A good set of questions to pass the time with
In no particular order:
-Does Mccourty have a bounce back season?\
Yes and he will get the great majority of his snaps at the outside CB
Agreed. I think that McCourty gives the Pats versatility in the safety rotation if Gregory and Wilson don't progress quickly enough, but hopefully he will be mostly used at outside CB.
-Does Ras-I give us a physical outside presence in the secondary?
Yes, If healthy Dowling will be big CB who can man up on the other team's #1 WR. He will have a HUGE impact on the secondary.
I completely agree. McCourty and Dowling will hopefully be the outside CBs, with Arrington in the star position. A healthy Dowling would give Pats a physical outside presence that they haven't had since Leigh Bodden in 2009.
-How many footballs is Gronk going to break this year?
10-12, He'll see more coverage in the red zone this season, and the Pats have added other threats that will take some of the looks he gets away
I agree that Gronk may see more red zone coverage, but I doubt his TD's will go down that much. He had 10 as a rookie. 18 may be too much to hope for, but 13-15 seems quite possible.
-Will Hernandez top the 1000 yard receiving mark?
No, but I won't be surprised if he isn't in the 800 yd range. If he gets to the 1000 yard area, it will be because he is taking looks away from Welker
Or Gronk. Gronk's yardage may go down this year, while Hernandez' goes up. They had 2200+ yards combined last year, and they could reach that with more like 1100 each instead of 900/1300 like in 2011.
Does Solder make the seamless transition to fulltime LT and keep Brady clean?
This is easiest question you asked and surest bet to come true. Solder did a remarkable job coming in without an off season and playing so many snaps at 3 positions in his rookie year. It wasn't flawless, but he is going to be better than Matt Light, and I really appreciated Matt Light
You nailed this one, Ken.
-Why is the Marcus Cannon only practicing at tackle when he was clearly marked as a guard practice coming out of school, and our interior has so many Q's?
I was looking forward to seeing be the big "power" RG we haven't had in recent years, but the potential need to have someone ready to back up Volmer outweighs the ideal situation which would be at RG. If Volmer's back healed well this off season, maybe he can go back to G next season after Water's retirement. Meanwhile, he didn't do badly in his opportunities at RT, given his trials his first year.
Do you think Cannon is purely limited to RT and guard, or could he develop to be a swing tackle as well? He's not a natural LT, but he has great athleticism and nice footwork for his size. I think he's an important part of the long term OL equation.
-Does the transition back to a 3-4 (don't forget that's the direction they went in the playoffs) helpe Jermaine Cunningham improve upon a decent rookie season, or did he show his true colors last year?
We will be in both the 3-4 and 4-3 depending on the match ups week to week I think Cunninngham was one of those players hurt by the lockout. This off season he's been in NE full time and I'm hoping we see a big difference in his play.
That's easy. We're not transitioning back to a 3-4 at all, so the question is irrelevant. Whether Cunningham can fit into the hybrid scheme that is evolving is another question altogether. I'm not too optimistic.
-Does Vereen or Ridley win the "primary" ball carrier role?
Yes, I think if they are healthy, we will be very happy with those 2 guys as our primary RB's
I think that Vereen becomes the feature back with Ridley as a complementary back. But if Vereen slips up, then Ridley takes over as the #1 back. Those 2 guys should get the vast majority of the carries.
-Does Sterling Moore cement himself as a true playmaker in the secondary?
I really don't know what to expect of Moore. He played better last season than anyone had a right to expect. He could just be one of those guys who will make a big jump with a full off season in the system.....Maybe he won't.
Moore was a pleasant surprise last year. Whether he makes the Kyle Arrington leap is still an open question but I'm cautiously optimistic.
-How long will it take Chandler Jones, Hightower, and Bequette to make an impact on the field?
Jones will take the longest. He is the youngest and least experienced. He is also making the toughest transition from a college DE to someone who will need to play standing up a good percentage of time. I think they'll give him snaps as a DE in 4-3 pass rush D to help him ease into being an OLB. Bequette will be a one trick pony in the Mark Anderson role. Hightower should make the most immediate impact in any one of the several positions he's going to be asked to play.
Not sure I agree with you. Jones will probably take the longest to develop fully, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him come on sooner than later. He brings some nasty hands and good technique on his pass rushes. I think he'll be effective as an inside rusher as well as on the edge, and he'll cause a lot of errant throws with his long arms. Bequette will start as a sub rusher, but he's much bigger and stronger than Anderson, and is capable of being more of an edge setter.
-Will Alfonzo Dennard make his presence felt in the secondary at all? He seems to be around the ball all the time.
I'm just hoping he makes the team. His lack of success at the combine and senior bowl worry me a lot more than his fight with the off duty cop. He could play an important roll as a physical presence in the slot and CB depth if he pans out.
I think Dennard will be a pleasant surprise, and will contribute significantly more than Sterline Moore did last year. He brings a nice physical dimension to the DB position, and will get used in a variety of roles, assuming he stays out of jail. I'm not worried at all about his offseason issues - the Pats will scheme to use him effectively. He will bump receivers off their routes and cause a lot of mis-timing on passes, which hopefully the other DBs can take advantage of.
