B/R Debate: Who Is the Key Player in the Patriots Offense Besides Tom Brady?

The New England Patriots' offensive machine is engineered by Tom Brady, and nothing will change that as long as he's in a Patriots uniform.

But if there's a player besides Brady that is key to the offense's success in 2012, who is it?

To debate this topic, we bring in John Sarmento, a fantasy football guru at 2MugsFF.com and a die-hard Patriots fan who is a must-follow on Twitter.

Take it away, Rummy!

John: The most important player in the New England offense other than Tom Brady may surprise you...because it's Aaron Hernandez. Sure, Rob Gronkowski is a beast, and new addition Brandon Lloyd can add that field-stretching dimension so sorely lacking since Randy Moss ran himself out of town, but Hernandez is unique.

With Wes Welker's contract talks seemingly taking two giant steps backward (per Welker himself in an interview with the Boston Herald), Hernandez will be the most effective and problematic (for opposing defenses) matchup in the slot should Welker decide that he wants to push the contract talks and sit out training camp until they call his bluff.

Hernandez's importance can't be understated, as his role in Super Bowl XLVI against the Giants (56 percent of his snaps were in the slot) makes the potential loss of Welker a bit easier with his ability to assume the role of go-to guy for Tom Brady underneath.

Erik: Very interesting take, John. Hernandez was very high on the pecking order last year, finishing third on the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns. And while Rob Gronkowski gets the laughs and Wes Welker gets the headlines, I'll go with Nate Solder.

Offensive tackle Matt Light's retirement is official, and the Patriots will need to find a quick answer at a position that's been a huge strength for them for awhile. Solder's ability to handle edge-rushers will be paramount to the Patriots' offensive success, and he'll still have to improve as a run-blocker.

Brady has incredible pocket awareness and can generally (though not always) feel the rush. What he can't do, however, is be on the run for the entire game and have his timing thrown off by consistent blind-side pressure. They could always put Sebastian Vollmer at left tackle if it gets that bad, but the Patriots would probably like to see the 17th-overall pick play the position they drafted him to play.

Solder's performance will be pivotal to the Patriots' offensive success for better or worse. The interesting thing is that we'll probably only hear about it if Solder isn't playing well in Light's stead.

John: Good call, Erik. While I agree Nate Solder is an important component in keeping Brady's pocket clean, thus keeping this offense humming, I'm less concerned about him than I am about potentially losing Wes Welker.

Solder exceeding expectations in his rookie season, actually faring better against edge-rushers than Matt Light, with his only weakness being a pure bull-rush (as evidenced by the one occasion Cam Wake was able to beat him last year). I think a year under his belt with offensive-line coach Dante Scarnecchia and adding bulk to his long frame in the offseason will make his transition to Matt Light's heir apparent on the left side that much easier.

The bigger concern in my opinion is the increasing likelihood that Wes Welker may not be a Patriot beyond 2012. Rumblings in the media from both Welker and the Patriots front office suggest that the sides are farther apart in contract negotiations than they were a year ago.

Sources suggest the Patriot front office is unhappy with Welker's media contract push, and if history tells us anything, they're not shy about parting ways with players if things go sour (ie. Seymour, Vrabel).

That leads us to the importance of Aaron Hernandez. He's well-versed in the offense, especially from the slot position, which could ease the loss of Welker for Brady and immediately give him a trusted outlet underneath. Brady is a quarterback that trusts his reads and progressions, and he can never be confused with the mobile quarterbacks like Vick and Rodgers.

Having the insurance policy of Hernandez in the slot is the definition of "important."

Erik: Not to diminish Welker's value to the offense, but we've seen the Patriots get by with lesser talent at receiver; we haven't seen them worry about talent on the offensive line in at least five years, and specifically at left tackle in around 11 years (heck, even since 1987 if you want to go back to Bruce Armstrong).

We saw a lot of good things from Solder's rookie season, but a setback at left tackle would throw the offense completely out of whack.

Hernandez will be vital if the Patriots don't renew Wes Welker, and a solid 2012 season from the young tight end could be the last bit of evidence they need to part ways with their talented slot receiver.

In that sense, while Solder's smooth transition into a starting role may be more important in the immediate future, Hernandez's continued growth and chemistry with Brady may be more important in the long-term.

So with that, I think it's time to close out this debate. Thanks again for joining me, John, and we'll be sure to link up in the future for another debate.

Readers can find a new debate on a wide range of Bills, Jets, Patriots and Dolphins topics every day at the AFC East Blog.

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