NFL Team Previews: New England Patriots
My fourth and final team of my previews for the AFC East, the AFC runner-up New England Patriots. After a disappointing year (for the Patriots) last season, the Patriots, coached and general manged by Bill Belichick, they won the division, made it all the way to the AFC Championship game, just to lose to the eventual champion, the Denver Broncos. This year, the Broncos won't be the same, and it appears that the Patriots should be the AFC favorite, despite Tom Brady being suspended for the first four games (I'm not talking about that here, so please do not comment about it). In other words, once again, expectations are high.
DRAFT RECAP: Due to that thing that has to do with the air in footballs (that I'm still not talking about), the Patriots did not have a first round selection. However, they still had 9 picks, and their first was a CB from Alabama named Cyrus Jones. He has a real shot at legitimate playing time as the #3 corner for the Patriots, and should have a solid rookie campaign. They then selected G Joe Thuney, who is a versatile lineman and should be capable of playing multiple positions on the line. The pick that stands out to me the most, however, if WR Malcolm Mitchell from Georgia. He's a guy in the fourth round who has drawn comparisons to Hines Ward, and even if that doesn't pan out like expected, like a lot of drafted Patriots receivers outside of Julian Edelman, it's still worth a chance.
FREE AGENCY: The trade that had a lot of people talking over the offseason was when the Patriots acquired TE Martellus Bennett from the Bears. He's a guy who can finally find a way to complement Rob Gronkowski in the way Aaron Hernandez did in the past (not talking about that either). Then, to add fuel to the fire, they brought in TE Clay Harbor from Jacksonville, who has had a modest career at best, but is a solid pickup for a third tight end. The other pickup that stood out to me was DE Chris Long from the Rams, who had a down year last season. However, since the pressure is off him with Rob Ninkovich and Jabaal Sheard at DE, Chris Long probably turns into just a pass rush threat, which is his strength, and why he was taken 2nd overall. The Patriots also brought in LB Shea McClellin from the Bears, who had a career year and should be a very good backup linebacker. DT's Terrance Knighton and Markus Kuhn are nice value pickups and should have a chance to make an impact right away, and WR Nate Washington is a wide receiver who can stretch the field, unlike some of the other Patriots receivers.
PLAYERS LOST: DT Akiem Hicks going to the Bears was probably the biggest thing the Patriots lost in the offseason, but instead of paying him $5 million a season, they paid two guys for half the price combined. In other words, the Patriots know how to spend their money wisely, which is part of why they always are fighting for a Super Bowl. WR Brandon LaFell is the only other "loss", but he had a terrible season last year and they replaced him with WR Nate Washington, Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell. I think they'll be alright.
STRONGEST POSITION (besides quarterback): Normally, when you have the best player (by far) at a position, the gut feeling is to think that that is a big strength for your team. TE Rob Gronkowski is the best tight end in the game, and he is what is making this offense work so well. Sure, Tom Brady has other guys, but when Edelman and Amendola were out, the Patriots were still winning, and Gronk is always in the end zone. As if having the best tight end is not enough, you add in a starting caliber TE for most teams in Martellus Bennett. He had a down year and was bit by injuries and new coaching, but there is no reason he can't come back this year as good as ever.
WEAKEST POSITION: #5 receiver? #4 safety? It's that hard to find a legitimate weakness on this team. The offensive line isn't one of the best in football, but it's not a terrible line either. So, I've decided to use this section to determine who is the best RB in the backfield, since they have no true starter. Brandon Bolden and Donald Brown are decent backs, but the backfield ultimately comes down to LeGarrette Blount, Dion Lewis, and James White. None of these guys participated for a full season, and I think the Patriots need to eventually decide who is their go-to back on 2-minute situations or in overtime, etc. I think with Lewis' ability to run the ball and catch out of the backfield, plus having more speed than Blount makes him the guy that I'd want there.
FIVE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS TO THE PATRIOTS SUCCESS (besides Tom Brady): QB Jimmy Garoppolo, TE Rob Gronkowski, LB Jamie Collins, S Devin McCourty, DE Chris Long. I've explained why Gronk is important, but why I have those three defensive players is for this reason. If those guys reach their ceilings this season, this defense could be the best in football. The Patriots will always have a solid defense, but with a guy like Chris Long providing 10 sacks off the bench puts the Pats at a new level. S Devin McCourty is a leader in the secondary, and LB Jamie Collins missed four games last season but is the best LB on the Pats. Now, about QB: Tom Brady is obviously more important than Garoppolo, but I have Garoppolo here because how the Patriots do in the first four games is up to him, and one game can make the difference between wild card and division champion, and 2 games can make the difference from wild card to #1 seed sometimes. If Garoppolo is successful, the Patriots should be the #1 seed in the AFC. If not, they could (but probably won't) even be fighting for the division.
PREDICTIONS: Those first four games aren't the worst thing the Patriots could've had, but having a road game in Arizona to start the season is likely a loss even with Tom Brady. Then, you got 2 of the 3 divisional opponents at home sandwiching a home game with Houston. All three are winnable. However, without Tom, I think they will go 2-2 and lose one of those 3 games. After that, they'll be back to being the Patriots and probably finish 13-3, and in contention for the #1 overall seed, and possibly a run at another Super Bowl.
