2013-2014 Pats Positional Primer: Part 1

How's that for alliteration?

Football season is upon us ladies and gentlemen! The Patriots played their final preseason game tonight and will trim the last fat off of a roster that, in some ways, is much improved over last season. They lost some key players and have made some nice additions to their team that will, in the long term, reap great benefits. Let's take a look at the offensive side of the ball as there were some extremely interesting and controversial signings there.

The average Pats fan will hem and haw, repeatedly about the loss of Wes Welker and how it was a terrible move for the franchise. "Why the hell did they let Welkah, go? I swayah that Belichick is frickin' retahded sometimes." I assure you that's not the case. If Welker's replacement, Danny Amendola, can stay healthy, he will be better than Wes in a lot of ways. He's 27 years old which is 5 years younger than the former slot receiver. He's not listed as being taller than Welker but when you see him on the field, he definitely looks substantially larger in stature than the diminutive #83. He's faster. You can see that he hits his top end speed much quicker than Welker ever did coming out of cuts. He's more elusive than Welker. Hell, as it stands right now he even has better hands than the former Pats receiver as Welker had the sixth most dropped passes in the NFL last season with 9. It's silly to think that Brady and Amendola will have the amazing rapport that Welker and Brady shared right out of the gate but, over time, that may be exactly what they share. It remains to be seen whether or not Danny can stay healthy for an entire NFL season though. Amendola carries the stigma of being a injury prone player but I tend to think that's a little exaggerated considering the freakishness of his injury last season. Danny was forced to have season ending clavicle surgery last season after breaking it in a game and having the clavicle pop inward instead of outward which caused it to come within millimeters of puncturing his trachea and aorta. The jury is still out as we move into the final week of the preseason but if all things go as we hope they will, Amendola will be a huge contributor right out of the gate as the Patriots number 1 receiving target.

You may have heard, and if you haven't then I may ask if you've been living under a rock all summer, that the Patriots signed quarterback Tim Tebow this off season. So many people make a huge deal over this signing because of who he is and the media circus that he brings to the team. In reality, he's nothing more than a third string quarterback who will never see any time on the field this season. No, they aren't going to create a separate playbook to incorporate him into the offense. For all you people that think they are going to draw up trick plays for him and he's going to see some time on the field. That's just not going to happen. The Pats aren't going to waste valuable practice time, and take time away from Brady's preparation, so they can work this guy into the offense. At MOST, he'll help the team in practice prepare for scrambling quarterbacks when they have one coming up on the schedule. He'll sit on the bench, probably pray a couple times a game and get way more camera time than he deserves. I'm not by any means a Tebow apologist as I think that there are probably 20 or more free agent quarterbacks that could come in right now and be a more productive backup than him. Who knows, this may be one of those pride moves for Belichick where he wants to prove he can make something of a man that nobody else could. I just don't think it's worth crucifying (see what I did there?) Belichick over. If I've learned anything over the years, it's that I trust the man in charge. (Note that as I write this, there is a very good chance that Tebow could be cut before the season begins next Sunday)

As we're coming out of preseason I've been thinking about who the key contributors at every position will be and what the depth charts will look like heading in to the season. Offensively this is how I see things shaking out.

Quarterback: Tom Brady, Ryan Mallet, Tim Tebow
Tom Brady is Tom Brady. The guy is coming off of one of his best seasons he's ever had throwing for 4,827 yards, 34 touchdowns and a sterling 8 interceptions. The guy is like a fine wine. He get's better with age. This season will certainly have a learning curve in the early stages with all the new faces Tom will be throwing to but once they get some games under their belt, expect much of the same from Brady and the Pats. If we've learned anything from him in the past, Tom Brady makes it work regardless of who he is throwing the ball to and in most cases, he makes the players he's throwing to look like All-Pros. This is a make or break season for Ryan Mallet. He's not going to get many glimpses of game action unless, God forbid, Brady goes down for some reason, so it'll be hard to evaluate exactly how the 3rd year backup has progressed. He has been mentioned by many media outlets as a guy that could be traded for by a team that needs a starting quarterback and I'm not exactly sure he proved he can come in a be that guy for a team.
Brady projected stat line: 4,650 yds, 38 TDs, 10 INT
Mallet projected stat line: Let's hope he doesn't have one

Offensive line: LT Nate Solder, LG Logan Mankins, C Ryan Wendell, RG Dan Connolly, RT Sebastian Vollmer
Not much has changed here. Third year man Nate Solder is protecting Brady's blindside for a second straight season. You didn't hear a whole lot about him last year and I guess that's a good thing considering it means he wasn't doing anything wrong. He was sound and athletic on the edge, and much improved from his rookie season. He'll look to build on that this year. Mankins is the quintessential guard. An absolute mauler who loves nothing more than smashing the face of the defender in front of him. He's the unquestioned leader of this line and provides excellent pass and run support. An important cog in this offensive line is Vollmer. When he's healthy, he's one of the best right tackles in the NFL, but he seems to be one of those guys who always contracts a nagging injury that keeps him out way longer than you think it should. If this line can stay healthy, it will continue the trend of being one of the top 5 offensive lines in the NFL.

Running backs: Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, LeGarrette Blount, Leon Washington, Brandon Bolden
Ridley is entering his third NFL season and his second as the feature back of this offense. He broke out last season amassing 1,263 rushing yards, 18 total touchdowns and a 4.4 yards per carry average. He's not overly flashy but he proved last year he's someone whom you can give the ball to consistently between the tackles on first and second down and will take care of the football. Shane Vereen is one of my key players to watch this year. Danny Woodhead was shown the door in free agency as he bolted to the Chargers and Vereen will fill his spot as the third down, pass catching back seamlessly. Vereen has the skillset to be a weapon out of the backfield and make you forget Danny Woodhead was even a human. Vereen has exceptional hands and top end speed making him a huge asset in the passing game and a player that Brady will look to often. Blount adds an interesting wrinkle into the Pats running game as he's something they haven't really had in the past few seasons; a real power back. Blount is a monster of a running back and hardly ever gets taken down by the first tackler. He'll be used in short yardage and goal line situations and should be a very useful runner out of the backfield. Washington has the reputation as one of the best kick returners in the NFL and that's mostly where you'll see him used, but don't be surprised if you also see him catching some passes out of the backfield and spelling Shane Vereen.
Ridley projected stat line: 1,215 yds, 10 rushing TDs, 3 receiving TDs 4.6 yards per carry.
Vereen projected stat line: 425 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs, 410 receiving yards, 4 receiving TDs
Blount projected stat line: 360 yds, 6 TDs

Wide receivers: Danny Amendola, Kenbrell Thompkins, Julian Edelman, Aaron Dobson, Josh Boyce, Matthew Slater
Danny Amendola is going to be the key guy here. As I stated above he is going to be Welker's replacement and even more because I've heard that he'll be lining up a lot outside of the numbers as well as inside, which brings more versatility to his role. He's sure handed and from all accounts a fast learner so I expect him to have a huge season as the Patriots go-to wideout. Rookie Kenbrell Thompkins is a fantastic story. Kenbrell is a former juvenile delinquent and drug dealer who decided to clean his act up, go to the University of Cincinatti and take this football thing seriously. Signed as an undrafted rookie, the six foot receiver has burst on to the scene impressing the coaching staff and hurdling over several other rookies who looked to be ahead of him going into training camp. He's quickly earned the trust of Tom Brady and has had some great games and flashes in the preaseason which lead me to believe he'll be the wide receiver lining up on the outside opposite Danny Amendola. Julian Edelman will see a huge amount of time in the slot and be the shifty, run after the catch receiver we've seen him be in the past. Injury is something Edelman has to avoid this year as Brady will be depending on him more heavily now, than in years past. Aaron Dobson, the Patriots second round draft pick is a 6'3, 210 lb specimen at the wide receiver spot. He has freakish hands and leaping ability that will undoubtedly make for some highlight reel catches this year, much like this one from his senior year at Marshall: "The Catch". He could very well finish this season as the second or third best wide receiver on the team. Josh Boyce is a strong, compact rookie wideout from TCU who can come in and do some special things in this offense. He provides the team something they have lacked in recent years, a guy with 4.30 speed that can get down the field. I expect him to be utilized on a lot of deep routes, and screen passes as he can be dangerous after the catch in the open field.
Amendola projected stat line: 89 rec, 1,100 yds, 6 TDs
Kenbrell Thompkins: 56 rec, 840 yds, 5 TD
Julian Edelman: 50 rec, 660 yds, 3 TD
Aaron Dobson: 40 rec, 520 yds, 4 TD
Josh Boyce: 35 rec, 410 yds, 3 TD

Tight Ends: Rob Gronkowski, Jake Ballard, Zach Sudfeld
The legend of Gronk continues on to another season. Unfortunately this season it begins with Gronk sidelined as he recovers from a broken wrist and offseason back surgery. When he returns, you should expect him to quickly take back his role as the best tight end in all of football. Maybe not right away, but the man is a freak of nature and I wouldn't put anything past him. To start the season, you'll see a lot of Jake Ballard and Zach Sudfeld. Ballard was an up and coming TE for the Giants before tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl against the Patriots which put an abrupt halt to his development. He has good hands an athleticism for a guy that stands at 6'7 and is also proficient in the blocking game. Sudfeld is a very interesting prospect. From what I've seen so far he has a lot of the unteachable tools that Gronk has on the field. He's extremely athletic and adjusts very well in the air to make difficult catches look easy. Also, much like Gronk, he is very strong in the blocking game and will be a huge contributor in that area of the game as that's one of the best ways to get on Belichick's good side.
Gronkowski projected stat line: 50 rec, 700 yds, 5 TD
Ballard projected stat line: 30 rec, 290 yds, 2 TD
Zach Sudfeld: 30 rec, 350 yds, 3 TD

If all goes according to plan, and it rarely does, that's how I see it playing out. Obviously injuries, cuts, and whatnot will follow this final preseason game but I think this offense, while slightly young and inexperienced, has the potential to do some special things. It may take them a couple weeks to get into the full swing of things, but I would expect them to be the same high octane offense they usually are and put up 30+ points a game. They could possibly be a little more run oriented than we've seen in the past as they have a pretty special stable of running backs, but overall this offense will be a force to be reckoned with.

Keep your eyes peeled for my next piece where I take a look at the defensive side of the ball and what you should expect from your beloved Patriots in that area.

Be well.

-ZHawk

Tom Brady: International Man of Awesome

This Sunday, from the coastal shores of Indianapolis, Indiana, the Super Bowl with the greatest amount of buildup since last years edition will take place. This game will provide Boston and New England sports fans with what we have sorely wanted for two weeks:

A chance for Tom Brady to make everyone shut their over-indulged, gaping wind holes.

I have had to listen to people like Mike Lupica provide what can be loosely described as "journalistic fellatio" on Eli Manning. Look, I get it. The Giants have been hot recently. They have turned a stellar 9-7 season in the increasily awful NFC East into a Super Bowl trip. Commendable on their part, I will give them that credit.

But here is where I have a bone to pick. The New England Patriots have spent the past two weeks hearing nothing but how awesome the Giants are. Frankly, the coverage in and of itself makes me want to vomit with the fire of a thousand suns, but I am glad that it went down this way and not the other way around. Dissing the Patriots and basically turning them into underdogs everywhere except the Vegas sportsbooks is akin to poking a murderous grizzly bear with a stick. Eventually, it will come back to bite you in the ass and most likely remove your head from the shoulders at some point.

Oh lord am I glad that it happened this way. While people like Aaron Ross, Justin Tuck, and Brandon Jacobs are galavanting about the media declaring themselves world football champions, Tom Brady is stewing in a darkened room somewhere in the Indianapolis city limits, picking apart Prince Amukamara's schoddy cornerbacking ability and finding holes in a Giants team that, although you wouldn't know it, lost SEVEN games along the way.

Now I know I will hear "Give it a rest, J-Lang. The Giants beat them in the regular season," or "This is basically the same team that lost the big one to the Giants in '07". Save your breath, you sanctimonious windbags. And whomever was the asshole who said "The Giants will beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI because they beat basically the same team in 2007" should have his media credentials revoked and swiftly removed from their job. How lazy do you have to be to make a prediction based on nothing? A trained Koala with basic means of research could've made a better prediction than that.

Back to Brady. I am glad to have him as the Patriots' quarterback, and not someone of lesser spine and cojones. Give me a man who's hungry to prove his detractors wrong. A man who constantly has had a chip on his shoulder. A man who is backed into a corner and has to fight his way out to save himself and his team. I will take that any day of the week and thrice on Sundays over Archie Manning's pampered third son.

Speaking of Eli Manning: how offended do you think Peyton was at the fact that someone questioned who is the best quarterback in the Manning family? Christ Eli strings together three good playoff games and you'd think he came from the seed of God himself. Has no one watched Peyton play football ever? As much as I am a huge Brady fan and don't like Peyton, I would pick him over Eli. Come on. Talking heads abound think this is an actual question.

Say what you want. But on Sunday when Tom Brady is guiding the Patriots staunch aerial attack through Hermie the Elf's Da Vinci Code defense like the great conqueror Alexander throughout Europe and Asia, don't say I didn't tell you so.

After Sunday, I am hoping that I will be able to listen to people like Mike Lupica try to spin their nonsensical verbiage at me about how Brady didn't win the game and that Eli lost it. Come find me. I'll greet you with a simple smile and handshake.

Patriots 30, Giants 17.

Go Pats.

J Lang

Did You Hear The Pats Are Playing The Giants This Weekend?

After a brief hiatus from the blogosphere in honor of the Super Bowl week off, ok so maybe I just wasn’t feeling very inspirational at the moment but either way, I’m back and ready to bandy about how I think Super Bowl XLVI between YOUR New England Patriots and the New York Giants will unfold.

If you’re reading this post currently there’s a good chance that you are aware of the fact that the Patriots and Giants squeaked by the Ravens and 49ers, respectively, a week and a half ago in the AFC and NFC Conference championship games. The Pats and Giants wins resulted in a rematch of the infamous Super Bowl XLII tilt. Again as most of you probably know the undefeated, 18-0, Patriots came into that game seeking to become only the second team ever to run the table, along with the ’72 Dolphins right Mercury Morris?, and the first ever team to go 19-0. The Giants came into that Super Bowl led by an enigma at QB who symbolized the entire vibe of that team all year long, a solid ground game, a stellar front four defensively, a coach who defined the word disciplinarian, and an upset of the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre at Lambeau Field in -23 degree wind chill. Not to reopen old wounds for Patriots fans but we all know how that game turned out: David Tyree made the only catch of his career on his helmet and the Giants ended the Patriots season with a defeat 17-14.

Most of the media figureheads in the past week and a half have been attempting to link the outcome from Super Bowl XLII to a prediction for Super Bowl XLVI and let me tell you right now don’t waste your time. The only bearing that that game from 4 years ago is going to have on this game is that Brady is realizing he might not get many opportunities to be back on the big stage. I don’t think he could care less whether the Pats were going to be play the 49ers or the Giants all he seems focused on is tying Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw at 4 rings apiece. That would move him permanently into the pantheon of winners with the ability to possible reach the summit and be crowned as the winnest QB ever. On the line for Eli Manning is the possibility to grab his 2^nd ring, one more than his much more lauded older brother Peyton has, and pour a little more concrete mix on his candidacy for Canton and football immortality. I think if he can take down the Patriots for the 2^nd time on football’s biggest stage he’ll stand a pretty damn good chance of getting elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But enough about the QBs and their legacies lets take a look at what I think are the major keys to this game (in no particular order I’m just working stream of conciousness over here):

How effective will the Giants vaunted front 4 be against the Patriots solid offensive line and subsequently how well will the Giants Swiss cheese offensive line be able to slow down Vince Wilfork? To me personally the biggest wildcard in this game is Jason Pierre-Paul. JPP had a year for the ages racking up 80 tackles from the DE position to go along with 16.5 sacks. When he came out of college he was labeled as a very raw talent who didn’t start playing football until he was 16 and in just two years he’s morphed into possibly the premier defensive lineman in football behind maybe only Jared Allen out in Minnesota. His athleticism is unreal and makes Jevon Kearse (the original freak) look like a slouch. He is the key to whether or not Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck are matched up one-on-one with an opportunity to disrupt the Patriots horizontal passing attack. If the Patriots are forced to constantly double team JPP or run plays away from his side because he’s wreaking mass quantities of havoc then the Giants stand a good chance of holding the Patriots offense to a score far south of 30.

On the other side of the coin though is the beast Vince Wilfork. He singlehandedly won that game for the Patriots against the Ravens by making 8 or 9 plays that made your jaw hit the floor with his ability to occupy two sometimes three blockers and STILL get to the ballcarrier in the backfield or grab a hold of QB Joe Flacco. When Wilfork gets playing like that it’s easy to see why he’s considered one of the elite defensive lineman in football. He’s an absolute load and I don’t see David Baas who got injured against the 49ers and will not be 100% being able to slow him down for very long. The rest of the Patriots defensive line is also quite underrated from Brandon Deaderick to Kyle Love. The matchup in the trenches will, like it usually does, play a major role in the outcome of this game. I’d give an edge to the Patriots slightly due to the Giants porous offensive line.

The next key is will Rob Gronkowski be ‘The Gronk’ or will he be more of a decoy? Don’t read into the fact that he hasn’t practice yet since the AFC Championship game. Belichick knows that his sprained ankle needs maximum time to heal and it’s not like Gronkowski doesn’t know the offense or hasn’t gotten enough reps throughout the year. He’ll be fine mentally, well as fine as Gronk can be mentally, on Sunday the real question is what form of Gronk are we going to see? The beast who set a single season record for TDs and receiving yards by a TE or an injured decoy who has to leave all the production to the TE position to come from Aaron Hernandez? Hernandez getting all the production isn’t a bad alternative since he’s a matchup nightmare but he’s made that much more effective by Gronk’s ability to run the seam route to perfection. Gronkowski opens up the underneath for Welker and Hernandez to do what they do best and that’s get yards after the catch. Gronk is also Tom Brady’s binky. When things get tough he knows he can just lob it up to the physical phenom at TE and he’ll reel it in 95% of the time and if not it’ll fall incomplete. Gronkowski is on pair with Pierre-Paul physically in that he has revolutionized how people look at the TE position. He can stay in as a mauler on the offensive line due to his size being equivalent to that of a tackle but he can also run good routes and has the hands of wide receiver. The Patriots need at least 85% of the Gronkowski they had during the regular season if they want to be able to put up big numbers against the Giants. The Patriots passing attack is predicated on Gronkowski stretching the field somewhat vertically to allow the little guys to work underneath. I also believe that it’ll be imperative for Deion Branch to look like the Deion Branch of old and help pick up some of the slack that’s bound to occur with Gronkowski’s ankle injury. Branch is more than capable of snagging 5 or 6 balls for 80 to 90 yards and helping keep the Giants defense honest.

The last key to the matchup that I’m going to discuss before throwing out a final score prediction is whether or not Belichick truly plans to use the same philosophy on the Giants offense as he did against the Rams ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ offense back in February 2002. In that game Belichick basically instructed his defensive backs to mug the Rams receivers at the line and for his LBs and Ss to punish Marshall Faulk every time he touched the ball. The Giants are built somewhat similar to that 2002 version of the Rams with Eli Manning having a career year throwing the ball to his All-Pro and breakout of the year #1 WR Victor Cruz and #1a Hakeem Nicks. The Giants don’t run the ball extremely well but Brandon Jacobs is a bruiser who can wear the defense and Ahmad Bradshaw is a good slasher out of the backfield who is dangerous as a receiver.

Belichick stated in an interview over the weekend that he intended to use the likes of Julian Edelman to attempt to disrupt the Giants wide receivers at the line with his CBs actually playing the safety position per se picking up the wide out after they’ve been bumped at the line. It’s an interesting strategy to put the physical safeties, or in Edelman’s case Jack of all trades, up at the line to disrupt the receivers and then allow the corners who can’t beat either wideout in a foot race to pick up the slack and cover them the rest of the way downfield. If Cruz and Nicks are allowed to run free off the line of scrimmage and head downfield then I think the Patriots defense is in for a tough battle. The Giants receiving corps is a much more potent unit then the one the Patriots faced in 2008 and if they are given the chance Eli and Company will prove it on Super Sunday. I am a fan of the idea of the Patriots attempting to rough up the Giants slippery wide receivers because I think it’s a better strategy then allowing Kyle Arrington and Devin McCourty to attempt to lockdown Cruz and Nicks when we all know they won’t be getting much help from the safety position. Patrick Chung is a run stopper not a coverage guy and the other safety position is a revolving door of guys who can’t cover. In my book physical is the way to go against this Giants attack.

Final Prediction for the game: Patriots 31, Giants 24

I think they Patriots are going to be able to exact some revenge, more for the fans than for themselves considering almost the entire team from the 18-1 season is gone, and put up over 30 on the Giants shaky at times brilliant at others defense. In my mind 30 is the key if the Patriots score over 30 I think they’ve got it in the bag if they are held south of that number then you may just see the Giants upset the Pats, though most people in New York seem to think a Patriots win would be an upset, for the 2^nd time in 4 years. Expect offense folks and for the Patriots not to allow the Giants front four to pressure Tom Brady nearly as much in the ‘rematch’ allowing him to have a big day and claim that 4^th Super Bowl ring. Until we cross paths again.

Geoff Jablonski

The NFL Final Four

And then there were four…

The NFL season has been going on now for a calm, cool 18 weeks and week 19 is here to determine who will square off in the big one: the Super Bowl at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The conference championship games will be played this Sunday with the AFC pitting the Baltimore Ravens against the New England Patriots and the NFC showcasing the New York Giants at the San Francisco 49ers at 3 and 6:30 PM, respectively. The games will be taking place as far away as possible with the Patriots and 49ers playing host to some hostile guests. Since there are only two matchups on the docket for this weekend each blogger has provided not only a pick of who will win each game but a score as well for all you degenerate gamblers out there wondering whether or not to take the points or the over/under. The favorites will have the amount they favored by in parentheses with the over/under being listed below.

(2) Baltimore Ravens at (1) New England Patriots (-7.5) Over/Under: 50.5 pts

This game is a rematch of the 2009 playoff matchup that sent the Patriots into their two-year playoff-losing spiral. The Ravens drubbed the Pats 33-14 with Ray Rice setting the pace early by scampering for a 83-yard TD run on the first play from scrimmage. It only got worse from their for the hometown Patriots as Tom Terrific only completed about half his passes for 154 yards, 2 TDs, and 3 INTs. Joe Flacco only completed 4 passes for 34 yards on that fateful day but it didn’t matter as Ray Rice ran for 159 yards on 22 carries and 2 of the Ravens 4 TDs on the ground. One major factor that people tend to forget about that horrific loss by the Patriots is that Wes Welker didn’t play in that game after blowing out his ACL during a meaningless week 17 matchup with the Houston Texans. The Patriots were a one-dimensional team then and they are now but without Welker they couldn’t even be one-dimensional.

What does that playoff defeat by the Patriots have to do with the week’s matchup? Well, it has a good amount to do with it because I’m sure that stinging defeat is going to be fresh in the minds of multiple Patriots who were embarrassed on their home field by a very similar Ravens team only two years ago.  Tom Brady is a man on a mission right now knowing that if he can get back to the Super Bowl and win it that’ll put him in the upper echelon of the all time great QBs along with the only other two men to win 4 Super Bowls: Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw. Brady is fully aware of his legacy and knows that he has a chance to do something few others have ever had the chance of doing. If he can win on Sunday and propel his team to the Super Bowl he’ll be making his 5th Super Bowl start in a 10-year period. The only other person who has made 5 Super Bowl starts is John Elway and he did that over a 12-year period. Brady has a chance to cement his place in the pantheon of great QBs and I don’t see him letting an aging but still dangerous Ravens defense stand in his way.

For the Ravens the key is taking Hernandez out of the game. With his newfound skills as a running back Hernandez has become even more of a dynamic threat. Hernandez has become the absolute matchup nightmare for defensive coordinators between his ability to lineup in the backfield, run like a wide receiver, and muscle defenders off the ball like a tight end a la Gronk. He is the perfect complement to both Gronkowski and Wes Welker. The Ravens are exceptional at stopping the run thanks to a solid linebacking corps and the two-headed monster up front of Haloti Ngata and Cory Redding. In the passing game however the Ravens defense isn’t as formidable as past years. The cornerback position has become somewhat of a revolving door with LaDarius Webb being the only recognizable name and at safety Ed Reed still is a ball hawk like no other but he isn’t the same Ed Reed as two years ago. Injuries to his hips and ankles have helped slow him a little bit. Don’t underestimate this group though they can still hold any offense under 24 points and keep the offense in the ballgame. Speaking of the offense…

The Ravens offense starts and ends with Ray Rice. He’s the team’s leading rusher and leading pass catcher. For all the things Joe Flacco isn’t the one thing he can most certainly do is throw the ball deep to rookie WR Torrey Smith. Smith hauled in 7 TD receptions this year and they were all of the long bomb variety. Anquan Boldin is still a threat that needs close monitoring between the 20s but he isn’t much of a red zone threat. If TEs Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta sit down in the soft spots in the zone and make catches they can cause some problems too but in the end it all comes down to Rice. It’s up to the Patriots patchwork defense to keep Rice from grounding and pounding them into the ground and working the clock against the Patriots. If Rice and the Ravens can get some traction early and keep the ball out of Brady’s hands while putting up some points then the home team could be in for a long dog fight. This ballgame will come down to who can contribute more on the offensive side of the ball: Ray Rice or Tom Brady.

Picks: Geoff – NE 31-17, Norton – NE 27-17, Lang – NE 35-17, ZHawk – NE 34-21

(4) New York Giants at (2) San Francisco 49ers (-2.5) Over/Under: 42 pts

In the nightcap the New York GMen will be making the long cross-country flight out to the city of hills San Francisco. To no surprise to any football fan out there the Giants for like the 10th consecutive season did their best to be named football’s Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. You never know what you’re going to get from them when they step on the football field. Are they the team that unseated the number one seed and overwhelming favorite 15-1 Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field or the squad that got blown out much worse than the score shows in a 23-10 home game against the ghastly Washington Redskins? The Giants had an up and season to say the least finishing at 9-7 scraping into the playoffs as the NFC East champion after the Cowboys shit the bed down the stretch. The Giants started 6-2 after beating the Patriots in Foxboro then fell to 7-7 after the abysmal loss to the ‘Skins and now are slight favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl (bettors side note: though the 49ers are ‘favored’ by 2.5 pts that technically means the Giants are favored by a half a point because every home team is generally given a 3 point cushion at home).

The 49ers on the other hand have been the model of consistency all year long. They were 6-2 on the road, 7-1 at home. They won blowouts and they won close games that came down to the wire. They’ve won ball games by playing stellar defense against both the run and the pass, they didn’t give up their first rushing TD on the year until week 17, and hoarding the ball on offense while allowing David Akers to kick mass quantities of field goals. For the most part the 49ers don’t put up big points with QB Alex Smith going from bust to turnover free game manager this year basically working carefully between the 20s. Their biggest threats on the offensive side of the ball are RB Frank Gore, when he’s healthy, WR Michael Crabtree, whose really come on as of late, and physical freak TE Vernon Davis. Davis was a force to be reckoned with against the Saints last week and if he can play like that again this week then watch out below Giants’ fans. If the 49ers get the ground game working early and open up some holes for Smith to pick apart a decimated Giants secondary it could be a good day for 49ers fans to start dreaming of a trip to Indianapolis, never thought I’d ever say anyone is ‘dreaming’ of Indianapolis but this year all four of these teams are.

The key to this game for most people though is, again, what version of the Giants is going to walk out onto the field Sunday evening (afternoon out west) at Candlestick Park? If the Giants team that has been steamrolling through the playoffs shows up the 49ers defense better be their usual dominant selves or else the Niners’ offense is going to be forced into a shootout for the second straight week. They barely survived last week against the ultimate track meet champion New Orleans Saints and I don’t know if rookie coach Jim Harbaugh has enough bullets in the chamber to succeed two weeks in a row by deviating so far from the teams typical game plan. The Giants have been a team en fuego as of late with Eli Manning slinging the ball to all his weapons the past few weeks and watching teams struggle to decide which one of his weapons to leave single covered. WR Hakeem Nicks has shown up in a big way helping out breakout star WR Victor Cruz. The key to the Giants playoff offense however has been RB Ahmad Bradshaw who was running with abandon early in the year only to be sidelined for a few weeks due to a broken foot. Now that he’s back and being the dynamic guy he can be, he carried my fantasy team on more than one occasion this year, it has allowed RB Brandon Jacobs to go back to doing what he does best, which is be a change of pace back and wear down the defensive line. The 49ers are great run stuffers but if the thunder and lightning tandem of Bradshaw and Jacobs can soften them up at all it’ll open up the back end for Manning whose had a career year. This year he got smarter with the ball and has done a much better job at finding the open receiver not just his favorite receiver.

Defensively it’s pretty easy to see what the Giants game plan is. Stop the run and then allow their stable of unreal pass rushers to pin their ears back and get after the quarterback. If they can stand up Gore and RB Kendall Hunter at the line and force the Niners to the air then their trio of rushers can do what they do best: get after the QB. The emergence of DE Jason Pierre-Paul as one of the most dynamic rushers in the league has allowed DEs Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck to be freed up a little more and get more opportunities at taking down the quarterback. When all three of them are in the game the offensive line is forced to single cover one of them making him look like Deacon Jones due to each ones abilities to win a one-on-one matchup with a left or right guard every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Key for the 49ers offense then becomes clear: get the running game going early, score touchdown and don’t kick field goals, and force the Giants great pass rush to stay honest against the run game. For the Giants it’s simple but oh so complicated for them to do on a consistent basis: show up.

Picks: Geoff – SF 23-21, Norton – SF 14-10, Lang – SF 27-17, ZHawk – SF 21-17

There you have it loyal readers a long drawn out and theory breakdown of both the AFC and NFC conference championship matchups. If you’re a gambling man I’d say you can take the Views from the Couch picks to the bank and if not enjoy the games this weekend gentleladies and men. Until we cross paths again.

Geoff Jablonski

Fantasy Forum Week 13: Studs/Duds

After a week hiatus due to the Thanksgiving festivities, little bit of Views from the Couch family time if you will, the fantasy forum is back in action for week 13. Week 12 was a doozy with fantasy dud to this point in the season CJ1K going off for 190 yards against the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense and Mark Sanchez torching the Bills atrocious defense for 4 TD’s. Rest assured if there had been a fantasy forum for week 12 they both would’ve been on the studs list. Onto the week 13 studs and duds!

Season: 12-7 (4-3 last week)

STUDS

Tony Romo QB Dallas Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals secondary

For four straight weeks Romo has thrown at least 2 TD passes with two 3/0 TD/INT games thrown into the mix. He’s gone off for 20, 22, 23, and 13 points the past four weeks. He threw his only two interceptions during the four game streak against the Dolphins defense on Thanksgiving but the Fins have a very respectable front seven on defense and a solid secondary. The Cardinals have neither an exceptional front seven nor secondary aside from rookie CB Patrick Peterson has made a bigger impact in the return game than on defense I don’t see him being able to slow down Dez Bryant or Laurent Robinson. Speaking of Laurent Robinson that’s 7 TD’s in the past 5 games I see Romo keeping the hot hand alive.

Stats: 323 yards, 3 TDs, 0 Int, 2 rush, 5 yards

Tom Brady QB New England Patriots vs. the NFL’s punching bag Indianapolis Colts

Tom Brady tends to sit in the stud realm on a weekly basis but this week we’re looking at the possibility of 6 TDs throw the air and over 400 yards in about 3 quarters worth of work. The only thing that’s going to slow him down is whether or not Bill Belichick sits Tom early in the game and knowing the Hoodie I don’t think Brady sits until late in the 4^th. He’s never been shy about leaving his superstar QB in late into blowouts and by his own admission Tom Terrific doesn’t like leaving games until the clocks read 00:00. Brady is going to go wild and send the Colts to 0-12. ESPN has him projected at 25 but I see that as a little light I’m going over 30 fantasy points.

Stats: 382 yards, 5 TDs, 0 Int

New England Patriots D/ST vs. the Indianapolis ‘Suck for Luck’ Colts offense

Dan Orlovsky, need I say more? Orlovsky is attempting to become the first QB in NFL history to lead TWO teams, the 2008 Detroit Lions and this years Colts, to 0-16 records. I’m pulling for you Danny boy and I hope the Patriots can help you along your trek towards the history books. The last three games the Patriots defense has forced 7 turnovers and allowed 13.0 PPG. They lit up Tyler Palko for 19 points I see them being able to top that this week.

Stats: 193 yards against, 7 points against, 3 sacks, 2 Ints, 2 FumRec, 1 TD

DUDS

Steven Jackson RB St. Louis Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers #1 run defense

The Rams offense is terrible and it all starts with their horrendous offensive line. A porous offensive line has caused young QB Sam Bradford to take leaps backward after appearing to be a future superstar last year. Bradford and the passing games inefficiency have caused the Rams to lean quite heavily on Jackson. The only problem is that the offensive line isn’t any better at run blocking then it is pass blocking. Jackson had a few very good games against a few subpar run defenses he was held in check the past two weeks as the offense struggled severely to move the ball. A horrible offensive line, an out of sync offense, and a matchup with the 49ers #1 ranked run defense means bad news Bears for our man S-Jax. Its never easy to sit a usually reliable RB but if you have alternatives I’d look their direction.

Stats: 18 carries, 43 yards, 0 TD, 3 rec, 22 yards

Andre Johnson WR Houston Texans vs. Atlanta Falcons pass defense

After a 6 week hiatus one of the top 3 receivers drafted in this years fantasy drafts Johnson was expected by owners to come back last week against the Jaguars and rack up big yards and fantasy points. Wrong. Johnson was targeted only 3 times and reeled in 2 catches for 22 yards. He appeared to be out of rhythm and with the Texans down to third string QB T.J. Yates I don’t see Johnson’s number going up anytime soon. If he can’t reel in a touchdown pass or the Texans don’t find themselves down early I don’t see the Texans abandoning the run and throwing the ball very often. With Arian Foster and Ben Tate the Texans have one of the most potent rushing attacks in the league and they’ll lean on them heavily at the expense of Johnson.

Stats: 3 rec, 36 yards, 0 TDs

C.J. Spiller RB Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans

All the fantasy owners out there that hurried to pick up Spiller after stud RB Fred Jackson went down for the year had to be disappointed in last week’s production. Spiller was handed the starting job against the Jets and subsequently given 22 touches but what he did with those touches wasn’t too encouraging: 19 carries, 55 yards, 3 rec, 15 yards. The Bills drafted Spiller 9^th overall in the 2010 draft under the impression that he was a big play back who could break it on any given play. That hasn’t come to fruition yet and I don’t see it happening this week against a halfway decent Titans defense. He’s going to get upwards of 20 touches but I don’t see him reaching the end zone and in fantasy that’s what gets you points and wins you matchups. Don’t start Spiller.

Stats: 18 carries, 61 yards, 4 rec, 18 yards

There you have it folks week 13’s fantasy forum: studs and duds. Take the advice you’ve been given and start ‘em or sit ‘em. Good luck to all dedicated readers as the fantasy football playoffs creep up next week.  Until we cross paths again…

Geoff Jablonski

The Quick Slant Week 6: Brady, Hernandez move the Pats to 5-1

After a week’s hiatus in order to provide an in depth preview of the Boston Bruins ‘The Quick Slant’ is back and better than ever. A brief synopsis of the game before I get into what I saw in particular and a few random thoughts on the game and its outcome. As most of you know the Patriots beat the Dallas Cowboys 20-16 yesterday with Tom Brady hitting Aaron Hernandez for an 8 yard score with :22 left in the 4^th quarter. Brady went 27/41 (identical to Romo) for 289 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 picks. Now that you’ve seen a final score and how Tom Terrific did on the day let’s get to some of the news and notes from the matchup.

-Thank God Buddy Ryan only had two defensive minded sons. Rex Ryan and the Jets (before last week) were 3-2 against the Patriots since he’s been at the helm and unceremoniously knocked the Patriots out of the playoffs last year. Rob Ryan, the current defensive coordinator of the Cowboys, was at the head of the Browns defense that before Sunday was the last d to hold the Patriots under 30 points in the regular season. Ryan guided defenses tend to give Brady and the Patriots some trouble for extended period of times. The common theme between the brothers Ryan ability to slowing down the Patriots is the ability to get pressure on Brady with 4 and a good amount of the time only 3 rushers. DeMarcus Ware is an absolute beast and he showed it again yesterday wreaking havoc on Matt Light and the Pats o-line all day long. He and the Boys d-line were able to take down Brady 3 times and the secondary picked up 2 interceptions. Until the final drive the Cowboys had done a great job of holding the Patriots in check but that’s just it: it’s almost impossible to hold them down for a full 60 minutes and Brady showed why when he marched down the field 80 yards with precision and accuracy to lead the Patriots to victory.

-Yesterday’s matchup between New England and Dallas provided a much clearer view of why Tom Brady’s one of the greatest of all-time and Tony Romo will never excel into the upper echelon. Brady scores TDs and is allowed to make plays when the game is on the line where Romo scores FGs and is forced to call a handoff dive off right tackle on 3^rd down in the Red Zone. Romo has been at this for almost 6 years now and he’s still not allowed to throw the ball late in the game with the game tied. The Cowboys would rather hand off and take 3 points instead of risking Romo throwing an INT. The Cowboys went 1-3 (TDs-atts) in the Red Zone yesterday with the Patriots going 2-4. Romo leads the Cowboys on long drives that yield 3 instead of the 7 points Brady and Patriots consistently put on the board.

-Andre Carter looked great yesterday putting 2 sacks on the board and disrupting multiple others. Carter is a strong presence in the locker room and the kind of guy you root for. He’s been in the league for 11 years and if he can continue the level of play that he brought to the table last week for the rest of the year the Patriots found them a gem on the scrap heap.

-If he’s healthy, and I know it’s a big IF, Albert Haynesworth can bring the noise. On one of Carter’s sacks yesterday Haynesworth occupied 3 (3!) blockers to allow Carter a free lane to Romo. His presence doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet but he is a beast and occupies multiple blockers on every play allowing the other linemen and linebackers free shots at the ball carrier. He can also provide some pressure up the middle, which for all his other talents and soft hands, Vince Wilfork isn’t the best at. He’s more of a run stuffer and block occupier than he is pocket collapser. Haynesworth is a pocket collapser.

-The Patriots turned the ball over 4 times yesterday including putting it on the ground for the first 2 times all year. They were lucky to win considering they lost the turnover battle 4-2. Yet, championship caliber teams win these games and the Patriots did just that.

-The Cowboys are way too skilled to be sitting at 2-3. They should pretty easily be at 5-0 with the talent they field at every position. If you look at the Pats and Cowboys man for man the only areas where you would give the Patriots a decided edge is Quarterback. Running Back is a close push and I’ll give the o-line to the Patriots slightly though the Cowboys have some talent but WRs? Cowboys. D-Line? Cowboys. DBs? Cowboys? LBs? Cowboys? The Patriots have 2 very good TEs whereas the Boys only have Witten but he just happens to be one of the 3 best in football. Not too shabby. Jerry Jones needs to figure out who is the right head coach for this team because Jason Garrett is nothing more than a glorified offensive coordinator. As we’ve all seen from when Belichick tried it a few years ago head coaches shouldn’t be the offensive coordinators at the same time. Find a strong personality to come in and lead this talented bunch to their place among the NFL’s elite.

-Finally, Chad Ochocinco might be close to putting ex-New England Patriot on his resume. He only made it on the field for 7 plays yesterday and none after the Patriots ran isolation for him on the left side and he ran the wrong route. Ochocinco ran an in instead of an out when the Patriots lined him up alone on the left with 4 WRs bunched on the right. After the game Brady said that he still believes Ochocinco can contribute but on the field you can tell that he’s lost all confidence in throwing him the ball and Ochocinco looks stiff and lot. He’s not playing fluid and loose like he did in Cincinnati. If he has any chance of making it in New England he has to dedicate himself to this offense play a little more carefree and think less. He’s a talented player and the Pats could use him down the stretch but we all know if he doesn’t produce soon Belichick won’t be afraid to cut ties and move on.

That’s all for this week folks we’ll see you again in two weeks since YOUR New England Patriots are on a bye this week. Until we cross paths again…

Geoff Jablonski

The Quick Slant: Some Thoughts and Notes on the Pats/Fins MNF Matchup

During the Patriots and Dolphins season opener last night I jotted down some random thoughts and notes I took away from the game. Going into the game the Patriots were burdened with some heavy optimism stemming from the additions of WR Chad Ochochinco and a slew of DL’s, namely Albert Haynesworth, Shaun Ellis, and Andre Carter. A spot to watch was also the safety position with 2 time Pro Bowl (as the 9^th alternate safety but a pro bowler none the less) Brandon Meriweather getting cut after the preseason finale. In light of this optimism I tried to pay attention to a few key details. If you watched the game you know that in the end the Patriots shellacked the Dolphins to the tune of 38-24 with Tom Brady throwing for 517 yards (career high and franchise record not to mention 5^th most all time) and 4 scores. Without further adieu here are the snippets:

-Tom ‘Terrific’ looked just that. He was in total control of the offense connection with weapons all over the field. It was opening night and yet the Pats were running a no huddle offense to perfection leaving the Dolphins gasping for air and unable to make any substitutes during the Patriots many scoring drives. The TE’s (namely Gronkowski and Hernandez…wait do I need to specify Rob now that his brother Dan is on the team?) torched the Dolphins DB’s and LB’s all night to the finally tally of 13 rec, 189 yards, and 2 scores combine.

-Chad Ochocinco is going to be fine but he’s just not caught up with the offensive lingo yet. He didn’t get much run and was only targeted 3 times making 1 catch for 14 yards. Check back later in the year when he’s on the same page as Brady and he’ll be the weapon we all hope and expect him to become.

-The acquistion of Deion Branch at the trade deadline last year is still paying dividends. Him and Brady have an uncanny connection. When Vontae Davis had to run off the field due to cramps Branch and Brady abused his replacement (Nolan Carroll) for a full drive. It got to the point where Brady wasn’t even calling plays but hiking the ball and just waiting for Branch to shake Carroll and grab 8 to 10 yards.

-Danny Woodhead looks just as good the second time around and BenJarvus Green-Ellis is a key goal line bruiser. Woodhead found a way to get to the edge and he ended up with a team high 14 carries for 69 yards. Green-Ellis is the team’s feature back but he only had 7 carries for 34 yards last night more due more to matchups and Woodhead’s effectivness than anything else. In the middle of the field though the Patriots still struggle to run up the gut and wear defenses down in the middle.

-The defense looks much improved against the pass and they put pressure on Chad Henne as the game progressed with Andre Carter and Mark Anderson racking up a sack each. The first drive the Dolphins marched down the field but they didn’t do it again until the game was seemingly out of reach. Albert Haynesworth was a beast in the middle in the 3^rd and 4^th quarters constantly beating up on rookie Mike Pouncey and wreaking havoc on Henne. Ninkovich also had a good game putting a good amount of pressure on the QB. Henne did finish with 416 yards on 30/49 passing but a decent amount of those yards came once the Patriots had pulled back and gone into a cover 2/3 shell. Don’t get me wrong though by no means does the defense look great but it does look better than it did at times last year holding the Fins to 2/14 on 3^rd downs.

-They still struggle to stop the run as Reggie Bush gashed them early though they got stingier as the game went on and you could see how Haynesworth is going to have an impact. On the first drive Haynesworth didn’t play until late in the drive and the Dolphins had a field day. When he got in though on one play he plugged the gap, shed two blockers and hit Reggie Bush at the line taking him down with his free arm while the other arm occupied blockers. Star LB Jerod Mayo moving to the outside means that someone (Brandon Spikes) is going to have to step up and plug the gaps in the middle of the field. Towards the end of the game when Vince Wilfork and Haynesworth were playing side by side the Dolphins realized they couldn’t run up the middle anymore. If that duo gets in sync together it will greatly alter the other teams ability to gash the defense for long runs.

-The CB’s are big which is new for the Patriots. Rookie Ras-I Dowling and second-year man Devin McCourty are both big corners who can play with large receivers unlike their cornerman of the past (Darius Butler). Ras-I Dowling got some playing time and looked good stopping Marshall from making a TD catch at one point and defending Hartline on another 4^th down and goal fade. He played much better than I anticipated he would being physical with the Dolphins. McCourty struggled a little bit getting beat on more than a few occasions by Brandon Marshall who racked up 139 yards on 7 catches. He’ll find his rhythm though and be fine he’s too good of a corner to get beat up on every game. At the safety position Patrick Chung is going to be able to fill the shoes Meriweather left and more. He’s a leader on that defense and Sergio Brown and Josh Barrett played all right alongside him. Chung was all over the field recording 9 solo tackles, a sack, and a pass defended.

Well there you have it folks that’s what I took away from the Monday night affair between the Patriots and Dolphins let me know what else you noticed or if you think that I’m totally off base.

Until we cross paths again,

Geoff Jablonski

Patriots Outlook and Projections Part 1: Offense

We are a mere five days away from the New England Patriots kicking off the 2011-2012 season, and on paper this team looks like the team to beat in the AFC. The rosters have been cut down to 53 men and the winners of positional battles in preseason are still being decided upon. Let me get you ready for some Monday Night Football with my expectations of who you will see out there starting on offense come September 12th.


QB: Tom Brady
Projected 2011-12 Stats: 4,100 YD, 38 TD, 9 INT
Coming off a brilliant statistical season in which he garnered his second MVP trophy, Tom Brady is still, at age 34, arguably the best in the league at his position, and arguably one of the top 5 greatest quarterbacks of all time. The numbers speak for themselves; 3x Super Bowl champion, 2x MVP, 2010 offensive player of the year. The man does not lose very often, bolstering a regular season winning percentage of .809 and a playoff winning percentage of .823. I don't know about you but there isn't a single soul I would rather have as my starting QB.


RB: Benjarvus Green-Ellis
Projected 2011-12 Stats: 900 YDs, 10 TDs
The hard nosed running back out of Mississippi made a name for himself last season carrying the majority of the running back load. He finished the year with 1008 rushing yards and a very impressive 13 rushing TDs. He is looking to add to his young and surprising NFL career as the Patriots main, between the tackles running back this season.


WR: Deion Branch
Projected 2011-12 Stats: 55 Rec, 600 YDs, 5 TD
Tom Brady got his buddy back last season in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. Branch never had the same success with Seattle as he had here with the Patriots and once he arrived back in New England last season, it felt as though he never left. Branch doesn't do a lot of things that will end up in the SportsCenter Top Ten Plays, But he is sure handed, runs good routs and him and Brady have a great chemistry together, leading to many hook-ups throughout the season.


RT: Sebastian Vollmer
The NFL's big German is coming into his third season on the Patriots offensive line and has done a great job protecting Tom Brady thus far. The 6-8 tackle is coming off a season in which he was named a second team All-Pro. The versatile Vollmer will be playing right tackle this season as the Patriots have re-signed LT Matt Light to a one year deal.


RG: Dan Connolly
A career back-up until last season, Connolly stumbled upon a starting job last season while Logan Mankins was out due to contract disagreements and when Stephen Neal suffered an injury. Connolly played 6 games at RG and 7 games at LG. I think we all remember the glorious display of athleticism last season when a botched kickoff fell into Thunder Dan's arms and he returned it 71 yards. I'd like to note that the Patriots have signed 4x Pro-Bowl guard Brian Waters within the last week and it's likely he will be starting in place of Connolly in the near future.


C: Dan Koppen
Arguably the most steady member of the Patriots not named Tom Brady, Koppen is entering his ninth season with the Pats. In the eight seasons Koppen has been in New England he has started 119 of 120 games. Dan is one of three currents Patriots to start on all three Super Bowl winning teams, joining Tom Brady and Matt Light.


LG: Logan Mankins
Anchoring the left side of the offensive line, with a new 6 year $51 million contract that extends through the 2016 season, Logan Mankins has earned his title as the Patriots best offensive lineman. The man made the Pro-Bowl last season only having played in the last six games of the regular season, and was named a first team All-Pro. Logan was also named the best guard in the NFL in a poll of his peers in the off-season.


LT: Matt Light
Light is another stalwart of the Patriots offensive line. Protecting Tom Brady in 140 games over his 10 year career with the Patriots, most of those starts have been on Brady's blind side. The Pro-Bowl tackle has lost a step or two over the years but still has enough in the tank to be signed on for one more season with the Pats. Light may eventually lose his job to 17th overall pick Nate Solder who showed flashes of brilliance in the pre-season. Only time will tell.


TE: Rob Gronkowski
Projected 2011-12 Stats: 55 Rec, 700 YDs, 10 TD
The gigantic sophomore TE is looking to add to great start to his Patriots career this season. Gronk caught 42 balls for 546 yards last season amassing 10 touchdowns, a Patriots rookie TE record. It's thought that with a beast of a training camp in which he made men look like boys, Gronkowski will have even more responsibility going into this season. He will be utilized more often in the blocking game with the loss of Algae Crumpler, and also more in the passing game as he continues to gain more and more of Brady's trust.


WR: Wes Welker
Projected 2011-12 Stats: 112 Rec, 1110 YDs, 6 TD
Ah yes, Tom Brady's favorite target. The shifty and elusive Welker is going into season 5 of his illustrious Patriots career in which he has become the premiere slot receiver in the NFL. It's a contract year for 'The Slot Machine' and he has gained all of Tom Brady's trust over his 4 seasons in New England, bringing in 110+ balls in 3 of his 4 seasons here, and 86 in the other. Welker is said to be feeling the best he has felt now that he is over a year removed from major knee surgery. He will undoubtedly be the #1 target of #12 this season.


WR: Chad Ochocinco 
Projected 2011-12 Stats: 70 Rec, 870 YDs, 6 TD
Much to the chagrin of some Patriots fans, we traded for the wideout formerly known as Chad Johnson in the off-season. I have found that those who hate the trade for the Patriots are also those who are ill informed, often saying things like "how will him and Belichick get along?" and "him and his stupid antics can stay in Cincinatti." For one, Ocho and Bill have always had a fondness for eachother over the years. Look it up. It's a fact. Belichick has always had nothing but good things to say about Chad (which is rare for him) and the same goes for Chad about Bill. Although Chad has garnered some unneeded press over the years for his 'antics', they have never been anything detrimental to his team, or anything off the field. The man likes to celebrate in gaudy ways and turn to twitter to trash talk opposing DBs. I can assure you that will stop now that he has landed in Foxboro. Chad is too smart for it not to stop. He isn't like Terrell Owens and Brandon Marshall and all those WRs who will never learn. Chad is a true student of the game, he respects the game. He is going to put up numbers this year with the Patriots and if any of you Ocho naysayers are reading this, message me at the end of the season so I can say I told you so.


Other key offensive contributors include: TE Aaron Hernandez, RB Danny Woodhead, WR Julian Edelman and WR Taylor Price.


There you have it. My offensive starter outlook and projections for the Pats. Stay tuned for Part 2 where I take a look at the Patriots defense.


-ZHawk