Biggest Concerns going into this season?

[slam]

I'm concerned that if the team loses three players in any one position a lack of depth will start to show. </kidding>

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

When you don't have "big name" players some fans get worried about production.

Almost as if we were starting 10 instead of 11 lol.

Sacks, pressures etc will come. We prob won't be setting any records but we have more than enough talent at that position to win.

And although we not have the classic edge bender that takes over games, our inside rush should be pretty good. Flowers (85% of sacks/pressure came inside), Ealy, Brown, Branch, 54, Guy, Wise and Rivers. All can and will cause some chaos up the middle.

And again we're absolutely stacked at the CB/S position.

 

[jah]

Going into TC, I was most concerned about secondary depth. Sounds like just about everyone is playing well there however. Now I think the biggest weakness by far is edge defender. **** depth, who's even #2? Sounds like Wise is winning, which could work out fine, but he's still a 4th round rookie.

Linebacker is a bit concerning, but it worked out last year and only improved.

 

[micronin127]

Biggest concern... a hot sunny home game where I run out of beer and forget sunscreen. Doh!!!

 

[Kontradiction]

As of right now, injuries and DE.

 

[FourierSeries]

My biggest concern is that I will eventually get bored of the massive blowouts week in and week out.

 

[maineman209]

Long - meh, he was just OK. i did not see a must keep player in him.
Ninko - big loss. The Giants and Pats took DEs from Youngstown state. Very telling. Watch Rivers.
Sheard - in and out of the BB dog house. Replaceable.
Blount - Pats have switched gears with Burkhead and Gillislie. You dont pay Burkhead the highest contract since Fred Taylor to sit on the bench. The NE offense will be different.

Long had 10% more snaps/game active last year than any other Pats' DE.

 

[maineman209]

Fred Taylor sat on the bench.

And he was damn good at it, too.

 

[maineman209]

I know Hightower and McClellin can both take reps there, but neither are proven DE's in the NFL.

McClellin played DE his first two seasons in CHI. He was a key rotational DE alongside Peppers and Wooten in his second season.

HT has lined up at or dropped down to DE quite a bit as a Pat, more frequently in 2016, IIRC. With hypothetically "better" LB corps, HT might be freed up to do even more of that in 2017.

 

[captain insano]

injuries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Uptown]

Biggest concern: Not knowing whether to clinch a playoff berth in week 9 or wait until week 10 to appease the other teams' feelings.

 

[scott99]

Gronk.

STAY HEALTHY!

THIS ^ X 100. Just ****ing stay relatively healthy. This team has a chance to be great. That's the only thing that can hurt this team. Not worried about anything else.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Health!! The only thing that can stop this team is injuries.

 

[ALP]

a QB controversy messing w/ the team's psyche and focus




...



...



but seriously, aside from injuries, its not QB, RB, WR, TE,
Ts, Gs, and C to a small extent

on D, its not S, CB
LB and DE mostly

of all those, its LB first for me, I like our top 2, but after that its meh (assuming top two is harris and High, but one is often injured adn the other old) and then DE, so in order:

LB
DE
C
T
G

 

[Triumph]

Fred Taylor sat on the bench.

Money suggests Rex Burkhead will play bigger role with Patriots

 

[maineman209]

Biggest concern: Not knowing whether to clinch a playoff berth in week 9 or wait until week 10 to appease the other teams' feelings.

Week-9 is the Pats' BYE. Some trick!

Seriously, though, it's a weird frickkin' schedule ...

The Pats will be done with their NFC opponents after Week-7. That's 4 games.

Two more are vs. the AFC West (KC to open the season, Chargers to close out the first half of the season.

Then there's Houston, and ONE game vs. a division opponent (at NYJ) in the first half of the season.

After the BYE, the Pats close out their games vs. the AFC West in consecutive road contests (at altitude) against Denver and Oakland (in Mexico City).

The Pat's last six games of the season are at PIT (Week-15) bracketed by FIVE games in the division.

 

[Triumph]

Long had 10% more snaps/game active last year than any other Pats' DE.

Some games he was invisible.

Long only started 7 games and had 22 tackles according to FB Reference.

 

[Triumph]

Fred Taylor sat on the bench.

New England Patriots

 

[Simpelton]

My biggest concern is Brady, not because he's going to fail, but because he's by far our biggest single point-of-failure. A healthy year from Brady makes us instant Superbowl contenders. If something goes wrong we're rolling the dice on people Brady would almost rather die than let them have any real world playing experience and our chances of final success plummet accordingly.

 

[Ivan]

Injuries--always pretty much the only concern.

Yep, that's the one thing that could derail the season, but every team faces the same issue.