Originally Posted by BradyFTW!

True, but comparing the end of 2007 to the beginning of 2012 doesn't make much sense. By the end of this season, the Patriots will be similarly diminished by injuries. Remember, going into last season we were all pumped about how Bodden, Barrett and Ty Warren were going to add a whole new dimension to the Patriots' defense.

Originally Posted by Ice_Ice_Brady

The '07 Pats had much better receivers in Moss/Welker/Stallworth/Gaffney.

Originally Posted by BradyManny

3 out of 4 of those guys are back on the squad this year - and Moss is replaced by an admittedly less deadly, albeit productive, wide receiver. So I don't know how you can say much better. If Belichick opts to keep more pure WRs, the depth beyond that group will get much better with one or two of Branch/Gonzalez/Edelman/Ocho.

Originally Posted by VJCPatriot

Hear me out here. The Pats offense has been building up to juggernaut status for a while now. 30+ ppg is routine for this offense. Not only is Gronk coming off a record setting year, but the Pats added new weapons and old with the additons of Brandon Lloyd, Stallworth, and Gaffney. I think we are poised to see an explosion in 2012.

Let's compare the rosters:

2012 Offense (roster):
QB Brady - coming off a 5,000 yard passing season in 2011. Broke Marino's record although Brees set a new one and thus grabbed the headlines.

OL - Solder. More athletic, bigger and longer than Light. Could be a huge upgrade at the LT position. Vollmer. If healthy gives Brady enormous protection at RT. In addition to great size, has the athleticism of an LT. LG and RG. Mankins and Waters. Pro bowl quality players. C Koppen/Connolly. Solid if unspectacular. Overall this unit is very talented from top to bottom and should be able to give Brady the time he needs to pick apart NFL defenses.

WR - Welker, Lloyd, Ochocinco, Branch, Gaffney, Stallworth, Gonzalez. An embarrassment of riches. This group reminds me of the Saints superbowl winning group of receivers. Each one of them can contribute to the offense in their own way. Whoever gets cut from this group ends up with a job on another team. Lloyd and Stalloworth add deep threat elements to the O. Welker is a beast. Nuff said.

TE - Gronkowski, Hernandez, Fells. The Pats are blessed with two of the top 10 tight ends in the NFL. Gronk is a record breaking, defender smashing beast. Hernandez is a matchup nightmare. Fells will provide breathers for our staters.

RB - Ridley, Vereen, Woodhead. Ridley looks to be a starter quality RB with a good mix of power and speed. Vereen has good hands out of the backhead but has not seen much play time yet. Woodhead is a great threat on 3rd downs. His only drawback is lack of size makes pass blocking a challenge for him. The re-addition of fullbacks Fiametta, Kettani suggest to me that the Pats are looking to have more balanced O in 2012 and pound the ball on 3rd/4th and shorts.

2007 Offense (roster):

QB Brady - In this season Brady proved that he wasn't just a game manager but also a gamebreaker at the QB position. His 50 TD record still stands but records are meant to be broken.

OL - Light and Kaczur at bookends. Neal and Mankins at G. Koppen at Center. Light was a solid bookend but Kaczur and Neal don't look as talented as Vollmer and Waters. This group did their job very well in the pass-first attack though as attested by their record breaking results. Neal's lack of health hurt once the playoffs started as the interior broke down against the Giants pass rush unit.

WR - Moss, Welker, Gaffney, Brown, Stallworth. Moss in his prime is a HOF talent. He caught a ridiculous 23 touchdowns in 2007. Welker was Welker although not nearly as much a focus of the offense due to the Randy factor. Randy is a unique talent but I would say overall the Pats receiving group is 'deeper' in 2012.

TE - Watson, Kyle Brady. Watson was quite the athletic tight end but his production on the field and impact never quite matched the numbers he put up in shorts at the combine. I'll take Gronk and company over this group any day.

RB - Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris. Maroney wasn't asked to do much in a pass first offense, and he didn't. But it was enough to provide a distraction. The oft injured Morris was good, when he wasn't injured. Faulk was a reliable 3rd down option much like Woodhead is for the Pats. Again I have to give the edge to the 2012 unit. Ridley has a higher ceiling than Maroney and he doesn't 'dance' at the line of scrimmage.

And that's just talking about the offense! Overall, the Pats look like they are poised to shake the NFL world in 2012 with a good mix of veteran and youthful talent at nearly every offensive position. Overall the Pats look more talented on offense in 2012 than they did in 2007. Now that is a SCARY thought!

We'll compare the defensive units next. Your comments are welcome on the comparisons made so far!

Originally Posted by patsinthesnow

-It would be a tough choice between the old man stud LB core (Thomas, Bruschi, Seau, Vrabel, Colvin) and the young stud LB core (Hightower, Spikes, Mayo, Ninkovich). Wash IMO

Originally Posted by rookBoston

Woah. That is so not a wash. Let's not get too excited. If we're lucky, the 2014 LB unit will be able to compete with 2007, but 2012 is very much a work in progress.