NFL Camp Preview: New England Patriots
The Patriots were able to go 11-5 last season despite losing Tom Brady the first week of the season. The fact that the Patriots were able to scramble to 11 wins last season is just a testament to how good of an organization New England and how good of a coach Bill Belichick is. Most teams would have folded once they found out that their starting quarterback was about to be a former 7th round draft pick who had not started a game since his senior year in high school.
Despite winning eleven games the Pats missed out on the playoffs for the first time in six seasons and that has not set well with Belichick as the Pats went out and added key veterans to ensure they make it back to the playoffs this season. Brady is expected to be back and ready to roll by week one. However, if Brady goes down again this season the cupboard is bare in terms of a seasoned veteran backup as Cassel was shipped to Kansas City prior to the draft and are left with second year man Kevin O’Connell and third year man Matt Gutierrez as the backup quarterbacks. As long as Brady remains healthy and knocks off the rust early enough the Pats should regain their rightful place atop the AFC East.
Key Veteran Additions – Leigh Bodden (CB), Joey Galloway (WR), Shawn Springs (CB), Fred Taylor (RB), Greg Lewis (WR), Alex Smith (TE)
The Patriots secondary allowed a whopping 27 touchdown passes, 31st in the league, and intercepted just 13 passes so the team made the secondary a priority during the off season. The secondary will feature a pair of new starting corners with Ellis Hobbs being shipped to Philadelphia for a pair of 5th round picks and Deltha O’Neal being let go. Veterans Leigh Bodden and Shawn Springs were signed to man the corners for the Patriots this season.
At one time Springs was considered a top ten corner in the league but his career has seen better days and he has lost a lot of speed in quickness over the years due to leg and knee injuries. He is still solid, consistent player and can hang with most receivers.
Bodden is a solid cover guy with a knack for turning the ball over and is not afraid to step up in run support. He should flourish in the Pats’ Cover-2 coverage scheme.
Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis are expected to add some depth and compete for the 3rd receiver role vacated by Jabar Gaffney. Galloway struggled to stay healthy last season and only caught 13 balls for the Buccaneers last season but he is only a year removed from a 3rd consecutive 1,000 yard season, but, he is 37 and could very well be starting to show signs of his age. If healthy the Pats hope he can fill the role that Donte Stallworth did during the ’07 season. Lewis has pretty good downfield speed, but he was just never able to put it all together in Philadelphia and tends to drop some passes that he shouldn’t.
The Pats have grown weary of Laurence Maroney’s inability to stay healthy and brought in Fred Taylor from Jacksonville to compete for the starting job and add some depth to the running back stable. Taylor is also one year removed from a 1,000 (1,202) yard season but is also 33 and last season’s drop in production could be due to age or it could be due to playing behind a mediocre line in Jacksonville.
Alex Smith was signed to add depth to the tight end position and could push Ben Watson for the starting job.
Key Rookie Additions – Patrick Chung (S), Ron Brace (DT), Darius Butler (CB), Brandon Tate (WR/KR)
With Rodney Harrison retiring to the broadcast booth top pick Patrick Chung could be a candidate to replace him at free safety. Chung is solid in pass coverage and is not afraid to mix it up in run support and is one of those guys who plays faster than timed speed suggests. He is a very physical safety and loves to bring the thunder but his over-aggressiveness can lead to blown coverages and assignments at times.
Darius Butler is likely to be the nickel back but could be given an opportunity to win a starting job if Springs or Bodden are not up to snuff. Butler is a bit on the smallish side but he has good ball skills and closing speed in pass coverage. He just needs to be a bit more aggressive and not let his size be a detriment in coverage.
Beefy Ron Brace is a hulking run stuffer who will afford the Pats to give Vince Wilfork more rest during the season in an effort to keep him fresh for the late season playoff push.
Brandon Tate had the looks of an early Heisman contender and was on his way to being a first round prospect last season prior to blowing out his knee against UConn during the fifth game of the year. Prior to his injury Tate was a jack-of-all-trades averaging 23.5 yards per catch, 13.0 yards per carry, 22.6 yards per punt return, and 27.7 yards per kick return for the Tar Heels. If he is fully recovered from his knee injury Tate potentially gives the Pats a multi-talented weapon on offense who is capable of making the big play and is used to lining up all over the field. Tate, who also had 6 returns for touchdowns, could also give the Pats return game a shot in the arm with Hobbs being dealt to Philadelphia.
Key Position Battles
Laurence Maroney cannot seem to stay healthy, Sammy Morris is coming off the best season of his career but also has a history of injuries, Fred Taylor is the wrong side of 30 and coming off a down year so the question is who will be the starting running back behind Brady? Maroney is clearly the most talented of the three but he has a tendency to be a bit lazy and seems to avoid contact at all costs. Morris has the heart and determination but last season’s 156 carries were a career-high and he has never been able to show he can be the primary back over a 16-game season. If Taylor shows he has anything left in the tank he will likely begin the season as the starting running back. There is a school of thought that with Taylor, Morris, Kevin Faulk, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis on the roster that Maroney could get his walking papers if he does not step it up and the way his talent suggests he should.
Tight End Ben Watson’s numbers have steadily declined the past couple of seasons and the Pats have brought in Alex Smith to push him this summer. Smith is a solid receiver but has never been anything special to-date but he could push Watson to step his game up in camp.
Who is going to step into outside linebacker spot vacated when Mike Vrabel was dealt to Kansas City? The team is high on Shawn Crable’s talent and potential but he has yet to see any real game-time action and is likely to fill a reserve role for the upcoming season. The team loves Pierre Woods’ potential as well and he is considered the front runner heading into camp along with Tully Banta-Cain who registered 5.5 sacks in a reserve role for the Pats in 2006 before signing with the 49ers.
Who will the Third receiver be behind Randy Moss and Wes Welker? Lewis and Galloway are the two front runners with Tate being a darkhorse candidate if he is healthy. Galloway is the more talented and established of the two and if he is healthy and has anything left in the tank he is the likely #3 guy if not then Lewis is likely the guy with Tate being mostly a special teams player for the time being.
If the unthinkable happens and Brady goes down again who is going to fill Matt Cassel’s shoes as the backup? O’Connell and Gutierrez are the lone veteran quarterbacks on the roster after Brady. The team is said to be very high on O’Connell and think he has the chops to be a quality quarterback in the league if given the opportunity. Look for him to be listed as the backup QB on the opening day depth chart.
