PATRIOT64
In the Starting Line-Up
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The 3 main things I see that,if it should happen should propel us right into a Super Bowl Championship is...
1) LAURENCE MARONEY TO SHINE IN HIS 2ND SEASON- A healthy Maroney and productive running game - If the team can provide some quality yards on the ground to a tune of something like a season total of 2,000 yards or more this teams offense will be unstoppable and Brady will have plenty of time and opportunities to throw as defenses will have to respect the running game - Maroney is a critical piece of us getting to the SB,NOT the WR Corps which we all know is very deep barring injury and cannot be held for our main offensive output,I say if we can accomplish 55% pass and 45% run it will be working for us.
2) A SOLID SPECIAL TEAMS PERFORMANCE CONSISTENCY - I think a major factor in our chances lies with a group that can tackle well and get to the carrier sooner rather than later,Many times last year the ST had allowed the opposing teams time to set up a 'wall' and the blocks led to big gains and a couple of long runs,The ST has a great leader in Izzo and I expect even better this year.
Also Welker will be a factor on the other side of the ball,We need him to at least average 25-30 yard line on average and Brady and Co. can do the rest,Brady is not at his best when down deep in his own territory and he needs more room to use all of his weapons.
3) REVIVED LINEBACKER CORPS - This area stills concerns me,Adalius cannot do it by himself and even though Colvin has played well we are seriously going to need top play and one last big effort out of our starting LBs ,2 of whom have been here awhile in Bruschi and Vrabel who are starting to tail off as the sunset of their careers is on the horizon.
One more last gasp and big effort from these guys will make the whole defense be unbelievable and several shutouts/blowouts can happen since the front 3 are dominating as still expected to be so- I think the result of our defense will rely on the play of our older players and ALL must be playing well for us to get to where we want it to go,That means a top last effort from Vrabel,Bruschi,Seau and Harrison (Harrison not a LB but included him here anyway)
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The 3 main things I see to derail us from a championship are...
1) CANCER RUINING TEAM FIRST ATTITUDE/UNITY - Thats where Randy Moss comes into play,We all know he is a great player and has several years to go before he cannot do it anymore so all we need from him is a T-E-A-M attitude and total commitment and adjustment - I guess you can add in any other guys we added into the team this year but Moss's history make him standout as to watch his temperment and drive to succeed with his new team.
A team like this which is as talented on paper right now with a total team effort and attitude will make this a very dangerous and difficult team to beat from day one till the final day of the season - If Moss erupts into a jackass we cut him and still have talent at WR,but sometimes damage can ruin a team,even if the cancer has left,it can still spread thoughout if dealt the wrong way,no matter how much effort is into keeping a tight locker room.
2) INJURY BUG - We have been able to stay more than competitive through injuries nearly every year since BB got here,but there are some areas that simply cannot get injury prone or the team will be in trouble and areas I don't see as just putting any guy out there - Those positions are LB,CB (less so if Asante returns),K,RB and of course at QB - These all should be areas of concern if the injury bug hits-we are not deeply talented outside of the main starters in those respective areas,you simply cannot expect top performance from emergency players in a pinch like it was a few years ago,See the Colts AFCCG to find thats the case,If all our main guys were around all game like Seymour and Harrison especially in that all important 2nd half,we not only would have won that game,We would have blown the Colts out.
3) OFFENSIVE LINE PROTECTION BREAKDOWNS- Many times last year the OL broke down and nearly cost the team its star QB to injury,especially in the Jacksonville game and the away Miami and away Jets games which were not a good OL performance.
I still think this teams OL is one of the best in the NFL but I would like to see more consistency and that would usually be with the same guys lining up next to one another and not changes like we have had to do in the past due to inujury or unproductive performance ...Mankins,Koppen,Light and Co. need to keep the heat off Brady's back as you know he will only need a few precious seconds to find one of our 5 talented receivers open this year,Last year no one got open on a consistent basis and Brady had to wait in the pocket and nearly got killed,This year the OL just needs to give him a few precious seconds to kill opposing defenses,If they cannot hold the rush and Brady gets hit or there are no holes for Maroney to run then the team will have problems scoring,thus killing SB dreams.
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Thats my take on key negative/positive components to have to happen to either drive the Patriots to either a Super Bowl Title or a Dissapointing early playoff exit.
1) LAURENCE MARONEY TO SHINE IN HIS 2ND SEASON- A healthy Maroney and productive running game - If the team can provide some quality yards on the ground to a tune of something like a season total of 2,000 yards or more this teams offense will be unstoppable and Brady will have plenty of time and opportunities to throw as defenses will have to respect the running game - Maroney is a critical piece of us getting to the SB,NOT the WR Corps which we all know is very deep barring injury and cannot be held for our main offensive output,I say if we can accomplish 55% pass and 45% run it will be working for us.
2) A SOLID SPECIAL TEAMS PERFORMANCE CONSISTENCY - I think a major factor in our chances lies with a group that can tackle well and get to the carrier sooner rather than later,Many times last year the ST had allowed the opposing teams time to set up a 'wall' and the blocks led to big gains and a couple of long runs,The ST has a great leader in Izzo and I expect even better this year.
Also Welker will be a factor on the other side of the ball,We need him to at least average 25-30 yard line on average and Brady and Co. can do the rest,Brady is not at his best when down deep in his own territory and he needs more room to use all of his weapons.
3) REVIVED LINEBACKER CORPS - This area stills concerns me,Adalius cannot do it by himself and even though Colvin has played well we are seriously going to need top play and one last big effort out of our starting LBs ,2 of whom have been here awhile in Bruschi and Vrabel who are starting to tail off as the sunset of their careers is on the horizon.
One more last gasp and big effort from these guys will make the whole defense be unbelievable and several shutouts/blowouts can happen since the front 3 are dominating as still expected to be so- I think the result of our defense will rely on the play of our older players and ALL must be playing well for us to get to where we want it to go,That means a top last effort from Vrabel,Bruschi,Seau and Harrison (Harrison not a LB but included him here anyway)
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The 3 main things I see to derail us from a championship are...
1) CANCER RUINING TEAM FIRST ATTITUDE/UNITY - Thats where Randy Moss comes into play,We all know he is a great player and has several years to go before he cannot do it anymore so all we need from him is a T-E-A-M attitude and total commitment and adjustment - I guess you can add in any other guys we added into the team this year but Moss's history make him standout as to watch his temperment and drive to succeed with his new team.
A team like this which is as talented on paper right now with a total team effort and attitude will make this a very dangerous and difficult team to beat from day one till the final day of the season - If Moss erupts into a jackass we cut him and still have talent at WR,but sometimes damage can ruin a team,even if the cancer has left,it can still spread thoughout if dealt the wrong way,no matter how much effort is into keeping a tight locker room.
2) INJURY BUG - We have been able to stay more than competitive through injuries nearly every year since BB got here,but there are some areas that simply cannot get injury prone or the team will be in trouble and areas I don't see as just putting any guy out there - Those positions are LB,CB (less so if Asante returns),K,RB and of course at QB - These all should be areas of concern if the injury bug hits-we are not deeply talented outside of the main starters in those respective areas,you simply cannot expect top performance from emergency players in a pinch like it was a few years ago,See the Colts AFCCG to find thats the case,If all our main guys were around all game like Seymour and Harrison especially in that all important 2nd half,we not only would have won that game,We would have blown the Colts out.
3) OFFENSIVE LINE PROTECTION BREAKDOWNS- Many times last year the OL broke down and nearly cost the team its star QB to injury,especially in the Jacksonville game and the away Miami and away Jets games which were not a good OL performance.
I still think this teams OL is one of the best in the NFL but I would like to see more consistency and that would usually be with the same guys lining up next to one another and not changes like we have had to do in the past due to inujury or unproductive performance ...Mankins,Koppen,Light and Co. need to keep the heat off Brady's back as you know he will only need a few precious seconds to find one of our 5 talented receivers open this year,Last year no one got open on a consistent basis and Brady had to wait in the pocket and nearly got killed,This year the OL just needs to give him a few precious seconds to kill opposing defenses,If they cannot hold the rush and Brady gets hit or there are no holes for Maroney to run then the team will have problems scoring,thus killing SB dreams.
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Thats my take on key negative/positive components to have to happen to either drive the Patriots to either a Super Bowl Title or a Dissapointing early playoff exit.
