My takes (this is all about where the players are to date, often made with the understanding that there's fluidity in the analysis) not a claim of permanence for every single player) for the offense. I've left off some of the backups:
- Andrews is a matchup and effort player who often struggles against size and power. He's a poor man's Koppen.
- Mason is the team's best interior lineman, and is a high level NFL guard. He's got to stay healthy, though
- Thuney is someone who's often been the team's weakest OL, but he may be turning that around a bit.
- Brown is about what we expected. His size makes him formidable, but speed can give him a problem.
- Cannon is a quality RT when healthy. Unfortunately, the 'when healthy' part is a real problem.
- Waddle's been awful. He's going to get Brady killed if he keeps playing at this level.
- Gronk is a bit of an unknown at this point. How much of his apparent decline is due to temporary injury is the critical question.
- Allen has been a good blocker, and pretty much a disaster as a receiver.
- Hollister has become this year's version of H.G. Wells' Griffin.
- James White continues to be James White. He's a very effective 3dRB who you don't want toting the rock beyond a bare minimum number of times.
- Michel, to date, has been what we all feared. He's been a less than inspiring first round RB pick who can't stay healthy.
- Burkhead flashes quality play, then heads to the injury list. He's not useless, but he's completely unreliable. Unfortunately, the Bengals seem to have been right about him, at least in that sense.
- Develin is Develin. If you want blocking, he's your man. If you want anything else, you'd best make it a surprise, and a low level priority.
- Patterson is who most of us thought he was. He's a gimmick player who is best used as the WR5 in general, but with a specific package of plays that gets him involved as a higher slotted player.
- JE11 is a guy coming off of ACL surgery and is well into his recovery but not yet at 100%, and he looks it.
- Gordon is a high level talent who's missed a lot of time and came over late in the game, and he looks it. He needs to work on his hands, as he's missing out on too many catchable passes.
- Hogan has not had the success most of us had hoped and expected, and the question is how much of that is on Hogan, and how much is external to his game. It seems that he's not getting the separation he'd gotten prior to this season, but there have also been times when he's been open but not targeted.
- Dorsett is the biggest of mysteries to me. He gets open. He catches the ball. He's not getting the snaps or targets that would seem to be warranted. What's the reason for that, though, is the question.
- Brady is still Brady, though he hasn't been MVP level. Most of that seems to be due to external factors, but he has not overcome that in quite his usual fashion.