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- Feb 8, 2005
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OFFENSE:
QB - Brady, O’Connell, Gutierrez- Tom Brady is the man, but he’s coming back off an ACL/MCL tear. He’ll be wearing a brace more than likely this season so his mobility will be tested.
O’Connell was the Pats 3rd round pick in 2008. He played fairly well in Training camp and many people thought that his being drafted spelled the end for Cassel. However, the Pats coaching staff cut Gutierrez instead. Gutierrez was brought back to serve as the 3rd QB when Brady went down during week 1.
It will be interesting to see how the Pats handle the QBs this off-season. My guess is that they bring in a veteran to serve as Brady’s back-up with O’Connell being the #3. There stands to be quite a few veteran QBs available.
RB – Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammie Morris, BenJarvus Gren-Ellis– There are definitely questions about this group. How is Maroney’s shoulder and can he stay healthy all year? Is this the year that Faulk breaks down? Can Morris go the whole year without injury? Was the success of “LAWFIRM” the result of the O-line getting its schtick together or is he the real deal that can be a true #3 RB behind a primary and a 3rd down back.
The Patriots could use a draft pick to grab a running back, but the question would be what type? A scat-back like Faulk who can play out of the back-field? A north/south runner to take over the #1 duties so that Maroney can be a complimentary back?
There should be some decent free agents available as well. Including Darren Sproles, who would be a great protégé to Kevin Faulk, though Sproles blocking needs a lot of work.
FB – NONE – I think this is the first time since BB’s 1st year as HC of the Patriots that they didn’t have a FB on the roster going into the off-season.
I’d love to see BB pick up a FB in the mold of a Lousaka Polite. Someone who can actually be a bruising, short-yardage back, while also being a bruising, lead blocker.
O-Line – Matt Light, Nick Kaczur, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal, Billy Yates, Ryan O’Callaghan, Dan Connolly, Ryan Wendell, Mark LaVoir - This was a tale of two O-lines this year. For the 1st 5 games, we didn’t know which O-line would show up. The O-line from 2007 that was amongst the best in the league, or the horribly inconsistent O-line of the 2008 pre-season that made all of our QBs look horrible. More often than not, it was the latter. Then Stephen Neal returned from injury and the attitude of the O-line changed. It was almost palpable. The Pats need to add a C/G who is similar to Neal in his nastiness and who can take over when Neal is a UFA after the 2009 season
The Pats really need to look at a reserve center/guard. Someone with the same type of nastiness that Stephen Neal has.
TE – Ben Watson, David Thomas, Tyson DeVree – Watson and Thomas were extremely inconsistent this year, both in blocking and in pass catching.. And the Pats seem to have knocked the TE spot down A LOT in terms of their place in the offense. The Pats could use a dynamic TE to give this position some life and bring it back into some prominence.
WR- Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Kelley Washington, Sam Aiken, Ray Ventrone, Matt Slater –
Moss and Welker are, arguably, the best WR tandem in the league. Behind them, currently, are 4 guys who really are best suited to special teams, though some people will say that Slater is best suited to flipping burgers and totally disregard the fact he was a rookie and that rookies make mistakes.
Washington wasn’t nearly as good on special teams this year and Aiken didn’t appear to be the great special teams player we all thought we were getting.
The Patriots will probably bring in one or two WRs via free agency or the draft to challenge for the #3 spot and for some special teams spots.
QB - Brady, O’Connell, Gutierrez- Tom Brady is the man, but he’s coming back off an ACL/MCL tear. He’ll be wearing a brace more than likely this season so his mobility will be tested.
O’Connell was the Pats 3rd round pick in 2008. He played fairly well in Training camp and many people thought that his being drafted spelled the end for Cassel. However, the Pats coaching staff cut Gutierrez instead. Gutierrez was brought back to serve as the 3rd QB when Brady went down during week 1.
It will be interesting to see how the Pats handle the QBs this off-season. My guess is that they bring in a veteran to serve as Brady’s back-up with O’Connell being the #3. There stands to be quite a few veteran QBs available.
RB – Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammie Morris, BenJarvus Gren-Ellis– There are definitely questions about this group. How is Maroney’s shoulder and can he stay healthy all year? Is this the year that Faulk breaks down? Can Morris go the whole year without injury? Was the success of “LAWFIRM” the result of the O-line getting its schtick together or is he the real deal that can be a true #3 RB behind a primary and a 3rd down back.
The Patriots could use a draft pick to grab a running back, but the question would be what type? A scat-back like Faulk who can play out of the back-field? A north/south runner to take over the #1 duties so that Maroney can be a complimentary back?
There should be some decent free agents available as well. Including Darren Sproles, who would be a great protégé to Kevin Faulk, though Sproles blocking needs a lot of work.
FB – NONE – I think this is the first time since BB’s 1st year as HC of the Patriots that they didn’t have a FB on the roster going into the off-season.
I’d love to see BB pick up a FB in the mold of a Lousaka Polite. Someone who can actually be a bruising, short-yardage back, while also being a bruising, lead blocker.
O-Line – Matt Light, Nick Kaczur, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal, Billy Yates, Ryan O’Callaghan, Dan Connolly, Ryan Wendell, Mark LaVoir - This was a tale of two O-lines this year. For the 1st 5 games, we didn’t know which O-line would show up. The O-line from 2007 that was amongst the best in the league, or the horribly inconsistent O-line of the 2008 pre-season that made all of our QBs look horrible. More often than not, it was the latter. Then Stephen Neal returned from injury and the attitude of the O-line changed. It was almost palpable. The Pats need to add a C/G who is similar to Neal in his nastiness and who can take over when Neal is a UFA after the 2009 season
The Pats really need to look at a reserve center/guard. Someone with the same type of nastiness that Stephen Neal has.
TE – Ben Watson, David Thomas, Tyson DeVree – Watson and Thomas were extremely inconsistent this year, both in blocking and in pass catching.. And the Pats seem to have knocked the TE spot down A LOT in terms of their place in the offense. The Pats could use a dynamic TE to give this position some life and bring it back into some prominence.
WR- Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Kelley Washington, Sam Aiken, Ray Ventrone, Matt Slater –
Moss and Welker are, arguably, the best WR tandem in the league. Behind them, currently, are 4 guys who really are best suited to special teams, though some people will say that Slater is best suited to flipping burgers and totally disregard the fact he was a rookie and that rookies make mistakes.
Washington wasn’t nearly as good on special teams this year and Aiken didn’t appear to be the great special teams player we all thought we were getting.
The Patriots will probably bring in one or two WRs via free agency or the draft to challenge for the #3 spot and for some special teams spots.
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