New England Patriots: Will Their 2012 Offense Be Better Than It Was in 2007?

No one could stop the New England Patriots in 2007. They recorded just the second undefeated regular season in league history, and if not for the greatest catch in Super Bowl history, they would have run the table at 19-0.

Unlike during their three Super Bowl victories, the offense was what propelled the Patriots in their historic season. The team and individual players set numerous records including, most touchdown passes in a season (Tom Brady), most touchdown receptions in a season (Randy Moss), most points in a season, highest points differential in a season and most first downs in a season.

It seemed like every game was a blowout, and the team’s offense was an unstoppable force. There was no doubt that this would go down as the best offense in team and quite possibly league history.

The Patriots have transformed over the last five seasons from a team that used to be known for their tough, hard-nosed defense, to one that is now feared as an offensive juggernaut.

Last season, the Patriots once again were among the league leaders in points and yards per game, and finished with an AFC-best 13-3 record despite having the NFL’s second-worst defense.

Each year the team seems to add another dimension to their offense, but have still failed to match the explosiveness and statistical dominance they established in ’07.

The impossible may become a reality this coming season. The Patriots' 2012 offense may in fact be better and more complete than it was in ’07.

Let’s break it down.

Brady had his best season in 2007. He threw 50 touchdown passes compared to just eight interceptions and won his first league MVP.

Brady is coming off another great year in which he threw for a career high 5,235 yards while completing over 65 percent of his passes.

In 2007, Brady was 30 years old and will be 35 at the start of next season. However, he still seems to be at the top of his game as evidenced by last season’s statistical output.

I believe Brady is just as good as he has ever been, and is primed to have another huge year. In terms of comparing ’07 Brady to ’12 Brady, I’d call it a wash.

The No. 1 receiving threat for the Patriots in ’07 was Randy Moss. He caught an NFL-record 23 touchdown receptions, and would routinely make miraculous catches while being double- and sometimes triple-covered.

Rob Gronkowski has taken over for Moss as the Patriots' No. 1 target. He caught 17 touchdown passes last year, the most ever by a tight end, and his combination of size, strength and athleticism, make him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.

In this matchup, the slight edge goes to Moss simply because he was a guy, because of his all-time great speed and athleticism, that Brady could simply lob the ball up to no matter what the situation was, and he would somehow come down with it in his hands.

The No. 2 through No. 4 receiving threats are what we’ll look at next.

In ’07, the Pats had Wes Welker, Ben Watson and Donte Stallworth. For this upcoming season, the team will have Welker, Aaron Hernandez and the newly acquired Brandon Lloyd.

In my opinion, this one isn’t even a question. The Patriots have ridiculous depth in their receiving core and offensive weaponry for this upcoming season.  

Welker is just as good if not better now than he was in ’07, so I’ll call that a draw. He is still the league’s best slot receiver and Brady’s most sure-handed and trusted target. Once you get past Welker is where things really become one-sided.

Hernandez is miles better than Ben Watson. He has the athleticism and hands of a receiver, and the size and strength of a tight end. His 910 receiving yards last year, in just his second season, were over 500 more than Watson tallied in ’07.

Lloyd is an extremely talented receiver who led the NFL in receiving with over 1,400 yards two years ago. He gives the Patriots the deep threat at receiver they’ve desperately needed, and his hands and jumping ability are comparable to any of the league’s elite.

Let’s just put it this way, Stallworth was the Patriots' fourth-best target in ’07 and he is at best their seventh biggest weapon for 2012. Jabar Gaffney, who is coming off a season where he had over 900 receiving yards, is the Patriots fifth option in their passing game.

Finally, I view the running back position as being dead even. The Patriots had Laurence Maroney as their starting back in ’07, who is viewed as one of the biggest draft busts in team history. They did have a still very effective Kevin Faulk who was a reliable third-down receiver for the team, but he wasn’t much of a threat in their running game.

Now the team has Steven Ridley as their starting running back, who showed flashes of brilliance last season, but is still young and unproven. They also have Danny Woodhead, a slightly worse version of Faulk, but still an effective receiver and elusive third-down back.

The Patriots offense was arguably the best in NFL history during the 2007 season. Their offense for this upcoming season, as unbelievable as it may seem, could be even better.

I don’t think the 2012 Patriots will score more points or break as many records as they did in 2007. However, I do believe their offense is now more complete and has far more depth, especially at receiver and tight end, than it did during their historic 2007 season.