Tom Brady isn't getting any younger.
When your best player is your Quarterback, and when said Quarterback is easily top-5 all time and entering into the twilight of his career, the value of consistency cannot be made any greater. Unfortunately, after a turbulent offseason, the Patriots are entering 2013 with a whole new cast surrounding Tom Brady, lead by rookie receivers Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce.
It began with the departure of Wes Welker and Danny Woodhead. It then moved to the injury woes of Rob Gronkowski, the release of Brandon Lloyd, and then the ultimate arrest of Aaron Hernandez. In their stead, the likes of the rookies, Michael Jenkins, and Jake Ballard enter.
A little scary? Yes. But change has come, and with Brady in a race against time, the Patriots must be decisive with their next course of action regarding the offense. Their fabled 2 Tight End sets are no more (at least for this season), forcing yet another evolution in an already flexible Patriots offense.
Some will argue that the Patriots should bide their time, going ground and pound until Rob Gronkowski returns to action, relying on Ridley and Vereen while utilizing veteran receivers Amendola, Jenkins, and Boyce. I disagree. Much has been made of the Patriots shortcomings in the development of young Wide Receivers, but this is a season in which they can't afford to hide their rookies behind sub-par veterans. If they're going to flop, they should flop on the field, not in practice where they aren't receiving any meaningful reps.
How do I envision the offense going into week 1? Let me explain below (I will assume Gronkowski is on PUP / out for a few weeks).
"X" WR: Aaron Dobson
LT: Nate Solder
LG: Logan Mankins
OC: Ryan Wendell
RG: Dan Connolly
RT: Sebastian Vollmer
TE: Daniel Fells
"Y" WR: Danny Amendola
"Z" WR: Josh Boyce
QB: Tom Brady
RB: Stevan Ridley
In this projection, there will be no hiding for Dobson or Boyce. They were drafted to add another dimension to this offense. They won't add anything if they are giving up playing time to the likes of Jenkins or Jones. As the Patriots did with Gronkowski and Hernandez, with (to a lesser extent) Ridley and Vereen, even Jones and Hightower... their young players need to get an early taste of NFL action. Sink or swim, baptized by fire.
The above projection is, arguably, the best 11 players the Patriots can put forth, minus Gronkowski. The Offensive line returns intact, Ridley looks primed to build upon a good season, Daniel Fells is the best HEALTHY Tight End after Gronkowski (Ballard is still working his way back), while the top receiving options fall to Amendola and the rookies.
I'm short on time but would love to discuss more... any thoughts? How do you see the offense taking shape come week 1, and why?
When your best player is your Quarterback, and when said Quarterback is easily top-5 all time and entering into the twilight of his career, the value of consistency cannot be made any greater. Unfortunately, after a turbulent offseason, the Patriots are entering 2013 with a whole new cast surrounding Tom Brady, lead by rookie receivers Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce.
It began with the departure of Wes Welker and Danny Woodhead. It then moved to the injury woes of Rob Gronkowski, the release of Brandon Lloyd, and then the ultimate arrest of Aaron Hernandez. In their stead, the likes of the rookies, Michael Jenkins, and Jake Ballard enter.
A little scary? Yes. But change has come, and with Brady in a race against time, the Patriots must be decisive with their next course of action regarding the offense. Their fabled 2 Tight End sets are no more (at least for this season), forcing yet another evolution in an already flexible Patriots offense.
Some will argue that the Patriots should bide their time, going ground and pound until Rob Gronkowski returns to action, relying on Ridley and Vereen while utilizing veteran receivers Amendola, Jenkins, and Boyce. I disagree. Much has been made of the Patriots shortcomings in the development of young Wide Receivers, but this is a season in which they can't afford to hide their rookies behind sub-par veterans. If they're going to flop, they should flop on the field, not in practice where they aren't receiving any meaningful reps.
How do I envision the offense going into week 1? Let me explain below (I will assume Gronkowski is on PUP / out for a few weeks).
"X" WR: Aaron Dobson
LT: Nate Solder
LG: Logan Mankins
OC: Ryan Wendell
RG: Dan Connolly
RT: Sebastian Vollmer
TE: Daniel Fells
"Y" WR: Danny Amendola
"Z" WR: Josh Boyce
QB: Tom Brady
RB: Stevan Ridley
In this projection, there will be no hiding for Dobson or Boyce. They were drafted to add another dimension to this offense. They won't add anything if they are giving up playing time to the likes of Jenkins or Jones. As the Patriots did with Gronkowski and Hernandez, with (to a lesser extent) Ridley and Vereen, even Jones and Hightower... their young players need to get an early taste of NFL action. Sink or swim, baptized by fire.
The above projection is, arguably, the best 11 players the Patriots can put forth, minus Gronkowski. The Offensive line returns intact, Ridley looks primed to build upon a good season, Daniel Fells is the best HEALTHY Tight End after Gronkowski (Ballard is still working his way back), while the top receiving options fall to Amendola and the rookies.
I'm short on time but would love to discuss more... any thoughts? How do you see the offense taking shape come week 1, and why?
