Keeping Tabs On The Enemy: New England Patriots

I think the starter will be Laurence Maroney.  Given the revelation that he was playing with a broken bone in his shoulder, I think he got a lousy shake last year and was unfairly labeled as fragile.  I'm somewhat ashamed to say I was among those involved in the chastising, but it wasn't entirely without merit given the lack of information (more on that below).  Shoulder aside, Maroney has a tendency to "bounce" off linemen rather than decisively slice through a hole, something Sammy Morris is very good at.  I've been a HUGE Sammy Morris fan, but he's 32 this year; we need Maroney to step up.

 

Kevin Faulk is, well, Kevin Faulk.  It's hard not to classify this guy as one of the most beloved Patriots in recent memory.  Always clutch, he's a scary third down specialist with great hands.  When we had backfield injury trouble in 2008, Kevin jumped in and would do what he needed to do.  Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis (nicknamed "Law Firm" because his name is so long) was a surprise.  Not a star, he certainly grew up fast and got some valuable reps in the process.  I could see him backing up Maroney in the future.

 

Fred Taylor is the wildcard in all of this.  He's got far more downhill/breakaway speed than the rest of the guys; it remains to be seen if he still has gas left in the tank.

As annoying as this will sound, Bill Belichick and the system he's put in place.  As much injury turmoil as we had in 2008, Belichick seemed to have navigated that pretty well, knocking on the door of an AFC East championship with a team ready for the orthopedic ward.  That being said, losing OC Josh McDaniels and FO star Scott Pioli doesn't seem to have moved us of course too much.  Nick Caserio, Director of Player Personnel and Pioli's replacement, seems to have been groomed from early on.  The same is true of Quarterbacks coach, Bill O'Brien.  Belichick will likely take on more offensive play calling duties, but Quarterbacks coach is usually the launching point for an OC job with the Patriots (same route McDaniels took).

 

As difficult as 2008 was, I believe it gave young guys some some valuable reps and will only add depth and youth to the roster.  Similar to the Colts' 2007 season, many of the reserve guys had to step up and start, giving them what all rookies or young guys lack: experience at an NFL level.

I thought the war room did an excellent job of finding value and picking in the right spots.  I was a little dismayed they didn't go after an OLB, but I'll have to have faith and believe they're smarter than me.  Chung will be huge, although it remains to be seen whether or not he'll take on a hybrid safety/linebacker role similar to Tank Williams; word is Chung sometimes struggles in space and works better in-the-box.  That being said, with the more than likely departure of Rodney Harrison, I hope he can pickup strict safety duties.

 

Out of all the picks, Darius Butler is my absolute favorite for a few reasons.  When we sent Ellis Hobbs to Philadelphia, we not only lost a serviceable CB, but we lost one of the better kick return guys in the NFL.  Butler was also used as a return guy in college, so I'm glad we were able to pull that one off.  As a CB, I'd like to see him develop into a ball hawk, something I believe we've missed since Asante Samuel.

 

Interestingly enough, I thought LS Jake Ingram at 198th overall was an excellent value pick.  Long snappers never get enough credit, but if the dude shanks a ball over the punter's head in the other team's territory, the game could be over.

The on-the-field answer would be CB Darius Butler.  However, CB is loaded with potential talent (vets Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden as well as second year guys Jonathan Wilhite and Terrence Wheatley).  It remains to be seen how much time Butler will see at CB, but I'd suspect he'll be kept busy with return duties.

 

The less obvious answer is DT Ron Brace; he'll have a HUGE impact on this season, but not for any obvious reasons.  Vince Wilfork is clearly the starting anchor in the center of the front three of our 3-4.  His contract is up at the end of 2009 and I believe Belichick and the FO grabbed Ron Brace for some depth and, maybe more importantly, leverage in contract negotiations with Wilfork.  A young guy gunning for his job could change things for Vince.  Maybe he'll play harder, who knows.

From a purely football business perspective, yes.  It means we have to face JT twice a year; Matt Light (in charge of protecting Brady's blind side) is not a happy man.  Taylor's been a beast against us in the past which is one of two reasons I believe Belichick went after him: a) Hoodie respects him as a player and b) take him away from a division rival.

 

From a purely humanistic perspective, no I wasn't disappointed.  If Mike Vrabel were to become available in the next few years, I couldn't see him ending his career in any other place but New England.  It's only fair I apply the same logic to Jason Taylor.  He belongs in Miami and he deserves to end his career there.

Miami.  Traditionally, they've given us fits, even during the Patriots' golden years.  I think they're very strong and also working off a lot of momentum as AFC East Division champions.  Even with Brady at the helm, I don't think you'll see another 2007 when it comes to Pats vs. Fins.

I would agree he's overhyped and I think the Jets are desperate for answers.  Teams like the Patriots and Colts know what the answer is: create a great system with great coaches, fill it with players who "fit", and the rest will take care of itself.  I'm constantly amazed at teams like the Raiders and the Jets who put all of their eggs in one basket (Vernon Gohlston anyone?) and scratch their heads when they can't seem to crack the playoff barrier.  A new head coach, a rookie quarterback...I think this is a "building" year for the Jets and I believe Sanchez will get his first taste of not being a star.

Can I have two, pretty please? ;-)  Given the Patriots' need for a strong, young ILB, I'd have to choose Gary Brackett.  Granted, he's an MLB in a Tampa-2 style D, but I don't think it'd be that much of a stretch to move to ILB in a 3-4.  Besides, pairing him with Jerod Mayo would be a lesson in silliness.

 

My number two would be Anthony Gonzalez.  He's young and already tremendously talented.  Putting Moss, Welker, and Gonzalez on the field at the same time would scare defenses crapless.

 

Ok, three: Dallas Clark.  I love the guy, when he's not playing against us, that is.  Of late, NE has rarely utilized their TE's for reception duties, opting for blocking type ends.  Clark would change all that.  There's nothing I like more than a big tight end steam rolling a little defensive back.

Third string QB Matt Gutierrez.  Dropped to the practice squad in 2008 behind Brady, Cassel, and O'Connell, he was only elevated because Brady went down.  FA QB acquisition Brian Hoyer looks to be an interesting 'Wildcat' prospect (apparently, he's quite the receiver, too) and I could see the Patriots cutting Gutierrez to clear space for Hoyer.

The defensive backfield.  In my mind, the NE defense of 2007 was able to ride the coat tails of a ridiculous offensive season, at least for the first half of the year.  We knew the offense would provide enough of a cushion to withstand a turnaround from most rival offenses.  The second half of the season, the Patriots' offense slowed and our defensive backfield struggled to maintain.  Our D was at the bottom of the list in many categories, yet the team still managed to win games.

 

If we were able to muster a strong defensive backfield for 2009, I think NE would be hard to stop.

Maybe become a Colts fan? ;-)  Seriously, pray Kevin O'Connell has been paying attention.  If he gets some more reps, he'll be pretty darn good.  He's got a rocket for an arm and is extremely mobile.  In college, he had more rushing yards than any of his teammates, even the RB's!  Apparently, his offensive line was so horrible, he was scrambling constantly.

 

Interestingly enough, this question ranks in the "Top 3 Questions to ask a Patriots Fan".  I find it interesting because I believe most franchises didn't think about it much until Brady went down.  Why?  Carrying two starter level quarterbacks is rare.  More often than not, they have egos and want to run their own show, not to mention tying up that much coin with two players (QB's don't come cheap).

I didn't sleep for two days.  The last few minutes of that game were some of the most painful minutes of football I've ever watched, no joke.  I try very hard to never pin a win or loss on one play (ex: Tyree catch), which is why I'm somewhat mystified OC Josh McDaniels and Belichick stuck with their original gameplan.  Throughout 2007, they were known for making adjustments at halftime, but didn't do it in the second half.  In the face of an offensive line breakdown, they should've realized Brady didn't have enough time to air it out like they'd done all season.  Instead, moving the chains with Welker and Faulk would've have been the prudent strategy.  Ahh, the "What If's" are endless.

 

That being said, we've been on the winning end of three close Super Bowls, so I know what it feels like to both lose a close one and snatch close ones away from the other team.  I like the latter.

La, la, la...NOT LISTENING...La, la, la...BIG FAT POOPY HEAD!!  Salt, wound, rub vigorously.  Ok, we're good.

 

If I take off my Pats fan cap, those last few minutes were a lesson in how to use all of your skills and march down the field.  I've said many times that the hurry up offense is one of the Colts' most powerful weapons and they used it to great advantage on that day.

 

Putting my Pats fan cap back on, I would most likely be unceremoniously tossed out of the "Chowdah Heads of Boston" if I didn't mention four trips to the Super Bowl with three rings and a 2-1 record in Pats vs. Colts playoff meetings (Shake's sharpening his pencil).  Ok, maybe you've made more trips to the playoffs, but whatever.  I have to represent for my fellow fans of Foxboro, right?

No doubt.  A Miami fan made a great point when I pointed out a majority of Pats fans think the rivalry with the Colts is one of our biggest.  To summarize, he felt it was mostly about the two best quarterbacks in the game, duking it out to prove who's the best.  As long as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are playing, Pats vs. Colts will be one of the best games of the year, no question.  The rivalry will be back in 2009 and I think stronger than ever.  Brady will have something to prove: 2007 wasn't a fluke.