New England Patriots 2009 Quick Hits
Quick-hitting one-liner analysis on every Patriots starter and significant offseason acquisition.
New England Patriots
Predicted: 1st
2008 Record: 11-5 (2nd AFC East)
Head Coach: Bill Belichick (10th year)
Roster Quick View (*new veteran **rookie)
Offense (Coordinator: Bill O’Brien)
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 stubble 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.
Offseason Quick Glance
Draft
RD PK (OVR) NAME POS SCHOOL
2 2 (34) Patrick Chung S Oregon
2 9 (41) Darius Butler CB UConn
2 26 (58) Sebastian Vollmer OT Houston
3 19 (83) Brandon Tate WR UNC
3 33 (97) Tyrone McKenzie OLB S Florida
4 23 (123) Rich Ohrnberger OG Penn State
5 34 (170) George Bussey OT Louisville
6 25 (198) Jake Ingram LS Hawaii
6 34 (207) Myron Pryor DT Kentucky
7 23 (232) Julian Edelman WR Kent St
7 25 (234) Darryl Richard DT Ga Tech
KEY PLAYERS ACQUIRED
TE Chris Baker: FA Jets; terms unknown.
LB Tully Banta-Cain: FA 49ers; terms unknown.
CB Leigh Bodden: FA Lions; $2.25M/1 yr, guarantees unknown.
LB Vinny Ciurciu: FA Vikings; terms unknown.
OT Damane Duckett: UFA 49ers; terms unknown.
WR Joey Galloway: FA Buccaneers; 1 yr, terms unknown.
LS Nathan Hodel: FA Cardinals; terms unknown.
C Al Johnson: UFA Dolphins; $950,000/1 yr.
WR Greg Lewis (trade Eagles).
S Brandon McGowan: UFA Bears; terms unknown.
TE Alex Smith (trade Buccaneers).
CB Shawn Springs: FA Redskins; 3 yrs, terms unknown.
RB Fred Taylor: FA Jaguars; $8M/2 yrs, SB unknown.
KEY PLAYERS LOST
QB Matt Cassel (traded Chiefs).
RB Heath Evans: UFA Saints; terms unknown.
WR Jabar Gaffney: UFA Broncos; $10M/4 yrs, $3M guaranteed.
SS Rodney Harrison (retired)
CB Ellis Hobbs (traded Eagles).
LB Larry Izzo: UFA Jets; terms unknown.
RB LaMont Jordan: UFA Broncos; $2.5M/2 yrs, guarantees unknown.
LS Lonie Paxton: UFA Broncos; $5.38M/5 yrs, $1M SB.
LB Mike Vrabel (traded Chiefs).
WR Kelley Washington (released).
Analysis
Trying to recap all of New England’s offseason activity in just a few paragraphs is like trying to teach someone U.S. contract law in 45 minutes or less. So, let’s just deal with general themes. The first theme is, New England didn’t want to spend big money on any single player. That’s why they traded quarterback Matt Cassel for a measly second-round pick. (Don’t pay Cassel; don’t pay a first-round rookie).
The second theme is, the Pats knew they had to replenish their defense. They used five of their first seven selections on defensive players. Thanks to a litany of shrewd trades, all but one of those first seven draft picks came in either the second or third round. Of the bunch, No. 34 overall selection Patrick Chung has the best shot at playing right away. Chung, New England hopes, is a younger version of Rodney Harrison.
Needing to reshuffle the cornerback position, Bill Belichick drafted Connecticut ball hawk Darius Butler. This was around the time he traded away veteran Ellis Hobbs. Prior to the draft, Belichick had also signed veteran corners Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. Springs is nearing his end, but Bodden will be only 28 in September. Before joining Detroit, he had some spectacular seasons playing in this scheme for Romeo Crennel’s Browns.
Finally, New England reloaded offensively. RB Fred Taylor is an ideal fit. He may not gain 1,000 yards, but he can amplify the running back committee. WR Joey Galloway will take a stab at replacing Jabar Gaffney. So will Greg Lewis. TE Chris Baker is a shrewd blocker, and anything TE Alex Smith gives them in the passing game will be bonus.
The Patriots’ only major blip this offseason was not finding a pass-rusher to replace Mike Vrabel.
