mayoclinic

There's no question that the Pats have added a lot of options, and have an incredible array of weapons:

- The best TE combo in the game in Gronk and Hernandez. Dan Fells gives not only a strong backup TE in case of injury, but also the ability to run 3-TE sets that was diminished in 2011 with Alge Crumpler's inability to recover from a shoulder injury.

- A stable of young RBs with receiving ability. Shane Vereen in particular could be a potent weapon in the passing game, much like Darren Sproles. Injuries and the shortened offseason made him a non-factor in 2011. Woodhead's role decreased last year from what it was in 2010. Stevan Ridley is underrated as a receiver. And Joseph Addai is an excellent receiving back. The addition of fullbacks Fiammetta and Larsen also open up options not previously available.

- WRs in Brandon Lloyd and Jabar Gaffney who can literally attack every area of the field. Chad Ochocinco also has that potential if he can ever get on track, though it's a long shot at this point. And Donte Stallworth adds some deep speed missing since Randy Moss left.

- The best slot receiver in the game in Wes Welker, with considerable depth at the position in Anthony Gonzalez and Julian Edelman.

The wild card in all this is Josh McDaniels. How does he want to use all of these weapons? When McDaniels was last OC of the team in 2008 the Pats had their most balanced offense ever, with a RBBC committee approach that averaged over 142 YPG the last 8 games of the season for a team that scored 33 PPG over that span and over 47 points 3 times. Remember the 277 yard rushing performance against the Raiders?

Traditional thinking has it that McDaniels favors more of a "spread" offense. But I'm not so sure, based how McDaniels adapted the offense in 2008 and based on what McDaniels had to say recently:

McDaniels is back, with more miles on him

I think that McDaniels will probably put together an offense which is different than any he's every had before, and different than what the Pats have had. There will be more emphasis on the TEs than in any previous McDaniels offense, but more ability to spread the fied and use the running backs than there was in the 2011 Pats' offense.

One thing that the OP points out is that there are too many weapons for the numbers to equal what individuals have previously accomplished. Brady set career highs in 2011 for pass attempts (611), completions (401) and yards (5235), and I agree that those numbers may not be met in 2012, especially if the offense attempts to find more run-pass balance. The trick is to build an offense which is greater than the sum of the parts. I agree that "it's less about total yards and more about making a play exactly when you need to". Gronk may not get 1300 yards receiving and 17 TDs. Wes Welker can't be targeted 172 times and get 1500+ yards receiving if the offense is going to be more diverse and less predictable. Welker accounted for 26% of the Pats' offensive yards from scrimmage in 2011. The Saints had a record 7632 yards of offensive production, with no single player accounting for more than 19%. We've seen in both 2009 and 2011 that having an explosive offense built around a limited number of dominant playmakers (Moss-Welker in 2009, Gronk-Hernandez-Welker in 2011) is too easily shut down in the playoffs by strong defenses and too susceptible to injury.

The ingrediants are in place. What kind of omelet Josh McD makes and which ingrediants he chooses to feature is still an open matter.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

ctpatsfan77

Well, I'm hoping it's because the Pats build such ridiculous leads that Hoyer and/or Mallett comes out for Q4 of every game.

And I have to say there is one thing I really want to see this season—this offense . . .

plus SNOW.

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mayoclinic

2008: 47-7 destruction of Arizona (who went to the SB).
2009: 59-0 annihilation of Tennessee (against a team that had the best record in the AFC the year before and went 8-2 the rest of the year).
2010: 36-7 embarrassment of Chicago (on the road against a team that won the NFC North).

Let it snow, let it snow, let is snow.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

IllegalContact

yes......7800 yards

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TB146

Wow! It would take TWO Tom Bradys to throw to all those guys!

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patsfan13

We will have at least 4 WR who know this O and will be in the right place along with at least 2 TE...... Not sure we've ever had that before a Brady Banquet throw to the open guy. The rest will take care of itself...

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"Some guys play in all-star games, some guys don't. I don't know who picks all those all-star teams. In all honesty, I don't know who picks the combine, for that matter," Belichick said. "How does (Miami-Ohio offensive lineman Brandon) Brooks not get invited to the combine? How did Vollmer not get invited to the combine? I don't know. We can't really worry about that. We just have to try to evaluate them the best we can."

supafly

Absolutely agree, there will be at least 6 viable targets, with the majority going to the top 4 (2 WR, 2 TE). It will also be helpful that the WR2 position is improved from last yr, which will benefit the situation too.

And to take it one step further, there is the possibility that S.Vereen will be able to snag about 15-20 or so passes out of the backfield at times, which is what was expected when he was drafted.

Lots and lots of great options for Brady to throw the ball to, as you said--more than any other season since he has been our QB.

The WR situation/battle is the least of my concerns...it's the offensive line that is the main variable to whether or not we can go far enough this year. Keeping Brady upright and with minimal harm will be THE top priority for this season's team. Hopefully they are up to the challenge, as the depth looks good as of now.

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HomerSchooled

Agreed. The depth does indeed look quite good. Cannon or Gallery could both be pretty decent Guards or Right Tackles, and Connolly can always move to Guard and Koppen can go back to Center. Plus, Vollmer can play LT if Solder goes down. That being said, the durability of the top guys is concerning. If we get some bad luck, and lose a few guys at once, that could be a disaster. Obviously though, that's the same for any team.

ctpatsfan77

Brady in the first three Qs, Mallett in the fourth. . . .

Close enough.

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brdmaverick

Yeah, Gaffney certainly was special for us, as he even supplanted Stallworth on the depth chart in 2007.

Even though we lost the game (yes, cringe), his catch in the back of the endzone against the Colts in the AFC Championship Game was absolutely legendary. The degree of difficulty on that play magnified Reche Caldwell's drop.

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