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2005 Team Report: New England Patriots
Quarterbacks
Starter: Tom Brady
Starting QB: Tom Brady again played within the system and limited mistakes on offense, leading the Patriots to their third Super Bowl victory in four seasons. Brady has earned the respect of the entire league and was rewarded with his second Pro Bowl appearance. New England relies on Brady to play smart and come up with big plays when they really need it, and he did not disappoint-leading the team to a record 21-game winning streak. With the signing of RB Corey Dillon, Brady saw his passing attempts drop for the second straight season, but Brady still matched a career high with 28 TD and just 14 INT to go along with 3,692 passing yards. Brady should again rank among the league's best quarterbacks with the only possible cause for concern is the departure of longtime offensive mastermind, Charlie Weis.
Backup QB: How the Patriots would function without Brady at the helm is a bit of a mystery. Doug Flutie, a part-time starter in Buffalo and San Diego, is certainly capable of making plays as an emergency starter, but he's a curious signing given his age and the fact that Flutie's strength is hardly working efficiently within the constructs of a disciplined system. The Patriots rarely move the pocket and are predicated on quick, timed passing progressions, not Flutie's strong suits. Matt Cassel, a backup at USC, was a surprising decision to break as the Pats 3rd stringer, but he looked impressive at every turn and may be yet another hidden gem unearthed by Belichick and Pioli.
Running Backs
Starter: Corey Dillon
Starting RB: Corey Dillon proved to be one of the biggest free agent signings in recent years, posting career highs with 345 rushing attempts, 1,635 rushing yards, and 12 rushing TDs, earning him a selection to his fourth Pro Bowl and a new $10 million contract. Accused of being a malcontent and clubhouse cancer in Cincinnati, Dillon let his playing do the talking and posted nine games with 100+ yards rushing in 15 starts, ranking third in the league in rushing. Dillon turned the Patriots from a short-range passing team to a "grind it out on the ground" team, as the Patriot went from 27th to 7th in rushing yards last year. Look for more of the same in 2005, but with Dillon turning 31, the Patriots will likely try to lighten his workload some. Backup RBs: New England's reserve running back corps had some health issues in 2004, leaving the Pats with limited options against the Steelers when Dillon was banged up and couldn't play. The Patriots may not be done searching for offseason depth at the position. Faulk remains a decent change of pace and third down receiving pack.
Fullback: Pass is a quality blocker, but he is little more than a fantasy afterthought. The six-year veteran has only 68 career rushes, 42 career receptions, and two career TDs.
Wide Receivers
Starters: Deion Branch, David Givens
Starting WRs: Deion Branch and David Givens project as the team's starters, and both are capable of huge games working within the constructs of the Patriots balanced passing attack. Deion Branch is the closest thing to a leading receiver, and he produced as such against the Steelers and Eagles last post season, when it mattered most. David Givens took up the slack earlier in the year when Branch was out, producing back-to-back-to-back 100-yard receiving games in the middle of the season. With veteran David Patten no longer on the team, both Branch and Givens could be in line for more traditional roles as feature receivers this year. Backup WRs: The past few years, the Patriots have utilized their receivers as a group-there has not been a clear #1 receiver in quite some time. Troy Brown returns to receiver duties after spending last year as a defensive back. Seven-year veteran Tim Dwight comes to town after struggling to stay healthy with Atlanta and San Diego. Bethel Johnson has vowed to claim the #3 receiver slot, but up until now he has only contributed a handful of big plays since in his two years with the team. The Patriots traded for Andre Davis on August 22nd, and he edged out David Terrell when the team pared down to the final 53-man roster.
Tight Ends
Starters: Daniel Graham
Daniel Graham started like a ball of fire last year, hauling in 5 TD in the first month of the season, but he tapered off substantially beyond that. Graham ended up with 30 receptions, 364 receiving yards, and 7 TD, but a healthy Watson could eat into some of that production. It's easy to see this group used in a manner similar to the wide receivers, with no one posting great receiving numbers, especially if the team continues to utilize defensive players on offense as they've done on occasion with Mike Vrabel most notably. Place Kicker Adam Vinatieri : For the second time, the Patriots have placed the franchise player tag on Vinatieri. He is coming off his best season, 31 of 33 on FGs (93.9%) and 141 points (best in the NFL). He is well known for his various "clutch" playoff game winning kicks in recent years. He is the PK flavor-of-the-year, and will be the first kicker to go in many fantasy drafts this year. Kick and Punt Returners Kick Returners: Bethel Johnson, Ellis Hobbs, Tim Dwight, Kevin Faulk, Patrick Pass The Patriots have several options at KR. WR Bethel Johnson has been a solid feature KR the last year 2 years (41 returns, 24.8 avg, 1 TD in 2004). Return specialist WR Tim Dwight has been a very good return man over his career with Atlanta and SD (50 returns, 24.4 avg, 1 TD in 2004). Versatile RB Kevin Faulk (4 returns, 18.3 avg) and RB Patrick Pass (6 returns, 19.2 avg) are capable backups. Punt Returners: Tim Dwight, Kevin Faulk, Troy Brown, Tyrone Poole, Ellis Hobbs, Bethel Johnson Briefly-gone-but-now-he's back WR Troy Brown, Faulk and incoming Dwight and Morton will probably compete for PR honors. Brown's 14.2 average led the NFL in 2002, however he had an off year in 2004. Faulk led the team last year (20 returns, 6.7 avg). Dwight has done more KR work in recent years, but has fielded punts in his career and taken three for scores. CB Tyrone Poole has returned punts occasionally (11 returns, 6.8 avg in 2003). The team will probably let Johnson stick to kickoffs since his 2.0 PR average in both 2003 and 2004 is not overly inspiring. Offensive Line
Projected Starters: RT Tom Ashworth, RG Steve Neal, C Dan Koppen, LG Logan Mankins [r], LT Matt Light
The Patriots offensive line is a great example that good coaching and intelligence can do wonders on a football field. Still you have to wonder how long it will take before losing capable lineman such as Damian Woody in 2004 and Joe Andruzzi this season will have an effect on this group. Looking at the talent across the board, there isn't really a player that leaps out as an outstanding individual lineman. Matt Light is probably the best player, but he isn't an elite player. Dan Koppen is both young and talented and should continue to improve. Two rookie guards will be counted on, Mankins as a starter at left guard and Kaczur as one of the main backups. Team Defense The Patriots defense wasn't as dominating in 2004 as it was the year before, yet they still finished the season as the #2 ranked fantasy defense according to FBG scoring. They were hurt by a rash of injuries at cornerback as they lost both starters for most of the season and had to rely heavily on guys who would normally have been sitting on the practice squad or waiver wire. What allowed the Patriots to survive all the setbacks were the defensive schemes of Bill Belicheck and Romeo Crennel, along with the team's ability to play as a cohesive unit. Going into to the 2005 season, there have been some major changes to this unit that could cause them to slip a bit. Romeo Crennel left the team to become the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns, which will create a void that might be hard to fill. They will be able to maintain some stability, however, as secondary coach Eric Mangini was promoted to coordinator, and Belicheck will obviously continue to be heavily involved in designing the defensive game plans from week to week. The next biggest concern revolves around the loss of ILB Tedy Bruschi, who suffered a mild stroke early this offseason and decided not to play this year while he recovers. He has been the heart and soul of that defense for the past few years, and may just be the one player on that side of the ball that is irreplaceable. The final potential problem area involves the secondary again, as perennial Pro Bowler Ty Law was released this offseason. This is perhaps the smallest of the concerns simply because they proved they could win without him in 2004, but losing a perennial Pro Bowler and shutdown CB from your lineup will put a lot of pressure on the other guys and reduce the margin of error. Defensive Line
Starters: RDE Richard Seymour, LDE Ty Warren, NT Vince Wilfork
Starting DL: The Patriots have invested a lot of draft picks in the defensive line over the past few years, and it has resulted in one of the deeper units in the league. The cornerstone of the line is Richard Seymour, who is an ideal 3-4 DE, but is also versatile enough to play inside at DT when the team switches to a 4-3 front. His statistics dropped a little in 2004, but he was selected to his third straight Pro Bowl and is now established as one of the best young linemen in the NFL. Across from him, Ty Warren is another college DT who was moved to DE in the pros. Seymour is the superior pass rusher of the two, but they are both very strong against the run. Inside at NT, the Patriots were thrilled to see Wilfork available at their pick last year after they lost Ted Washington in free agency. Wilfork is a big space eater who can tie up two blockers when needed but who is also quick enough to penetrate and create pressure up the middle. He only started 6 of the 16 games last year, but finished with just as many tackles as Seymour. All three starting linemen will be 25 years or younger when the season starts so they should be around for awhile and will likely continue to improve as they get more experience playing together. Backup DL: Jarvis Green was the Patriots top backup at DE last year and was a key contributor with 4 sacks. He also got a chance to start in place of Richard Seymour in the AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh and performed well. Green was a restricted free agent this offseason and signed the 1-year tender offer from the Patriots. Marquise Hill came out of school early and slipped to the Pats in the 2nd round last year due to some concerns that he was too slow to be an impact player. He was very raw and didn't play as a rookie, but with some polish he could emerge as a big time player for the Pats as early as this year. Dan Klecko, a versatile defender if there's ever been one, made the transition to defensive tackle this year after playing linebacker in 2004.
Linebackers
Starters: ROLB Willie McGinest, ILB Chad Brown, ILB Monty Beisel, LOLB Mike Vrabel
Starting LBs: The Patriots had a very strong group of veteran LBs last year. Willie McGinest is one of the most important players on the team because he's capable of playing both OLB in the 3-4 and DE in a 4-3 front. He's big enough to hold up against the run, but also quick enough to generate pressure as a pass rusher, giving the coaching staff options that most teams don't have. McGinest finished last season with 9.5 sacks, but at 32 years old he could be pushed by backup Roosevelt Colvin this year. Inside, the Patriots will have to replace two mainstays of their defense as Tedy Bruschi has decided to skip the 2005 season and Ted Johnson has retired, both related to health concerns. Losing Bruschi could wind up being a huge hit to this team on the field and off. Monty Beisel was signed as a free agent from the Chiefs, and he seems to be the person most likely to take over for Tedy Bruschi. Beisel played primarily on special teams early in his career, but finally got a chance to start at both MLB and WLB last year. He played DE in college so he has some pass rush skills as well. Chad Brown is also expected to see a lot of time playing at one of the ILB spots this year. Brown played mostly OLB during his 8 years in Seattle, but he's familiar with the 3-4 defense from his early years as a Steeler and his experience should help offset the losses of Bruschi and Johnson. Joining McGinest on the outside, Mike Vrabel is coming off a very productive season and his second in a row catching a TD as a TE in the Super Bowl. Vrabel came into the league as a little-used DE with the Steelers, but has now put together 4 strong seasons with the Patriots, totaling 22.5 sacks and 5 INTs over that time. If needed, he could also be moved inside and replaced by Roosevelt Colvin or Chad Brown. Backup LBs: Roosevelt Colvin was a big free agent signing for the Pats prior to the 2003 season, but he suffered a serious hip injury early on and wound up missing 14 games and the playoffs. There were some reports that speculated he might not be able to fully recover, but he worked his way back and started to show signs of his old self in 2004, including 3.5 sacks in one 5-game stretch. He should be ready to take on an even bigger role in 2005. Larry Izzo has been to the Pro Bowl several times for his work on special teams and can provide depth at the ILB spots. Tully Banta-Cain is a former defensive lineman who the Pats converted to LB. Don Davis is a 9-year vet who has been a backup and special teams player for the Patriots the past 2 years.
Defensive Backs
Starters: CB Asante Samuel, CB Randall Gay , SS Rodney Harrison, FS Eugene Wilson
Starting DBs: Overall, the Patriots are probably worse off then they were to begin the 2004 season but significantly better off than they were at the end of the season. After 10 years, the Ty Law era in New England has come to an end, with the Patriots cutting him loose to avoid an enormous cap number. Asante Samuel and Randall Gay remain the team's starters, as they were during last year's Super Bowl. Samuel has good size and plays well in zone coverage. Randall Gay emerged out of nowhere as an undrafted free agent last year, and will try to prove that he was no fluke this year. Rodney Harrison remains one of the best strong safeties in the league, playing the run as well as most LBs while also sticking with TEs and some WRs in coverage. He led the team in tackles for a second consecutive year, and also added 3 sacks, 2 INTs, and 3 FFs. If you are looking for a fantasy DB, you will have a very hard time finding a more consistently dominant player than Harrison. The last piece of the secondary is Eugene Wilson. Being a former CB, he's great in coverage, but can also put a big hit on someone when he gets a chance. He's shown a knack for making plays with 4 INTs in each of his first two seasons. Backup DBs: To partially compensate for the loss of Ty Law, the team acquired Duane Starks, who didn't make enough plays in Arizona as a big-ticket free agent. If he can get back to his playmaking ways and avoid becoming a liability against the run, he should be a great pickup for the Pats. Tyrone Poole returns as a savvy veteran, but has lost a step due to age and injury. Chad Scott was a starter for most of his 8 years with the Steelers, and brings a great deal of experience to the Patriots secondary. Guss Scott is expected to be the backup to Eugene Wilson at free safety. He was considered a rare reach for the Patriots in the 3rd round of last year's draft as he was coming off a poor senior season at Florida. He's a big hitter with great speed, but he didn't play at all as a rookie and will need to become more disciplined if he wants to make an impact anywhere other than special teams. Backing up Rodney Harrison at strong safety will be rookie James Sanders, a 4th round pick who had an excellent preseason.
Last modified: 2005-09-08 05:11:17
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