THE STATE OF THE PATRIOTS: WEEK 10 EDITION

                                        Let's hope Freeney can get this type of pressure on Brady

Tom Brady

Brady or Manning. That's been the greatest question for many football fans these past couple of years. The Colt D certainly has their work cut out for them. Brady will provide the biggest test, the Colts will face this year. With 2,364 passing yds, 16 td's, and 5 int's this guy has been on fire lately. In the beginning of the season many wrote him off with the lose to the Jets because he was coming off his season ending injury from last year. However, Tom Brady has put the Patriots back in the driver seat and has since gone on a 3 game winning streak. Randy Moss and Wes Welker do their part in helping him. However like Manning, Brady utilizes his running backs by passing and throwing screens rather than running. It will take the combined effort of Freeney, Mathis, and the whole Defense to stop Brady.

Watch out for the Key Match up pitting Dwight Freeney against rookie LT Sebastian Vollmer. They'll probably provide a double team to help him against Freeney.

                                                   Expect the Colts to shut him down

The Running Backs

The Patriots have many running backs. All of them can get the job done. They won't impress you with stats, yet they'll kill you when they break through in the toughest situations. These guys are known for their draw plays, screens, and catching on the run. They haven't changed at all from last year. With the exception of the injured Fred Taylor. Expect to see Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis. However, expect to see mainly Laurence Maroney rushing the ball. He's the Patriots top rusher with 347 rushing yds and 3 tds. It certainly doesn't help the fact he can gain 4.3 yds a carry. (Expect the Colt D to shut him down) Expect to see either Morris or Faulk catching a pass out of the backfield or running their staple draw play to move the chains.

                                                             The Deep Threat

Randy Moss

This doesn't look like a good match up for the Colt Secondary. (First Andre Johnson, now this?) Randy Moss is Brady's favorite target and he hasn't failed him so far. With 712 receiving yds and 5 td's, Moss is the Patriots deep threat. If the young Colt secondary can contain him. It will make things run more smoothly. If they contain Moss then they'll have to worry about the elusive Wes Welker. 568 receiving yds and 4 td's along with his tough running back mentally makes it hard to catch Welker. Also expect to see TE Benjamin Watson get in on the action around the end zone. We might also see a bit of Sam Aiken if things get to hot for Brady. Overall, expect Brady and these receivers to test the Colt Secondary to the fullest.

                                                           A product of weak Offenses?

The Defense

In a nut shell the Patriot defense looks good. They're actually holding teams down to 14 points a game and rank in the elite in almost all defensive categories. This year's Patriot defense looks different from last years. They cleaned out the old and drafted ALOT of young defensive players. Lets start off with the defensive line. With the surprising trade of Richard Seymour, the Patriot line is radically different now. We all know they run the 3-4 D, so lets hope the Colt O-Line did their homework. Expect to see Ty Warren and Myron Pryor with the help of Derrick Burgess to provide pressure. We'll also see Jeff Saturday go up against Vince Wilfork. ( This guys HUGE)That will be a great match up to watch. Moving on the the LB's. The Pats are loaded with them. (Senior Seau is back!) However, expect to see Pierre Woods, Jerod Mayo, Gary Guyton, and Adalius Thomas to try to confuse Manning and the O-Line with their 3-4 scheme. Now on to the Patriot secondary. Their secondary is lead by Bradon Meriweather. This hard hitting safety is the only bright spot in the Patriot Secondary. (It will be interesting to see how he handles Dallas Clark)  Manning should be able to expose this weakness. Overall, something tells me they haven't been tested. The Patriots might be in for surprise this coming Sunday.

Check out the Injury report straight from the Patriots Team Website

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Lets keep this post alive until next week when I analyze the Ravens