New England Patriots: 5 Players That Must Step Up in 2012

The New England Patriots were so close to winning it all last February, but ultimately fell just a couple plays short.

Now in the wake of the second Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants in five seasons, the Patriots are looking for redemption as they head into the 2012 NFL season.

After stockpiling defensive talent in this year's NFL draft, as well as acquiring an impressive collection of accomplished wide receivers, on paper the Patriots appear poised to make another run at their fourth championship title in franchise history.

However, those names on paper won't mean anything if they don't become effective players on the field.

In order to give their team another chance at a hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, which New England Patriots must step up in 2012?

Stevan Ridley

Evidenced by Tom Brady's career-high 611 passing attempts in 2011, the Patriots had difficulty at times committing to the running game.

Running backs Shane Vereen (5'9'', 205 lbs) and Danny Woodhead (5'8'', 195 lbs) should both find prominent roles on the team, but given their small frames, neither is likely to be asked to be the main ball-carrier going forward. Additionally, Joseph Addai may be better suited for a limited role in the backfield given his injury issues over the last four seasons.

At 5'11'' and weighing in at 225 lbs, Stevan Ridley has ideal size for an NFL running back. With blazing speed and great burst in open space, Ridley may be called upon to carry the load in 2012.

Ridley had a moderately successful rookie debut. In a limited role, Ridley rushed for 441 yards and boasted team-highs in average YPC, at 5.1 yards, and carries of at least 20 yards, with five.

Stevan Ridley certainly has the talent, but can he successfully shoulder the majority of carries next season? For the Patriots to have a more balanced offensive attack in 2012, Ridley will have to do just that.

Nate Solder

With Matt Light's retirement officially in the books, the Patriots' 2011 first-round pick Nate Solder will be called upon to fill the void at left tackle.

Solder performed admirably as a rookie in 2011, playing in all 19 games (including playoffs) and making 16 starts, with 14 coming at right tackle and two at left tackle.

Fellow teammate and six-time Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters gushed about Solder on ESPNBoston.com:

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He’s as good as any young player that I’ve ever played with. He’s got an immense amount of talent and he does a great job of working hard and getting on the details. He’s never comfortable. He’s always trying, week by week, to get better. He’s always asking questions. He’s a good young football player, who has plenty of room to grow, who can turn into a really great one eventually.

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In a division with quarterback terrors Mario Williams and Cameron Wake, Solder must continue his development if he plans to keep his Hall of Fame quarterback upright.

Chandler Jones

With the departure of Mark Anderson to Buffalo and the uncertainty of Andre Carter's return, the defensive end position is a bit of a question mark as we move toward the 2012 season.

Anderson and Carter tallied 10 sacks apiece last season, accounting for half of the team's total sacks.

Someone will need to step up to fill this gaping hole in the pass-rush department.

The Patriots did sign high-motored veteran defensive ends Trevor Scott and Jonathan Fanene this offseason, but Scott carries some uncertainty with his recent injury history and Fanene projects as more of a pass-rushing defensive tackle in sub-packages, similar to how they've used Mike Wright in the past.

Ladies and gentleman, I give you Chandler Jones.

Despite the belief of the masses that Jones is a long-term project, the Patriots did not move up in first round of this year's draft to select a player whom they planned to groom behind the scenes for an entire season. The Patriots will throw Jones right into the mix and give him every opportunity to be a starter in his rookie campaign.

If the Patriots plan to get after opposing quarterbacks at all in 2012, Jones will certainly have to make the most of his opportunities.

Brandon Lloyd

The lack of a true outside-the-numbers receiver has proven to be the Achilles' heel of the Patriots' passing attack over the past two seasons, though it has ranked atop the NFL's best offenses.

When forced to throw to the outside, Brady hasn't enjoyed much success as of late because of the lack of talent at wide receiver in the deeper half of the field.

Knowing this weakness, some defenses, namely the New York Jets and New York Giants, have crowded the middle of the field with defenders, successfully neutralizing the effectiveness of Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, who specialize in getting open between the numbers.

The Patriots' coaching staff is well aware of this problem and brought Brandon Lloyd on board to fix it.

Local sport's radio station WEEI has been keeping tabs on Brandon Lloyd in OTAs:

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With the understanding that it’s still insanely early, it’s hard not to be impressed with Lloyd, even at this stage of the spring. He looks polished and poised and not at all overwhelmed with the prospect of working in the New England offense with Brady.

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In order to take New England's offense to the next level in 2012, Lloyd will have to carry over his early success into the regular season.

Devin McCourty

The 2011 Patriots enjoyed the good fortune of having to survive the abysmal passing of Tim Tebow and Joe Flacco on their road to Super Bowl XLVI.

In an AFC with Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Schaub, the 2012 Patriots may not be so lucky.

The Patriots' defense couldn't cover in 2011 in large part due to the decline of Devin McCourty's play. Better cornerback play is pivotal in the recovery of the Patriots' secondary.

McCourty proved he can be an elite NFL cornerback in 2010, when he earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie and was runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Entering his third season, McCourty has to recapture his ball-hawk mojo and prove that 2010 wasn't a fluke.