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:
“The foundation of our system has really been the same, in terms of our terms and some of the things that we re-teach every year," McDaniels explained. "Really. I think it’s important as coaches to go back to your foundation each spring [and] don’t assume anything. Recall, certainly, with a lot of our players is something that we expect and that we want them to show us and demonstrate. But I think sometimes as coaches, it’s really good for you to go back and get to the nuts and bolts of why it started where it did, and again, progress to wherever it needs to go that year, for that team, to do the best it can.
"Each year, every team is different," he added. "This team, the players we have here, are different than any players I’ve had. Tight ends. Backs are younger. I think you just have to go back, re-teach your foundation, establish what you believe in and your core each year, and then build it from there and allow the personnel to kind of dictate which direction you go.”
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.
