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.

Budding Rivalry

If Boston sports fans are irritated at seeing the New York Jets in Sunday’s AFC Championship game, they should quickly become used to the idea that the New England Patriots will more than likely finish behind Gang Green next season. While the Jets are seemingly riding a wave of confidence spurred by their boisterous rookie head coach, and the Patriots suffer from an apparent “lack of leadership”, the truth is that the differences in the two franchises are much deeper.

Truth #1 – The Jets have drafted better than the Patriots in the last 4 years
The Patriots’ draft philosophy has always been to accumulate as many draft picks as possible to gain depth on their roster, but in the last few years there have been many misses. In the last 4 drafts, the Pats have picked up only 3 legitimate NFL starters, in Jerod Mayo, Brandon Merriweather and Sebastian Vollmer. Only 3 out of 38 total picks. Busts include Laurence Maroney and Chad Jackson. So many choices, so little return.

In contrast, since 2006, the Jets have picked up arguably the best corner in the league in Darelle Revis, two pro-bowl caliber offensive linemen in D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, two developing offensive weapons in running back Shonn Greene and tight end Dustin Keller, not to mention their franchise quarterback Mark Sanchez. Also in this mix is tow solid player in DB Dwight Lowery and LB David Harris, as well as third down-back Leon Washington, and return man Brad Smith. All this was done with just 23 picks.

Truth #2 – The Jets have had a bigger impact from their free agents
When the Patriots signed LB Adalius Thomas in 2007, they believed they were getting an all-around stud. Instead, they ended up with a malcontent whose best year was 2007 recording 6.5 sacks.

He had 11.5 with Baltimore the previous year. Also billed to be able to play inside, New England had to keep signing Junior Seau for Thomas’ inability to do so. Thomas will more than likely but released this offseason. Other free agent busts that come to mind include CB’s Deltha O’Neal and Shawn Springs. In fairness to New England, the signing of Leigh Bodden was a solid move.

In the past 2 years, the Jets managed to pick up LB’s Calvin Pace and Bart Scott who have helped the Jets’ defense become the best in all of the NFL. They are both fairly young (29) and should be able to keep the Jets in contention for the next few years.

Truth #3- The Patriots best players aren’t getting any younger or healthier
Next year, Tom Brady will be entering his 11th season and will turn 33. Randy Moss will be in his 13th year and also turn 33. Kevin Faulk will be 34, and Wes Welker, although young at 29, will be returning from ACL and MCL surgery.

Even Bill Belichick is getting up there as he approaches 60. The Jets top playmakers such as Revis and Greene seem to be entering their prime, while the Patriots’ best are entering their twilight years. This is a young man’s game. If New England does not get smarter about their personnel choices this year, and replenish their corps with legitimate young talent, winning the AFC East may be the least of their worries.