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

Tom Brady does his best to lead the New England Patriots to victory every time he steps on the field, but it’s becomes apparent that he can’t do it alone. He needs a solid supporting cast in order to take this team to glory.

The Patriots drafted several players that they hope can make an impact this upcoming season and also made some noise during free agency to bolster their roster.

New England will once again be one of the favorites to win the AFC, but can these players help Tom Brady win his fourth Super Bowl?

Brady is going to need a lot of players to step up in 2012, and here are a few of them.

Dane Fletcher, Linebacker

2011 Statistics: 32 TKL, 0 SK, 1 FF, 0 INT

Dane Fletcher showed last season that he was capable being a hard-nosed linebacker who could play a valuable role for the Patriots defense.

Fletcher isn’t going to be the linebacker that will pick off the quarterback or even get to the QB in time for a sack, but he can make tackles. He had 19 solo tackles last season and 17 the year before that. He rarely needs help bringing a ball carrier down.

It will be interesting to see what kind of role Fletcher plays next season, as the Patriots drafted Don’t’a Hightower and also brought Bobby Carpenter in. They are actually rather deep at linebacker, but Fletcher still needs to play lights out on the field.

Fletcher is my early pick for X-factor on the defensive side in 2012. If he doesn’t play well, I think that the defense struggles overall—even if he doesn’t get the playing time he saw in 2011.

Stevan Ridley, Running Back

2011 Statistics: 87 CAR, 441 YDS, 5.1 AVG, 1 TD

The New England Patriots made the executive decision to let last season’s starting running back, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, walk in free agency and go with their younger options, one of those being Stevan Ridley.

Ridley was one of the two primary backups to Green-Ellis last season and looks to take over the starting role in 2012. He’ll share time with Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen and Joseph Addai, but he needs to be the leader in the backfield.

Tom Brady will take care of the pass game, but Ridley needs to make sure that the run game is alive and well this season—a part of the Patriots’ game that has lacked in seasons past. Even though it’s not the main focus of Bill Belichick or Josh McDaniels, it has to improve.

The Patriots have been a great passing team since Brady started playing on a regular basis, but it’s time for New England to known as a team that can run as well. That will ensure a more complete offense that Brady can lead to a title.

Brandon Lloyd, Wide Receiver

2011 Statistics: 70 REC, 966 YDS, 13.8 AVG, 5 TDs

Brandon Lloyd will be one of the fresh faces playing at Gillette Stadium this season, and he brings plenty of experience with him. The most important seasons of Lloyd's career, regarding the Patriots, were those spent playing for Josh McDaniels with the Denver Broncos.

Being comfortable with McDaniels’ play calling is a huge advantage for the Patriots, not to mention that he should jell nicely with Tom Brady as well.

The Patriots haven’t had much of a downfield threat since Randy Moss left—and I’m not saying that Lloyd is one—but he is probably their best option. Even if he isn’t going 40 or 50 yards down the field on deep plays, he needs to open the field up for the other short-route players.

Lloyd could become the No. 1 receiver for the Patriots and end up playing a vital role throughout the season. The key to this happening is Lloyd’s relationship with Brady and how well they can work together.

Brandon Deadrick, Defensive Lineman

2011 Statistics: 17 TKL, 2 SK, 0 FF, 0 INT

I had high expectations for Brandon Deaderick coming out of Alabama in 2010, but he only got rolling during the second half of last season.

Hopefully Deaderick can take that late success and turn it into a full year of solid defense in 2012. He’s a very big lineman that needs to start getting to the quarterback much quicker. He did have two sacks in the last four games of the year but needs to become a more consistent pass-rusher.

Deaderick seems fine stopping the run game, but developing skills to make him a threat on the outside would really benefit the New England defense.

Rookie Chandler Jones will likely get more playing time than Deaderick in the upcoming season, but he needs to prove to them that he’s still worth a spot on the roster. He certainly has the potential, he just needs to start showing it more often.