2010 New England Patriots Season Preview

Patriots WR Randy Moss

The New England Patriots ended 2009 on a horrible note, getting lambasted by the Baltimore Ravens at home in the AFC Wild Card Game back in January.  Most of the blame fell on the apparent softness of the defense.  Many of the holes have been addressed through the draft, as first round pick Devin McCourty from Rutgers is making a case to start at cornerback.  Despite his lackluster performance in the last preseason game vs. the St. Louis Rams, McCourty has been solid in camp in the preseason, and could bring a physical presence that that Pats have lacked on the outside for quite some time. 

To solidify the run defense, the Patriots selected ILB Brandon Spikes from Florida.  A natural leader, Spikes’ stock fell in the draft due to his poor 40-yard dash as the scouting combine.  With that being said, his tenacity and play making ability has impressed the coaches, and he is the favorite to start next to ILB Jerod Mayo.  On the outside, Tully Bata-Cain and Derrick Burgess are back.  OLB Marques Murrell has joined the team as a 2-down OLB.  The pass rush has been spotty at best so far in the preseason.

The defensive line still has many questions however.  DE Ty Warren was lost for the season with a hip injury.  Vince Wilfork will still be the rock in the middle, but the rest of the line will more than likely be a pu-pu platter of former Cleveland Brown and Oakland Raider castoff Gerard Warren, Mike Wright, and BC’s own Ron Brace.  Brace has looked good in the preseason thus far, but is currently nursing a sprained ankle.3

The offense was also questioned heavily last year for being too predictable.  To solve this, Bill Belichick completely gutted the tight end position.  Ben Watson left for Cleveland, and was replaced by two exciting and promising draft picks in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. 

Gronkowski has already become a cult hero in the preseason with 3 TD’s.  He’s a huge target at 6’7”, and could give the Pats their best threat at the position since Ben Coates.  Hernandez has more of a receivers’ body, and could see time as an H-back.  You could draw many parallels with Hernandez and Indy’s Dallas Clark.  Randy Moss is still one of the best in the league, and Julian Edelman has made huge strides.  With Wes Welker also looking spry and healthy, the receiving corps looks solid.

The issues that could hinder the offense lie with the offensive line and the running game.  Pro-bowl guard Logan Makins is a holdout, and may have played his last game for the Pats.  He is being replaced by Dan Connolly, who has been good thus far.

As for the running game, it was not addressed in the offseason, as Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, and Sammy Morris will all be back, with no clue as to who will get the majority of the carries.  (Fantasy note:  do yourself a favor….don’t draft ANY of these guys!!)  Maroney’s status is also in question, as he hasn’t played in the last 2 preseason games. 

With all this being said, the potential is certainly there for the Pats to win 10 games and return to the postseason.  As long as Tom Brady is standing upright, they have a good a chance as any AFC team.

Tagged as: Aaron Hernandez, Bill Belichick, Brandon Spikes, Dan Connolly, Derrick Burgess, Devin McCourty, Fred Taylor, Jerod Mayo, Julian Edelman, Kevin Faulk, Laurence Maroney, Logan Makins, Marques Murrell, New England, New England Patriots, Patriots, Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski, Sammy Morris, Tom Brady, Tully Banta-Cain, Vince Wilfork, Wes Welker