New England Patriots Quick Hits

QB: Tom Brady Ready to play. ‘Nuff said.

RB: Fred Taylor* Intelligent, one-cut running style is an ideal fit for this offense. Won’t have enough carries for a 1,600-yard Corey Dillon-like season, but will be very, very stellar.

RB: Sammy Morris Perhaps the game’s best veteran RB that fans never talk about. Outstanding versatility. Has missed some action in three straight seasons, though.

RB: Laurence Maroney A broken shoulder in ’08 destroyed his manhood as a ballcarrier. Frequent injuries have pushed him out of favor with coaches.

WR: Randy Moss Is Brady back? Very well then….

WR: Wes Welker Over last two years has caught a league-high 223 balls – seemingly all within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage. The most consistent underneath receiver in football.

WR: Joey Galloway* Seeing a man with gray stuble run faster than most people drive never ceases to amaze. Pats will be happy if his reception total matches his age (38) by season’s end.

TE: Ben Watson Athleticism enables him to do everything this offense demands. Unfortunately, for him, that includes sharing time with other tight ends.

TE: Chris Baker* If his blocking is better than that of Dave Thomas and fellow new TE Alex Smith (and it most certainly is), then he’ll see regular action.

LT: Matt Light Good all-around quickness as a run-blocker. Survives as a solo pass-blocker, in part, because of Brady’s mastery in the pocket.

LG: Logan Mankins Working in the last year of his rookie contract. If he continues at his current level, he’ll have a case for Steve Hutchinson money.

C: Dan Koppen Gets overpowered by NT’s in phone booths, but does everything else in this system well.

RG: Steve Neal Strong arms and superb technique make him a valuable run-blocker.

RT: Nick Kaczur The weak link up front, though that’s more of a compliment to the other four guys.

6 OL: Sebastian Vollmer** Second-round rookie whose versatility could land him a swing tackle/third TE role in goal-line situations.

Defense (Coordinator: Dean Pees)

LDE: Ty Warren Coming off surgery on both his right and left groin. Can be a sturdy run-defender at less than 100 percent and an all-around BTP (Big Time Player) at full srength.

NT: Vince Wilfork Provides a monstrous push on every first and second down. In his contract year, can’t help but notice that the Pats just drafted NT Ron Brace in Round Two.

RDE: Richard Seymour Also in a contract year. A flawless run-defender coming off a career-high eight sacks. Pats need him to continue reaching the quarterback.

2 DT: Mike Wright Superb role player in this scheme. The reason he’s a backup and not a star like Seymour or Warren is he doesn’t have the raw athleticism to make stops while engaged with blockers.

3 DE: Jarvis Green Energetic and active are words usually designated for the non-bitter elderly. In this case, we’ll use them to describe a fine nickel defensive lineman.

LOLB: Pierre Woods The wild card. Good athlete, but just one career sack. (In case you’re counting, that’s 48 fewer than what Mike Vrabel had in his eight years here.)

LILB: Jerod Mayo Reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year could very well be Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year at this time next season.

RILB: Tedy Bruschi At 36, heavy feet are becoming an issue even against the run. If not for his expertise in this intricate system, he’d be gone by now.

ROLB: Adalius Thomas The only decent pass-rusher on the roster. Absolutely must stay healthy.

5 LB: Gary Guyton They’d be wise to move him into the starting lineup. Plays with remarkable all-around speed and occasionally exhibits the type of explosiveness that you can’t coach.

CB: Leigh Bodden* The last time he played in this scheme was for Romeo Crennel’s Browns in 2007, when he had six picks and got labeled by some as a Top 10 corner.

CB: Jonathan Wilhite Fourth-round pick in ’08 has shown encouraging signs of competence early on. Plenty to work on still; monitor his progress closely.

NB: Shawn Springs* Savvy veteran looking to prove he’s not washed up. If he is, Pats can turn to last year’s second-rounder, Terrence Wheatley, or this year’s second-rounder, Darius Butler.

SS: Brandon Meriweather Seems to be better when all the action is in front of him (i.e. at free safety). Must add strength to be a truly effective hitter near the box.

FS: James Sanders Average, but in a good way. Took less money to return here and be the elder statesmen of the secondary.

6 DB: Terrence Wheatley Had overcome some downs and was on an “up” when a broken wrist ended his rookie season.

Special Teams

K: Stephen Gostkowski Was successful on 36/40 field goals last season. Hasn’t kicked a Super Bowl game-winner yet, but Pats would still be smart to lock him up long-term.

P: Chris Hanson If Brady’s back then this position probably doesn’t matter.

RS: Kevin Faulk Known more for his almost spooky consistency on third downs. As a return artist, his best trait is Not Fumbling.

Andy Benoit
www.NFLTouchdown.com
Andy@NFLTouchdown.com