Over the past few weeks, there has been much talk of a quarterback controversy in New England with the emergence of Tom Brady. Local sportswriters and fans have backed either Brady or incumbent Drew Bledsoe as the team’s present and future leader.

Numerous arguments have been brought to the table in defense of both candidates. Brady’s younger. Bledsoe’s a sure thing. Brady’s faster. Bledsoe’s got a better arm. You can dump Bledsoe’s salary in the Expansion Draft next year. You can trade Brady for a high first round draft pick next year.

But this shouldn’t even be an issue. The Patriots are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the NFL for one reason only: Tom Brady.

Bledsoe has had chance after chance and he has not delivered. It has become apparent that the only difference between this year’s Patriots team and its recent failures is the quarterback.

The Patriots are currently 7-5 with four games remaining in the regular season. The team should not lose another game on its schedule. New England plays a slumping Cleveland Browns team at home this week, then play Buffalo on the road, followed by a home game in late December against Miami. The regular sends ends at Carolina against the Panthers. The Dolphins are the only good team left on the schedule, and Miami always has trouble playing in cold Foxboro. An 11-5 record and an AFC East Title are not only possible but probable.

Brady has revolutionized this team. The Patriots began the year 0-2, including an opening game defeat to the Cincinnati “Bungles”. Not coincidentally, those two losses were the only games this year in which—to quote the late Butch From The Cape—“Nancy” Drew lined up under center.

With Brady, the Patriots are 7-3, including a close seven-point loss to the St. Louis Rams, arguably the best team in the NFL. Last week, New England defeated the New York Jets at the Meadowlands 17-16 after trailing at halftime 13-0. There was little doubt that Brady’s poise and accuracy in the second half led the team to victory.

Just examine the team. How is New England better this year than seasons past? Some point to the addition of Antoiwan Smith, a cast-off running back from Buffalo. Smith has been decent, but nothing special. He has rushed for 749 yards on 199 carries. Smith is twelfth in the NFL in total yardage but his 3.8 yards-per-carry average is not tremendous. Smith has also rushed for under 40 yards in a game five times this season.

So if Smith isn’t the difference, is it the wide receivers? New England is probably worse off this year in this department, seeing that star wide-out Terry Glenn has played only one game so far. Newcomer David Patten was a bright spot in a 38-17 win at Indianapolis, but he has been relatively silent since that October 21 victory. No other new receiver has more than 14 catches.

Defensively, former Jets Bryan Cox and Roman Phifer have been solid but certainly not good enough to explain the sudden turn around of the team. And I don’t think new punter Ken Walter and his sub-40-yard punting average has been the difference.

The only explanation is Brady, who last week set a record as the only quarterback to complete 70 percent of his passes in four consecutive games in his first year as a starter. In fact, only one quarterback has ever completed 70 percent of his passes in more than four games at any time in his career. His name is Joe Montana. Brady can enter Joe’s company with a solid effort against the Browns on Sunday.

In 10 games, Brady has thrown 16 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions, four of which came in one game at Denver. Nancy Drew threw 17 and 19 touchdown passes in 1999 and 2000, respectively. He played all 16 games in both seasons. Bledsoe also had 21 interceptions in 1999 and 13 in 2000.

Additionally, Brady is much more mobile than Bledsoe, providing an actual scrambling threat to the offense as opposed to Bledsoe’s unusual running strategy of standing still.

The Patriots still have holes. The offensive line is suspect and the teamcommits too many penalties. Coverage units have been inconsistent and the running game is sometimes nonexistent.

But Brady is the team’s one standout. He rarely fumbles despite being sacked 29 times in 10 games. His completion percentage is tops in the AFC and his quarterback rating is second only to Rich Gannon’s. He is the one and only difference between 5-7 and 7-5.

He is also the difference between talking golf and talking Super Bowl.

For now, Pats’ Coach Bill Belichick has intelligently told Brady that he will play the rest of the season, no matter what happens. Bledsoe will brood on the sidelines, believing he has been handed the shaft—or, at least, the clipboard.

Yet, the only person Bledsoe should be upset at is himself. Brady is a better quarterback. Mo Lewis’ hit on Bledsoe in the second week of the season was a crushing blow for the rest of the AFC East because it gave Belichick the opportunity to make a quarterback change.

And that’s the way the Pats became the Brady Bunch.