Last year Brady got his receivers - 2008 FA maybe for his O-line

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

When Brady could not find quality receivers to throw to in the 2006/2007 AFCCG and many times during the season,BB went out and went wild in FA getting him the receivers he needed to compete for the title.

Now the fact that Brady's offensive line was playing poor in the latter half of the season I can see a Flozell Adams or Max Starks high on the list of guys that the team needs to protect the franchise quarterback.

I also think that in the draft Long will get 'Long' looks at #7

All of a sudden the OL has as much urgency to be fixed as the ILB and CB areas.

There is no great selection for top quality ILBs or CBs in this years FA market so its the OL I think as a major dive into the FA waters and the defense will be addressed all of the draft,IF they pass on Long or Long is gone by #7

 

[sanvara]

One game doesn't mean the OL needs to be revamped. The line played well 18 out of 19 games.

 

[Watson's IQ]

This offensive line was one of the very best in football all year. To blow it up because they played poorly in one game is foolish. Make adjustments, sure. Shore it up, sure. But to overreact based solely on the Super Bowl would be folly.

 

[Rob0729]

We had three Pro Bowlers on his offensive line. Other than Stephen Neal being injured a lot this year and Nick Kazcur not being all that great, where exactly would you want to improve our o-line? Light, Koppen, and Mankins are all in Hawaii right now.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

The best OL in football needs to be rebuilt because of one bad game?

I would agree that if Neal's injury problems can't be put behind him, Hochstein is not the answer, and we need a replacement.

but that's about it.

 

[carolinatony]

I wouldnt mind a good blocking TE but I believe the defense needs addressing.
We could not make one stop when we had to in the SB. LB's,a CB and someone who can SACK THE QB are what we need imo.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

One game doesn't mean the OL needs to be revamped. The line played well 18 out of 19 games.

Thats ridiculous - Did you watch the Eagles,Giants or Ravens game in the regular season?

Brady was continuously harrassed and pressured,Only he was able to make the plays when needed that we won those games,Light and Kaczur have sucked since the mid part of November,It was Brady able to get it done somehow,any other QB gets buried or throws numerous picks.

Its like the OL went from being superb to being turnstiles as winter progressed thus the games got closer and a big part of that was that Brady had less time to find the open guys.

 

[Patstopia]

We did have problems with speed rushers all year long. We will need to address this before we face the same teams that gave us problems this year.

 

[Watson's IQ]

someone who can SACK THE QB are what we need imo.

That guy is Vrabel, hopefully, who was a far more effective pass rusher before Colvin went down.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

i don't think the players on the O-line were primarily responsible. in fact, before last sunday, people were calling them the best in the league in a long time. last sunday, i don't think they got much help from the coaches (and maybe from Brady) when it came to picking up the rushing schemes. also, the play calling left them having to "hold on" longer than they were clearly able, given the intensity of the Giants' rush. so, i'd look more to the coaching on this one.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

We had three Pro Bowlers on his offensive line. Other than Stephen Neal being injured a lot this year and Nick Kazcur not being all that great, where exactly would you want to improve our o-line? Light, Koppen, and Mankins are all in Hawaii right now.

You know Light is the biggest Mystery player in the NFL - He can be great for several weeks then have boneheaded offsides calls in crucial situations down the stretch.

 

[ayjackson]

The Cowboys' Oline also had a great year. Adams and Columbo had great years at the tackles. Gurode/Davis/Kosier were very solid on the inside. They gave Romo great pass protection all year - at least, up until their last game.

Against the Giants in the playoffs, the Cowboys oline was clueless in pass protection. Sound familiar? Romo was running for his life in the fourth quarter and was yelling at his oline on more than one occassion.

How 33 year-old Adams is going to upgrade our line is baffling.

That said, I wouldn't be opposed to drafting Jake Long or Ryan Clady in the first round and moving Light to RT. If Neal is seriously hurt, I'd move Kazcur into RG.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

i don't think the players on the O-line were primarily responsible. in fact, before last sunday, people were calling them the best in the league in a long time. last sunday, i don't think they got much help from the coaches (and maybe from Brady) when it came to picking up the rushing schemes. also, the play calling left them having to "hold on" longer than they were clearly able, given the intensity of the Giants' rush. so, i'd look more to the coaching on this one.

The Offensive line struggled against top pass rushing teams but pounded the sisters of the poor early in the season and of couse looked very good which gave them the title of best OL although I must say the San Diego game in week 2 was the exception where they were great but great pass rushers always find a way to Brady and they need to address that before Brady is in a foot cast or worse by week 3.

 

[Rob0729]

Thats ridiculous - Did you watch the Eagles,Giants or Ravens game in the regular season?

Brady was continuously harrassed and pressured,Only he was able to make the plays when needed that we won those games,Light and Kaczur have sucked since the mid part of November,It was Brady able to get it done somehow,any other QB gets buried or throws numerous picks.

Its like the OL went from being superb to being turnstiles as winter progressed thus the games got closer and a big part of that was that Brady had less time to find the open guys.

Did you see Matt Light absolutely own Shawne Merriman. Did you see the Pats o-line dominate a very good d-line in Jacksonville?

The Pats were 5th in sacks allowed and Brady was the most blitzed QB in the league. The Giants lead the league in sacks with 53 (or 3.3 a game) and Brady was sacked once in the first game. Brady completed 76.2% of his passes for 356 yards and 2 TDs in that game. Part of it was Brady, but part of it was the o-line doing their job.

I can't believe that we lose the Super Bowl and all the sudden our o-line needs revamping, the offensive coordinator needs to go, etc. No the o-line wasn't perfect all year long, but they were one of the two or three best o-lines in the league this year.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

The Cowboys' Oline also had a great year. Adams and Columbo had great years at the tackles. Gurode/Davis/Kosier were very solid on the inside. They gave Romo great pass protection all year - at least, up until their last game.

Against the Giants in the playoffs, the Cowboys oline was clueless in pass protection. Sound familiar? Romo was running for his life in the fourth quarter and was yelling at his oline on more than one occassion.

How 33 year-old Adams is going to upgrade our line is baffling.

That said, I wouldn't be opposed to drafting Jake Long or Ryan Clady in the first round and moving Light to RT. If Neal is seriously hurt, I'd move Kazcur into RG.

Adams is still very good

Remember what Ol' Ted Washington meant to us at NT or what an aging Roman Phifer meant to us at LB in the early glory years? - 33 is not too old at that position,He would be fine here.

 

[sebman2112]

When Brady could not find quality receivers to throw to in the 2006/2007 AFCCG and many times during the season,BB went out and went wild in FA getting him the receivers he needed to compete for the title.

Now the fact that Brady's offensive line was playing poor in the latter half of the season I can see a Flozell Adams or Max Starks high on the list of guys that the team needs to protect the franchise quarterback.

I also think that in the draft Long will get 'Long' looks at #7

All of a sudden the OL has as much urgency to be fixed as the ILB and CB areas.

There is no great selection for top quality ILBs or CBs in this years FA market so its the OL I think as a major dive into the FA waters and the defense will be addressed all of the draft,IF they pass on Long or Long is gone by #7

OK, let's not allow one game to cloud our vision. While the Patriots could use a few O-line upgrades, that unit isn't even close to being in bad shape. For the majority of the season Brady had plenty of time in the pocket, and rarely had to pick himself off the ground. Also, I thought some of those SB protection problems were scheme/adjustment related. NE could have changed a few things to counteract that pressure, but for some reason they seemed a little less willing to "take what their giving us" in the biggest game of the year...

If the Patriots could draft someone like Jake Long, I'd expect their O-line to become the best in football. As it stands Mankins, Koppen, Neal, and to an extent Light are all good players. That's why I think they only need to add another good OT, and maybe developmental OG, and they'll be set. Kaczur's a mid-level starter on most teams, but for the type of offense NE's employing I'm not sure he fits the bill. I'd keep him on as a backup, but some other teams mght be interesting in trading for him, too.

Edit: I'm hoping they add a good OT and a young guard (to develop), but for NE's sake I hope BB goes LB and DB crazy this offseason.

 

[Rob0729]

The Offensive line struggled against top pass rushing teams but pounded the sisters of the poor early in the season and of couse looked very good which gave them the title of best OL although I must say the San Diego game in week 2 was the exception where they were great but great pass rushers always find a way to Brady and they need to address that before Brady is in a foot cast or worse by week 3.

The Pats' didn't give up a sack vs. Pittsburgh which is a good pass rushing team. The Pats did well against San Deigo in both games for protection. In the playoff game, they gave up a sack on the first play and barely let a defender even get close to Brady for most of the rest of the game.

I think you are overstating the problem.

 

[BPF]

One game doesn't mean the OL needs to be revamped. The line played well 18 out of 19 games.

Agreed.

We need to focus on re-signing Moss (franchise tag is best bet to see if he can follow up career year) and Samuel. I think it's critical we also bring in a veteran safety as well, maybe a Ken Hamlin, UFA, Dallas Cowboys. Hamlin is young at 26 and should have many good seasons ahead. He can match up better with WR's than any S on our current roster.

There is the obvious need at LB as well. Lance Briggs, UFA, Chicago Bears
is the best available FA. He has been awesome for 3 yrs but has been overshadowed by Urlacher. But Briggs always gets the job done, he’s totaled 100+ tackles in each of the past three yrs while being good for four/five ints and sacks per year.

Karlos Dansby, UFA, Arizona Cardinals is another option. He has good size and he’s only 26 yrs old. He had four forced fumbles and 3.5 sacks this season (99tackles) following 3 yrs of 80+ tackles.

I also like Landon Johnson, UFA, Cincinnati Bengals as a versatile player who can play either OLB spot and nickel linebacker.

 

[sebman2112]

Agreed.

We need to focus on re-signing Moss (franchise tag is best bet to see if he can follow up career year) and Samuel. I think it's critical we also bring in a veteran safety as well, maybe a Ken Hamlin, UFA, Dallas Cowboys. Hamlin is young at 26 and should have many good seasons ahead. He can match up better with WR's than any S on our current roster.

There is the obvious need at LB as well. Lance Briggs, UFA, Chicago Bears
is the best available FA. He has been awesome for 3 yrs but has been overshadowed by Urlacher. But Briggs always gets the job done, he’s totaled 100+ tackles in each of the past three yrs while being good for four/five ints and sacks per year.

Karlos Dansby, UFA, Arizona Cardinals is another option. He has good size and he’s only 26 yrs old. He had four forced fumbles and 3.5 sacks this season (99tackles) following 3 yrs of 80+ tackles.

I also like Landon Johnson, UFA, Cincinnati Bengals as a versatile player who can play either OLB spot and nickel linebacker.

I like Hamlin (thought they would look at him this past offseason), but I'll have to disagree with that statement. Meriweather has better coverage skills, and you'll see him develop into one of the best FS's in the NFL within the next few years. Meriweather,Hamlin, Harrison, Sanders would be a very good unit though. There are a few Safeties in the draft I like too, and NE's got 8 picks to spend, so they'll probably draft one at some point.

Samuel is a good player in NE's system, but he's not at all worth $10M per, and that's what he'll want in free agency. If it comes down to keeping him at that price (or even close to it) I'd take the cap space and look elsewhere.

Briggs has said he doesn't want to play in a 3-4, and I'm not even sure Lance would fit NE's system. Plus he wants a hefty paycheck, and could use a little weight in his pants.

I've noticed some things I like about Dansby, but the Cardinals might franchise him, and like Briggs his signing will likely come with a substantial cap hit.

 

[mgteich]

Long will be drafted if available. It is Clady who might get the long look.

But no, the OL will not be the focus of the offseason, not with three probowlers and lots of youth signed into the future. To my mind, it is a top 10 pick plus the required 5th rounder, or a 5th and 7th rounder.