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God knows that I would love to see the Pats' come crashing down to Earth (or actually somewhere else of a more fiery nature!), but--and I really, really hate to say this!--with Randy Moss giving them a hometown discount to re-up for the next 3 years and some of the moves that tehy have been quietly making this offseason, it's a little pre-mature to start hailing their demise as some have been tempted to do around here over the last couple of days.
Here's why I say this:
Everyone is looking at who the Pats were potentially going to lose at WR and in their secondary in free agency, but with Randy Moss and now Jabbar Gaffney re-signing with the Pats, here is their WR as of this moment:
Randy Moss--and we all know what he can do
Wes Welker--probably the biggest pain-in-the-butt and best slot receiver in the NFL right now
Jabbar Gaffney--with Brady, a solid # 4 WR
Chad Jackson--former 1st Round pick entering his 3rd season and ready to come into his own as a replacement for D.Stallworth
Kelly Washington--young vet capable of stepping in case Jackson falters and good on STs
Sam Aiken--excellent on STs, can take over Washington's spot on STs if Jackson falters and Washington starts.
Even if they don't draft a single WR this year, that's still a pretty good WR corps for Brady to throw to.
Now, let's look at their DB corps:
Merriweather was being groomed to start for two seasons steps into the starting lineup for A. Samuel. Merriweather is more of a safety than CB, but the Pats, with Harrison and Sanders, don't need to use him at safety right now.
Ellis Hobbs was already starting at one CB position ahead of former starter Randall Gay and will be the # 1 CB
Jason Webster steps in as depth in the spot formerly held by Gay and can start, if necessary, while a rookie that they take in the draft develops over the course of the season
James Sanders was already being groomed to replace Eugen Wilson and is ready to step into the starting job full-time.
Rodney Harrison is "long-in-the-tooth" and his back-up Willie Andrews may have some legal problems to deal with that could result in a suspension (or not), but as long as they have Harrison in the strting lineup, the Pats are solid at his position.
While the Pats will need to bring in a CB and, perhaps a safety, in the draft to develop as eventual starters, even if they don't bring in any more DBs in free agency or the draft, they still have a solid group of starters. With Harrison coming to the end of his career, they will have to find his eventual replacement if they intend to keep Merriweather at CB, or they will have to draft a CB to develop this season who can step into the starting lineup if they move Merriweather to safety to replace Harrison. A better quality # 3 CB than Webster would probably also help, although they still have the luxury of bringing a rookie along slowly with Webster.
While it is true that their LBs are aging and slowing down--and that is a position that the Pats will also have to address, with their offensive and defensive lines still relatively young and intact as units and Brady at QB, the Pats are still going to be able to put an explosive offense and a pretty good defense on the field.
With their devastating (for them) loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl after coming so close to perfection, further ramifications for their HC and, perhaps, the organization from Spygate, and advancing age hanging over their heads, it would be foolish not to expect the Pats to come into this coming season extremely motivated to grab the Super Bowl trophy that they, undoubtedly, feel should have been theirs last season at the end of this year. (Think of how motivated the Bills were after losing SB XXV to the Giants.)
To expect anything less of the Pats would be to underestimate them. And, the biggest mistake that you can make is to underestimate your opponent.
So, as much as I want to see them fall from the national pedestal that they have been on for most of this decade--and as much as I hate to say it--the Pats are still going ot be a force to be reckoned with this season that the Bills are going to have to find a way to overcome if they want to return to their former glory and have a shot at winning that elusive Super Bowl title.
Here's why I say this:
Everyone is looking at who the Pats were potentially going to lose at WR and in their secondary in free agency, but with Randy Moss and now Jabbar Gaffney re-signing with the Pats, here is their WR as of this moment:
Randy Moss--and we all know what he can do
Wes Welker--probably the biggest pain-in-the-butt and best slot receiver in the NFL right now
Jabbar Gaffney--with Brady, a solid # 4 WR
Chad Jackson--former 1st Round pick entering his 3rd season and ready to come into his own as a replacement for D.Stallworth
Kelly Washington--young vet capable of stepping in case Jackson falters and good on STs
Sam Aiken--excellent on STs, can take over Washington's spot on STs if Jackson falters and Washington starts.
Even if they don't draft a single WR this year, that's still a pretty good WR corps for Brady to throw to.
Now, let's look at their DB corps:
Merriweather was being groomed to start for two seasons steps into the starting lineup for A. Samuel. Merriweather is more of a safety than CB, but the Pats, with Harrison and Sanders, don't need to use him at safety right now.
Ellis Hobbs was already starting at one CB position ahead of former starter Randall Gay and will be the # 1 CB
Jason Webster steps in as depth in the spot formerly held by Gay and can start, if necessary, while a rookie that they take in the draft develops over the course of the season
James Sanders was already being groomed to replace Eugen Wilson and is ready to step into the starting job full-time.
Rodney Harrison is "long-in-the-tooth" and his back-up Willie Andrews may have some legal problems to deal with that could result in a suspension (or not), but as long as they have Harrison in the strting lineup, the Pats are solid at his position.
While the Pats will need to bring in a CB and, perhaps a safety, in the draft to develop as eventual starters, even if they don't bring in any more DBs in free agency or the draft, they still have a solid group of starters. With Harrison coming to the end of his career, they will have to find his eventual replacement if they intend to keep Merriweather at CB, or they will have to draft a CB to develop this season who can step into the starting lineup if they move Merriweather to safety to replace Harrison. A better quality # 3 CB than Webster would probably also help, although they still have the luxury of bringing a rookie along slowly with Webster.
While it is true that their LBs are aging and slowing down--and that is a position that the Pats will also have to address, with their offensive and defensive lines still relatively young and intact as units and Brady at QB, the Pats are still going to be able to put an explosive offense and a pretty good defense on the field.
With their devastating (for them) loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl after coming so close to perfection, further ramifications for their HC and, perhaps, the organization from Spygate, and advancing age hanging over their heads, it would be foolish not to expect the Pats to come into this coming season extremely motivated to grab the Super Bowl trophy that they, undoubtedly, feel should have been theirs last season at the end of this year. (Think of how motivated the Bills were after losing SB XXV to the Giants.)
To expect anything less of the Pats would be to underestimate them. And, the biggest mistake that you can make is to underestimate your opponent.
So, as much as I want to see them fall from the national pedestal that they have been on for most of this decade--and as much as I hate to say it--the Pats are still going ot be a force to be reckoned with this season that the Bills are going to have to find a way to overcome if they want to return to their former glory and have a shot at winning that elusive Super Bowl title.
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