 Tom Brady and the offense still has some pretty good weapons returning in 2015. (USA TODAY Images) |
While the Patriots have some issues to fix defensively in the upcoming months, there's one solace that fans can take and that's the fact that offensively this team is still in relatively good shape heading into 2015.
New England finished 4th in the NFL last season in points per game with 29.3, and they'll return their entire receiving core, with tight end Rob Gronkowski (82 catches, 1124 yards, 12 touchdowns) coming off of a terrific 2014 campaign, along with receivers Julian Edelman (92 catches, 972 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Brandon LaFell (74 catches, 953 yards, 7 touchdowns) each finishing with two exceptional seasons of their own. Danny Amendola (27 catches, 200 yards, 1 touchdown) recently restructured his deal to lower his salary, putting himself in position to improve off of a year where he re-established himself with a role in the kicking game and a solid playoff run in the receiving game, and waiting in the wings is Aaron Dobson, who could still become a weapon in a critical year for the receiver. Free agent Stevie Johnson is reportedly set to visit Monday, and it will be interesting to see if he lands in New England as he could add another dynamic to a group that was pretty productive last season.
Recently signed Scott Chandler has been a player who has given the Patriots problems in the past as a member of the Buffalo Bills. He caught 7 receptions on 10 targets against them in 2014, including a perfect 4-of-4 on third down (4 first downs). Pairing him with Rob Gronkowski should be fun to watch, and he's a player that fell under the radar a bit in terms of the significance of his signing as fans continue to lament last week's loss of Darrelle Revis.
Their offensive line remains in terrific shape, with Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer set to anchor the line at the tackle positions next season, while rookie Bryan Stork had a terrific first season at center. The biggest question mark for the Patriots remains free agent Dan Connolly, who has been one of the more consistent players at the guard position but the 10-year veteran might be looking for a bigger pay day than they may be willing to give him. One interesting note was the Patriots' interest in Eagles guard Evan Mathis, who the team was reportedly contemplating a trade to bring him to New England. That would give them some additional options along with Ryan Wendell up front and we'll likely see other players brought in as well.
At running back, Shane Vereen is now a member of the Giants, while LeGarrette Blount, James White, Jonas Gray, Brandon Bolden, and Tyler Gaffney are currently on the roster. The odd man out currently is Stevan Ridley, who is still a free agent but hasn't signed with a team a this point. His name has recently popped up on the Cowboy's radar, although it wouldn't be surprising to see him come back to New England for a one-year "prove it" type of contract. However, one of the theories to shoot down that notion would be the fact he wouldn't potentially get enough carries to cement his worth either here or on the free agent market after this season.
But overall it's a pretty good group coming back off a championship season that should, once again, be among the NFL's elite. One would believe we'll see some additional pieces brought into the mix but this is a football team with some pretty great pieces that with the addition of Chandler should make them even better. Obviously the defense has some problems that still need to be solved, but it's good to know that they still have a potent group on the other side of the ball at this point coming back next September.
KRAFT JOKES ABOUT LOSS OF REVIS:
Patriots' owner Robert Kraft spoke at the St. Patrick's Day breakfast in Boston on Sunday morning and tried to make light over the loss of Revis talking about the negotiations.
According to Kraft, Revis may have been favoring the team, although his demands apparently became a little too high for them to reach an agreement.
"The money was about the same," Kraft said via the New York Post. "[Revis] was actually favoring us, coming to us a little cheaper."
Kraft then reportedly said Revis demanded a Boston street, Castle Island, be renamed "Revis Island", which he claimed ended up being the deal breaker, which apparently drew quite a bit of laughter.
Obviously that wasn't the reason and the real reason was likely the $39 million the Jets guaranteed him in just the first three years of the deal.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, free agent defensive tackle Vince Wilfork was reportedly in Houston visiting with the Texans on Sunday. Wilfork recently said that he has several teams apparently interested in his services, and the familiarity with staff members like defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, linebackers coach Mike Vrabel and Anthony Pleasant are all there.
- Mike Reiss reported that free-agent linebacker Andrew Gachkar was in Foxboro for a visit on Sunday, but the Dallas Cowboys ended up getting his services after agreeing with him on a two-year deal. His visit clearly signals that the Patriots are still exploring their options at that position.
- Another thing pointed out by Reiss in his Sunday notes was the fact that recently signed Jabal Sheard is a tough player, gutting out an apparent foot injury that almost put him on injured reserve. He fought through it and he must be O.K. since it obviously wasn't a concern for New England, who surely cleared him before signing him to a 2-year, $11 million deal. But it shows you that he's a tough player who isn't afraid to play through pain, and that's certainly a trait that you hope for in a player.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe pointed out an interesting fact in his own Sunday notes regarding the recent contract signed by Devin McCourty. According to Volin, the $28.5 million in total guarantees set a record for safety contracts. That just goes to show you how much the team values McCourty, who is now one of the building blocks in this defense moving forward.
- Following up on a recent note made here regarding performance based pay, the Boston Globe's Ben Volin and WEEI's Chris Price each had some additional figures and here's a look at some players who received a bonus out of the $3.633 million given by the NFL to divide among its players. For the Patriots, the top earner was Bryan Stork, who led New England with $232,728, followed by Chris Jones ($181,099), Jamie Collins ($176,321), Logan Ryan ($165,623), Tim Wright ($123,051), Jordan Devey ($115,806), Josh Kline ($107,289), Patrick Chung ($106,088) and Malcolm Butler ($84,902). Also making the list was Tom Brady, who was given the big bucks after being named Super Bowl MVP (an extra $10,563).
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