New England Patriots 2012: 5 Bold Predictions for Patriots' 2012-13 Season

Since the turn of the century, the New England Patriots have been atop the NFL totem pole and 2011 was no different.

The 2011 Bill Belichick-led defense was surprisingly abysmal, and that’s putting it nicely. As New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott politely once said, “The defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed.” That was never more evident than in 2011 when the Pats ranked 31st in total defense giving up over 411 yards per game.

They may not have been able to stop the nosebleed, but they were able to contain it as they ranked 15th in points per game at just over 21.

Luckily for the defense, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski suited up on offensive side and carried the team all the way to the Super Bowl. The offense was once again great, averaging 32.1 points per game and 428 yards, both numbers in the top three in the league.

The good news for the Patriots is they can’t possibly play any worse this year, and they were still a Hail Mary away from holding the Lombardi Trophy.

Belichick wasted no time reloading his team this offseason. He brought back offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, the offensive mastermind behind the juggernaut that was the 2007 team. He also reloaded the roster on both sides of the ball through free agency and the draft, and has his team primed to make yet another Super Bowl in 2012.

Newly Signed WR Brandon Lloyd Will Make Patriots Fans Forget About Ochocin(who)

Once New England brought back offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Brandon Lloyd would follow suit and end up in Foxborough. Lloyd had a career year in his only full season under McDaniels in 2010.

In 2010, Lloyd hauled in 77 receptions for an NFL-leading 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns. Lloyd put up those kind of numbers with Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow throwing him the ball. Just imagine what he can do in a wide open system with arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play throwing him the ball.

Off the field, it won’t be easy replacing fan favorite Chad Ochocinco. But on the field, it won’t be difficult for Lloyd to surpass Ochocinco’s 15 receptions and 276 yards receiving.

Lloyd is the legitimate deep threat the Pats have missed since 2009. He will be able to stretch the field and open up the underneath routes. Lloyd is an excellent route-runner and he also possesses some of the best hands in the game.

With his knowledge of the complex system and the attention that Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker will command on the inside, Lloyd can expect to see a ton of single coverage and will again put up big numbers.

Expect Aaron Hernandez to Have a Bigger Year Than Rob Gronkowski

In 2011, Rob Gronkowski had the best season for a TE in NFL history. Gronkowski hauled in 90 catches from Tom Brady to go along with 1,327 yards and 17 TDs, both NFL records for tight ends. Gronk, as he is known as for his party antics, also added a rushing touchdown.

Hernandez wasn’t far behind his teammate and good friend, nearly doubling his 2010 output finishing with 79 receptions for 910 yards and seven touchdowns. With the new additions at receiver, I don’t expect either Gronk or Hernandez to break the 1,000-yard mark or record double-digit touchdowns.

Gronk was unstoppable in 2011, imposing his will on anyone who tried to line up against him, but he should get more attention this upcoming year. Without the presence of a deep threat, Brady relied heavily on Gronk down the seam as he was too fast for linebackers and too physical for defensive backs.

I expect Hernandez to become an even bigger focal on offense compared to last season, where we even saw him line up in the backfield and take some handoffs. With Lloyd and Gronk getting extra attention, Hernandez should have a lot of space for his underneath routes, where he is deadly with his yards after catch.

2012 Patriots Will Break the Single Season Points Record of 589 Set in 2007

In 2007, the Patriots totally revamped their offense by bringing in Donte Stallworth, Randy Moss and Wes Welker. That year they went on to set the single-season record for points scored with 589, while beating their opponents by an average of over 19 points per game.

From top to bottom, the 2012 Patriots are a younger, deeper, more athletic team than the 2007 squad. The 2012 team returns three former All-Pros in Tom Brady, Wes Welker and Gronkowski. Not to mention arguably another top-five tight end in Aaron Hernandez.

The receivers on the outside will be a revolving door consisting of Donte Stallworth, Deion Branch, Jabar Gaffney and Lloyd, with all four likely to make the team out of camp. There won’t be much of a drop-off to the offense when substituting any of these four guys. Not to mention that all four have prior experience and have thrived in this offensive system, so there shouldn’t be too steep of a learning curve.

Brady set career highs in yards completions and attempts in 2011, and with the uncertainty of the running game, don’t expect McDaniels to deter much from that trend, if at all.

Tom Brady Will Become 5th Player in NFL History with Three MVP Trophies

Tom Brady followed up his 2010 MVP season by having an even better 2011 season. He finished the 2011 campaign with a career-high 5,235 yards passing to go along with 39 touchdowns, all without a viable deep threat to stretch the field.

The Patriots have given Brady an array of weapons by bringing back former receivers Jabar Gaffney and Donte Stallworth. The biggest offensive addition is undoubtedly WR Brandon Lloyd, who is familiar with and thrived in his one full season in Denver with Josh McDaniels

The 2012 Patriots offense will resemble that of the 2007 team, who lost in Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants and narrowly missed out on a perfect season. That 2007 team was the most prolific offense in the history of the NFL, scoring an NFL-record 589 points.

Along with the new additions, Brady will still have his key core guys from last season including Aaron Hernandez and All-Pros Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski.

With the departure of the team's leading rusher, and with an unproven running game, expect McDaniels and Belichick to lean heavily on Brady’s arm. Brady may not break any passing records, but expect him to once again flirt with 5,000 yards and 50 TDs.

Patriots Will Win 4th Super Bowl and Visit the White House Once Again

The 2011 New England Patriots came within a few feet of a hobbled Gronkowski hauling in a Hail Mary and capturing the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl victory. With a healthy Gronkowski, the Patriots would have most likely captured the Lombardi Trophy, but I digress. 

According to Vegas Insider, the Patriots are currently the favorites to win the 2013 Super Bowl at 9/2 odds, followed by the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers.

The Patriots have a very favorable 2012 schedule where they play only four playoffs teams from 2011, three of them coming at home (Denver Week 5, Houston Week 14, San Francisco Week 15).

The only playoff team team the Patriots play on the road is the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3. With an aging Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and without Terrell Suggs, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, the Ravens may have a hard time slowing down this retooled offense.

If the Patriots can get through Week 3 (at Baltimore) and Week 4 (at Buffalo) unscathed, they have a real opportunity to head into the Thanksgiving night game against their arch rivals New York Jets undefeated. Prior to that Thursday night showdown, the Pats play just two teams, Tennessee (Week 1) and Baltimore (Week 3), who finished above .500 in 2011.

Last season, the Patriots were ranked 31st in total defense, yet were a few feet away from winning it all. Head coach Bill Belichick was unusually aggressive in the draft, trading up twice in the first round to grab two defensive playmakers in DE Chandler Jones (No. 21) and LB Dont’a Hightower (No. 25). Belichick also got what could possibly turn out to be two of the biggest steals of the draft in DE Jake Bequette (No. 90) and CB Alfonzo Dennard (No. 224).

Bequette, who is more NFL-ready than Jones, could see more playing time early on. Dennard, who fell in the draft due to an arrest, has first-round talent and should step in and claim the starting nickelback spot from day one.

Along with a healthy Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty who will shore up the defensive backfield, the defense will be much improved and will give an already explosive offense even more scoring opportunities.