To say the Pats offseason has been eventful would be the understatement of all time. They lost their best WR to a conference rival but filled the role with a guy who most believe is a younger, less expensive version of him. They also lost their 2nd leading wide receiver and filled the role with questions. There’s also the small matter of one of their star tight ends being arrested for murder. So basically par for the NFL course. Just not for the Patriots. They have basically been the model franchise, handling their dirty laundry quietly(except for Gronk, but his exploits only seem to make him more popular). It may be hard to keep a murder quiet, and truthfully they did a great job considering the circumstances, but this has been a noisy spring and summer for the Pats,
KEY ADDITIONS
WR – Danny Amendola
S – Adrian Wilson
WR – Aaron Dobson
KEY SUBTRACTIONS
WR – Wes Welker
WR – Brandon Lloyd
OL – Donald Thomas
COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS ADDITIONS THAT ARE A WASTE OF PRESS
QB/RB/TE/ST/Ay other position you want to list that he won’t play – Tim Tebow
This team is going to score points. Want to know why? Because that’s what they do! You don’t have to like the Pats(and lord knows I certainly don’t!) but you have to respect their consistency and dedication to excellence. Brady turns everyone around him into a better player. If Amendola is healthy he’ll be a top 10 WR in the league, maybe even top 5 and you can bet that one of Aaron Dobson, Kenbrell Thompkins or Julian Edelman will explode into a stud #2 receiver this season. Brady doesn’t need Hernandez. Once he’s healthy, Rob Gronkowski will instantly be the 2nd best TE in the game again, and whoever becomes the #2 will be a top 15 performer. That’s what Brady does.
The running game seems to be in good hands with Stevan Ridley who blew the league up for almost 1,300 yards and 12 TDs last season. Shane Vereen was only average during the regular season in 2012 but exploded in the playoffs and will likely continue that success. It’s not unrealistic to expect 2,500+ yards from the running game this year.
Tom Brady is a phenominal QB, but the real reason he and his compatriots have so much time to work with is because the Pats consistently have one of the best o-lines in the game. Led by 5-time Pro Bowler Logan Mankins who missed much of last year(meaning they’ll be even better this year), this unit returns all five starters and looks to continue the success that has allowed Brady the opportunity to be elite and stay away from those knee shots(sorry, are you Pats fans still holding your breath??)
OK, so last year was far from a succesful year from the defensive side of things. The team may have ranked 25th overall in total defense but that’s no reason to panic. For starters their 4th quarter defense was considerably better, showing they close when it matters, and their defense got much better towards the season’s end(ya know, after they realized that Devin McCourty is a below average corner, but an elite safety).
The front 7 is as underrated as it gets. For starters, there is a very legitimate case that Vince Wilfork is the most important defensive player in the LEAGUE. Beyond Wilfork they have Chandler Jones who looked good even on two bad ankles. At camp 100% healthy he’ll be looking for a massive sophmore effort. Rob Ninkovich may not be the sexiest player out there but he’s a Belichick player through and through; he doesn’t make mistakes, he makes plays.
The linebacking crew is just as solid with Jerrod Mayo, Brandon Spikes and Dont’a Hightower leading the way. At the draft they added Jamie Collins to aid this group with their one real weakness: the pass rush. The only real concern here is that they lack elite depth in case of injury. But if they all stay healthy they should be better than 2012 and that ain’t bad.
The secondary is perhaps the only area where even the Patriots will admit they have work to do. Some of that work was done last season when they added Aqib Talib and moved McCourty to a position where he can dominate rather than one where he gets beat consistently. They did the rest of their work in the offseason, signing hard-nosed Cardinals veteran Adrian Wilson and drafting corner Logan Ryan and safety Duron Harmon(both from Rutgers) in the 3rd round. This unit won’t be immediately dominant but it might not be long before they’re considered very good.
So if there’s a spot for Tebow it’s probably here, but who needs a return blocker who gets that much press? Stephen Gostowski is REALLY good at kickoffs, but that’s probably because he does it a LOT. He’s more than serviceable as a kicker, he’s just under used because they don’t settle for field goals often. punter Zoltan Mesko might have the best given name in the league but he still has work to do as a punter. The only thing bad about bringing Leon Washington on as a return man is that it robs fans of more Julian Edelman who did a great job in his own right. The Pats are stacked at the return game.
I won’t gush over Bill Belichick(mostly because I hate him) but there’s no denying that he’s the best in the business. He realized long before everyone else that games are won on the lines, not in the papers(hello Eagles Dream Team!!). He knows how to get the best out of his players and he knows how to dress like a homeless man and still get into NFL stadiums every week. The ONLY knock on this unit as a whole is the decision to allow Josh McDaniels to bring in Tebow.
The Studs: Brady is a top 3 QB even if he’s throwing the ball to himself. Amendola is probably going to generate top 10 numbers if he’s healthy for the whole year(that IS a big IF)
The Workers: Stevan Ridley could be on the verge of becoming elite but we’ll wait and see. For now he’s an ideal RB2 with 1,400 yard potential.
Sleepers: Every receiver on this team aside from Amendola is a sleeper. Dobson and Thompkins have looked great at camp and Edelman has been close to busting out for a couple years. Perhaps without the pressure of returns he’ll finally get there. Ooh let’s not forget Shane Vereen as well. If Ridley isn’t running wild, you can bet Vereen will see his share of touches.
Overrated: LeGarrette Blount may have a 1,000 yard season under his belt but he’s not that guy anymore. He hasn’t mattered for a couple of years and won’t this year either.
Should Win: @Buffalo, NY Jets, Tampa Bay, @NY Jets, @Carolina, Cleveland, Buffalo
Favourite: New Orleans, Miami, Pittsburgh,
Toss-Up: @Cincinnati, Denver, @Miami, @Baltimore
In Tough: @Atlanta, @Houston
Thoughts: Really there’s only two games where it’s probable they’ll be the underdog and four games where they’ll battle hard for the win. They’ll easily be 5-1 inside their own division(they usually lose 1 to Miami) and the opportunity to play the Bucs, Panthers and Browns is almost unfair. even if they split their “toss-up” games they’re still easily 11-5 this year. Until Miami proves they are for real, there is no challenger in this division. Not even close.
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