BruschiOnTap

I'll take the odds on Colvin and maybe throw down on some Hobbs as well.

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Mannings never prosper

jaj18

Watson has all the tools to become a perennial pro-bowl Te, He is fast enough to burn most LB's and big enough to get by safeties. Other than that I think Colvin is going to return to his pre-injury form and hopefuly claridge will live up to his hype that all the other players have given him

Murphys95

My hopeful guess is....Ty Warren. This young man has the capability. I would love to see him pour it on full time.

rookBoston

Branch, Warren and the rest... I count them as already "broken-thru". For Branch to breakout from Superbowl MVP status would be... well, almost unthinkable. And Warren is already a solid, reliable 4-down DE. How much further can he break out?

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"We want to build a big, strong, tough, smart, fast, disciplined football team that will consistently compete for a championship."
-- Scott Pioli, from the Patriots scouting manual

wistahpatsfan

Breakthrough implies offense, but I like defense, and Rodney will be comeback player of the year, so that makes him the breakthrough guy, even though he's had great stuff in the past. Also look for Wilfork to become one of the defensive greats this year.

Murphys95

Interesting POV. When Seymour was out last season, Warren and Wilfork did not carry their weight and the Pats defense struggled - big time. I think both have the potential, but have yet to meet it. IMO, Warren needs to prove he can carry without an all-pro opposite him. That's why I would love to see a "break-out" season from him - one in which he consistently plays to his potential.

Branch is certainly a number one receiver for the Patriots, but would he be a number one elsewhere? He still needs to improve, and I'd love a "breakout" 1000 yard season out of him. Super Bowl MVP is awesome, but one good game does not make a stellar career - just ask MVP's Dexter Jackson and Larry Brown.

rookBoston

Compare the 2005 version of Deon Branch to the rookie version, who showed flashes of brilliance but ran out of gas at the end of the year. He has gotten significantly better.

If the NFL was chasing Givens as an elite receiver (and paying him accordingly), then for sure Branch is a #1 receiver-- in the same mold as Steve Smith or Santana Moss. He doesn't fit every system, but he is a #1.

Warren and Wilfork struggled without Seymour. But so did Vrabel and Colvin. Struggling without Seymour isn't so much about Warren and Wilfork as it is about Seymour.

Warren is everything that Bobby Hamilton was for us, and more. I call that established. Room for improvement? Absolutely, but not to the degree that's already been seen since his rookie year.

__________________
"We want to build a big, strong, tough, smart, fast, disciplined football team that will consistently compete for a championship."
-- Scott Pioli, from the Patriots scouting manual

BelichickFan

I'm sorry, but Branch can't hold Smith's jock. Branch can be taken out of a game - I think Smith can be triple teamed and still get open; he certainly can beat a double team consistently.

Mike the Brit

Who I hope for: Bethel, Klecko and Tully Banta-Cain, of course (so what else is new?). Who I expect: I have no idea, but unless there is someone stepping up at linebacker/WR it's going to be a hard season.

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My prized possessions: Our family pictures; my dad and me getting doused by Bruschi in Super Bowl XXXIX [Shalize Manza Young Up Close with ... Bill Belichick]


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They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Well, Pats fans should be invincible by now. [Fitzy, 16 November 2009]

Still here to learn

dhamz

Deion hasn't broken out already? We are talking about a SB MVP who has over 130 yards rec/rush in 4 of his last 6 playoff games.

Is he one of the top 5 guys in the league? No but he is never going to be. Guys his size will always get shut down at times. It happens to every WR of that size - even Steve Smith who no showed the NFC title game and pretty much decided to take his helmet and go home after the Seahawks made him their focus early.