cylinders.

After an early rough patch, the Jumbos have

VOLLEYBALL (7-6 Overall, 2-1 NESCAC) at Boston, Mass., Tuesday Tufts 17 25 20 25 11 — 2 UMass-Boston 25 12 25 22 15 — 3 at New London, Conn., Saturday Tufts 25 25 25 — 3 Framingham St. 12 10 16 — 0 at New London, Conn., Saturday Tufts 21 26 26 25 15 — 3 Conn College 25 24 28 12 12 — 2

to 2-1. Kuhel tallied a match-high 16 kills while junior Maddie Kuppe contributed 14. The team also got plenty of help from Kuppe's classmate Baum, who racked up 43 assists. Defensively, Berger recorded a match-high 31 digs.

"This weekend was a great opportunity for us to demonstrate the hard work we've put forth in response to our first matches of the season," Kuppe said. "We've devoted considerable practice time to working on specific weaknesses that were exposed early on, so it was very exciting to see everybody step up this weekend."

Following its hard-fought win, Tufts immediately took on Framingham State University, 12-2 entering the game. Proving to be up to the challenge, the Jumbos overcame fatigue to trounce their opponents in three sets, winning each by at least nine points and an average of over 12. First-year Alex Garrett stepped up with eight service aces in the win. Given the circumstances and the ease with which they disposed of their opponents, the win over FSU was one of Tufts' most resounding accomplishments of the season.

"For us, those games are another step in our process of developing into the best team we can be," Thompson said. "I thought we did an excellent job focusing on our side of the court while adjusting to the teams we were playing."

The Jumbos, now 7-6 for the season, travel to Maine on Friday to play the Bates Bobcats in pursuit of their third NESCAC victory. At 8-6, Bates is in a similar position to Tufts, so the match will likely be competitive. Tufts will then travel to MIT on Saturday for an afternoon doubleheader against Simmons College and MIT. The Jumbos recently played there at the MIT Invitational, splitting a doubleheader on Sept. 13, and will look to match or improve upon those results this time around.

picked up steam, winning six of nine games since their 1-3 start.

"We are working hard to better our game every time we step on the court," coach Cora Thompson said. "This team realizes that our focus must remain on the process of improving with every opportunity we get, which means we need to focus on being the best we can during the present moment."

Tufts' most recent match ended in defeat after a back and forth battle at UMass Boston Tuesday night. The Jumbos gave the New England Women's Volleyball Association's top-ranked team everything it could handle, alternating victories with the Beacons during the first four sets. The fifth set was just as close, with UMass ultimately edging Tufts 15-11 for its 12th straight win. On offense, Tufts received standout performances from sophomore breakout Mary Maccabee, who posted 15 kills, and senior tri-captain Isabel Kuhel, who posted 10. Junior setter Kyra Baum recorded 37 assists in the match. Junior defensive specialist Carolina Berger continued her strong season with 13 digs.

The Jumbos scored a pair of big wins in Connecticut last weekend, winning both games of their Saturday afternoon doubleheader. The opener saw Tufts defeat Connecticut College in an incredibly even match, earning a five-set victory over its NESCAC rival. The Jumbos dropped a close first set 25-21, then bounced back to take the next two by two points with scores of 26-24 and 28-26. The Camels dominated the fourth set 25-12 to pull even with the Jumbos, setting up a tightly contested fifth set, which Caroline Geiling / The Tufts Daily the Jumbos won 15-12. With the hard-fought Junior Carolina Berger prepares to serve the ball victory, Tufts improved its conference record during a home game.

by Joshua Slavin Contributing Writer

For more than a decade, the New England Patriots have been the class of the NFL. They have won at least 10 games in each of the last 11 seasons and won the AFC East in all but one of those years.

The one season in which they missed the playoffs was the year franchise quarterback Tom Brady missed almost the entire season with a knee injury.

This has been a period of success unrivaled in the NFL, and has all come with Brady and genius coach Bill Belichick at the helm. They are two of the best ever at their respective jobs, and entered this season geared to be Super Bowl contenders once again, primed to extend their dominant run.

But across four games, the Patriots have scarcely shown any signs that they might have been in the midst of a historically great run. They’ve stumbled to a 2-2 record, most recently being trounced in every phase of the game by the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming on Monday Night Football in a nationally-televised, prime time matchup, the Patriots were embarrassed and exposed. In the days since, many analysts have wondered whether this could be the beginning of the end of the Pats’ storied stretch. Fans across New England are asking some variation of the same question: what’s wrong with the Patriots?

If there were a simple answer to that question, the team probably wouldn’t be sitting at 2-2. There are problems on both sides of the ball, but the major issue is with the offense. Tom Brady-led offenses over the last 10 years have always been efficient, point-producing machines.

Excluding 2008, the year Brady missed due to injury, the Patriots have been in the top-six in the NFL in points per game each year since 2005. So far this season, they’re 24th out of 32 teams. According to the metric DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average), the Patriots have been fourth or better in offensive efficiency every year that Brady has been healthy since 2005, while being the most efficient team four times over that span.

So far this year they rank 28th.

Every part of the offense is to blame for this massive dearth of production, including Tom Brady himself. He hasn’t been quite as accurate as people are used to seeing and, at 37, may be nearing the end of his brilliant career. The onus isn’t just on the quarterback, however. The

Patriots’ management has failed to surround him with enough talented players. Two receivers that were supposed to see major improvements as secondyear players, Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins, were healthy scratches Monday night. Their top wideout, and the only one Brady has seemingly any trust in, is Julian Edelman, who went undrafted as a quarterback out of college. The most talented pass catcher on the team is Rob Gronkowski, who is obviously still limited by his recovery from knee surgery that ended his 2013 season.

But over the course of his career, Brady hasn’t always had a star-studded crew of receivers to throw to. In the past, he has undoubtedly been able to succeed and excel with a significantly less talented supporting cast. This is what makes his struggles this season surprising. Part of the answer can be attributed to Brady’s decline, but a huge portion of the blame rests on the offensive line. Just before the season began, Belichick dealt guard Logan Mankins, a team leader as well as the heart and soul of the offensive line, to the Buccaneers after Mankins refused to restructure his contract. The move shocked many and has left holes in Brady's protection.

Within four games, Belichick has played musical chairs on the line, shifting players endlessly in a search to find an effective combination of blockers. Instead, the linemen have looked like human turnstiles, allowing pass rushers to reach Brady in the backfield easily and often. They haven’t been able to protect the quarterback, and Brady has looked very uncomfortable in the pocket as a result.

Part of the reason for the Patriots’ continuous success is their ability to correct their flaws over the course of the season.

Belichick is one of the best coaches of all time, and surely has the capacity to right the ship, at least to some extent. Brady will likely gain confidence with his receivers as time goes on and start to look more competent under center. The ability to rectify weaknesses and improve is the mark of a great coach and team. The Patriots can do both.

The expectations coming into the season were that the Patriots could contend for the AFC title and the Super Bowl.

Currently, they look like a far cry from a championship team. Given the Patriots’ sustained excellence, fans have high demands for their team, but barring an immediate and drastic change, this season is likely to end in disappointment.