Quarterback:
The Patriots are in good hands as long as Tom Brady is leading the team from under center. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and always seems to do well with what weapons he has at his disposal. He is now 36 years old and nearing the end of his career, but it seems as if age has not bothered him much based on his stats last season. He has a deal that will potentially keep him in New England until 2017 and I expect he will play out the deal.
Ryan Mallet is his backup as of now, but will he replace him when he retires? He is still a work in progress, but has made many stride, especially last season. He needs to keep improving in order for Belichick to feel comfortable with him backing up Brady. They also brought in Tebow. but I doubt he sees the field much this season. He needs to focus on improving as a quarterback.
Grade: A
Running Back:
Steven Ridley rushed for 1293 yards last season on 4.4 yards per carry and gave New England their first real rushing threat since Corey Dillon. Ridley was adept at finding the end zone last season, finishing with 12 touchdowns and he turned 82 carries in for first down, which was good for third in the league. He will be the number one running back heading into camp and deservedly so.
Brandon Bolden could push him for some carries, but I doubt that he is much of a threat to become the number one back. He is a very suitable backup and if Ridley goes down, he could become a lot more than that. Danny Woodhead left for San Diego, but New England did not put up much of a fight for him, which I believe shows their confidence in Shane Vareen. They also signed Leno Washington, but I doubt we see much of him coming out of the backfield.
Grade: B
Receivers:
Wes Welker left for Denver, which means Tom Brady will have to find a new security blanket. Danny Amendola is the top candidate to replace him, but he needs to prove that he can stay healthy. He runs good routes and catches the ball well, but I dont think he will be able to replace everything Welker brought to the Patriots offense. Julian Edelman might be getting a lot of looks in the slot as well, especially if Amendola does not pan out.
They also do not have Brandon Llyod, he did not make the impact some thought he would when he first came, but he was still pretty significant. He caught 74 balls for 911 yards and 4 touchdowns, he will be difficult to replace on the outside. They will be counting on rookie Aaron Dobson to fill one of the holes on the outside. Jones never did anything special during his time in Buffalo, but he has the potential now that he is playing with one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Dobson projects as a deep threat who will allow the slot receivers to get open. However, that will only work if teams are afraid of him. The Patriots need to try to establish him early in the season.
Rob Gronkowski has had numerous surgeries this offseason and he might not be 100% for the entire season, at least not for the majority of it. Gronk is their biggest weapon, but if he is playing injured, teams will be a lot more likely to slow him down. Jake Ballard will have to step up as a play maker because of Gronk's injuries and the fact that Aaron Hernandez will likely be in prison for the rest of his life and even if he is innocent, the Patriots have already cut him. Ballard has been in the league for three years, but has only played in one season. He has a lot of potential, but he will not be able to make up for what a heathy Gronk and Hernandez brought to the offense.
Grade: C+
Offensive Line:
Left tackle, Nate Solder played well last season, but he still has a lot of room to improve. It was only his first full season as starter at left tackle so New England should give him more time. Logan Mankins is entering his tenth year in the league and missed most of the season last year with injuries, but he hopes to be fully healthy this season. When he is healthy, he is one of the best guards in the league. Right tackle, Sebastian Vollmer, is one of the best in the league at his position, when healthy. He was resigned this year in order to keep the starting five together.
Last season, center Ryan Wendell finally got the chance to become the starter and made the most of it. He proved that he is tough and a very good run blocker. He should be the starting center for many years to come. Dan Connolly is probably the weak link on the line. He is an OK player, but he could be easily replaced in next years draft.
Grade: B
Defensive Line:
Chandler Jones is probably the most talented player on the defensive line. He has a lot of potential as a pass rusher and showed flashes last season before he suffered nagging injuries that deemed him useless. I believe he will finish with double digit sacks next season and will improve in his run stopping abilities. Rob Ninkovich is starting at the other defensive end position. He is a savvy veteran who gets sacks using a myriad of tools. If either Ninkovich or Chandler go down to injury, there is no one behind them who can bring pressure off of the end.
Vince Wilfork is still one of the best defensive tackles in the league. He disrupts a lot of plays up the middle and is one of the reasons the Patriots had a top ten run defense last season. Kevin Love will be starting next to him. He is not as talented as Wilfork, but he is solid and a very good compliment to what Wilform brings to the line. They also decided to bring in Tommy Kelly in free agency this offseason. He was prett bad with the Raiders last season, it will be interesting to see if he turns it around in New England.
Grade: B
Linebackers:
New England has three very talented starting linebackers in Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes and Dont'a Hightower. Mayo is the best player out of the group, but has been held back because Hightower and Spikes were untrustworthy. Now that they have both grown as players, Mayo will get more of a chance to be himself on the field. Spikes has been very good against the run, but showed a lot of improvement against the pass last season. If he could become a three down linebacker, he could be one of the best weapons in the league.
Hightower is a very good well rounded player. He has issues against the pass, but he can be used as a pass rusher. Like Spikes, he is also very good against the run. The only problem with the linebacking core is that they lack depth. They drafted Jamie Collins, but he is raw because he was not primarily a linebacker in college. He could be used a pass rusher. The Patriots should be very worried if one of their starting linebackers goes down because it could result in disaster.
Grade: B
Secondary:
Aqib Talib might not be as good as many thought when he was drafted, but he is talented and played very well for the Patriots last season. He is only on a one year deal, which should put him on the top of his game if he wants to land a big deal next offseason. Alfonzo Dennard found a spot on the starting lineup at the end of his rookie season and was solid. He is not a superstar, but he should be serviceable for at least the next couple of years. Kyle Arrington will likely be the starting nickel back where he is more of a natural fit. They drafted Logan Ryan this past draft and he could possibly push Dennard for the starting spot if his impresses.
This past season, the Patriots decided to move Devin McCourty to safety where he has been a lot more successful than he was playing cornerbck. He finished last season with fiver interceptions and 13 pass defensed and I expect those numbers to rise as he becomes more comfortable. Tavon Wilson is looking to take a bigger role as the strong safety this season. He was being primed last season to take the starting spot and it looks as if he will win it over in training camp. The team brought in Adrian Wilson to provide a hard hitting veteran presence. He wont be an every down player, but he will contribute a lot to the team this year. Steve Gregory was serviceable last season and will be a decent backup.
Grade: C+
Special Teams:
Stephen Gostkowski is a good kicker who converts when he is called upon. He was fourth in the league in touchbacks last season. Brian Mesko is a serviceable punter, but it does not look as if they will bring in a challenger for him in training camp. Leon Washington will give them a dynamic kick returner, something that have lacked for a while. Julian Edelman is a very good, yet underrated, punt returner.
Grade: B+
Overview:
Even with all of the turnover and off season issues the Patriots should still win the division. They will not go far in the playoffs, but I do not expect anything less than a division win. Losing Welker and Hernandez takes a big chunk out of the offense and Brady will have to find replacements. Unfortunately for Brady, that sounds easier than it actually is.
No comments:
Post a Comment