Patriots' 2009 Playbook: Opening a New Chapter

As spring becomes summer and minicamps turn into training camp, all 32 NFL teams begin refining their playbooks. With the annual influx of new players and coaches, this process can bring about major changes to even the most stable franchise.

Here, I'll examine potential changes in the New England Patriots' 2009 playbook. We examine how the team will adjust to several key coaching changes, as well as a host of new starters.

Offense

The biggest changes offensively in New England revolve around the return of Tom Brady. When he was lost to a knee injury early last season, the Patriots scaled back their passing game considerably.

In 2007, Brady threw for more than 4,200 yards. Of those yards, roughly 1,700 (42 percent) came after the catch. In 2008, Cassel threw for nearly 3,700 yards, but more than 2,100 of them (57 percent) came after the catch.

In other words, Cassel's stats came largely through screens or check-down passes. Comparing the numbers, it's clear how much of their vertical passing game New England lost.  

With Brady under center, the Patriots typically use three, four, or five receivers and declare their intentions. This puts pressure on the quarterback to make a successful read and find match-ups favoring the offense. Essentially, the strategy plays right into Brady's biggest strengths; intelligence and accuracy.

Brady's return should allow New England to dust off more medium-to-deep passes in 2009, instead of relying on short passes and breaking tackles like they did last season.

Another change that may affect New England's playcalling is the departure of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. During his three years at the offensive helm, McDaniels crafted one of the most prolific units in NFL history. McDaniels was known for his pass-oriented spread offense.

The team has yet to name a replacement offensive coordinator. McDaniels' responsibilities will likely be split among several staffers, with quarterback's coach Bill O'Brien taking on playcalling duties.

O'Brien isn't likely to scrap the offensive playbook any time soon. He was McDaniels' offensive assistant in 2007 and wide receivers' coach in 2008, so O'Brien will likely run an offense similar to McDaniels' mismatch-based spread attack.

Defense

With nearly all of the Patriots' defensive staff returning in 2009, there should be very few philosophical changes. However, the team overhauled their defensive backfield this offseason, which will likely create some different opportunities for defensive coordinator Dean Pees.

Most notably, the team added defensive backs Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden, Patrick Chung, and Darius Butler to a below-average secondary. Springs and Bodden are known for their strong man coverage skills, something the Patriots have lacked since Asante Samuel's departure. Chung and Butler provide the youth and athleticism to help defend against the spread offense.

With better coverage in the secondary, New England can focus on sending fewer rushers to attack opposing quarterbacks. The team can now trust its coverage skills and won't have to worry about hiding a suspect secondary with extra blitzing. Factor in the lack of an established edge rusher opposite Adalius Thomas, and it's easy to see why the Patriots might be reluctant to rush more than four defenders.

One of the more interesting defensive possibilities for New England in 2009 revolves around Tank Williams. The team signed Williams before 2008 and worked him as a hybrid linebacker/safety in training camp. However, the team was never able to experiment with Williams, who injured his knee and missed last season.

He was on the field for recent minicamps, where he played a similar hybrid role. Williams' combination of size and coverage skills allows him to match up with some of the elite tight ends New England will face in 2009, including Tony Gonzalez, Dustin Keller, Kellen Winslow, and Dallas Clark.

Special Teams

A few of the most noticeable changes in New England will certainly occur on special teams. Longtime special teams coach Brad Seely left after 2008. His replacement, Scott O'Brien, worked with Belichick in Cleveland from 1991-1995.  

The biggest special teams changes will come from two key rule changes passed this offseason. One new rule eliminates bunching during onside kicks. This rule won't affect New England much, since very few NFL teams bunch players inside the hashmarks for onside kicks.

However, a second rule that will affect New England greatly is the elimination of the three-man wedge. Under Seely, the Patriots almost always lined up with one deep return man and used a three-man wedge in front of the returner.

That technique is now illegal, leaving O'Brien and the Patriots looking for a different answer on kick returns. For a team that ranked third in the NFL in kick return yardage in 2008, this rule change could present a problem.

With a host of new rules, coaches, and players, expect change in all facets of New England's game plan this season. One thing's certain, however: The more things change, the more they stay the same.