2009 New England Patriots: Five Things To Watch For

After losing Tom Brady to a devastating knee injury in the first game of the 2008 season, the Patriots rode the next 15 games on Matt Cassel's inexperienced shoulders, barely coming up short of a post-season appearance. Just imagine what they can accomplish when back at full strength.

There are still questions and concerns, yes, even for the mighty Patriots, but there's reason to believe 2009 could be a mirror image of 2007's drive for perfection.


5. What Kind of Impact Will Joey Galloway Have?


Remember when Donte Stallworth started opposite of Randy Moss in 2007? Yeah, we saw fireworks.

Don't let Joey Galloway's disappointing and injury-plagued 2008 fool you. The guy still has some tread, even at 37.

Galloway has reportedly still been slightly slowed down from last year's injuries, and hasn't been as explosive as desired.

However, operating as New England's third option, he won't have to be.

If Galloway can stay healthy, it's not unrealistic to hope for 40+ catches and anywhere from 600-800 yards.

This is the Tom Brady offense we're talking about, here.


4. Tom Brady's Back-Up


While confidence and morale is at an all-time high (since early 2008, anyways), there's still slight concern for Brady's knee, as well as the new plan in case he goes down again.

An injury like last season's happening again would be a freakish and unlikely occurrence, but if it did happen, where would that leave New England?

With a shovel and searching for answers, most likely.

However, Bill Belichick and co. appear to be completely set with their quarterbacks, and envision Kevin O'Connell as a very capable replacement if called upon.

Hey, if they felt good about a guy who hadn't started a game since high school (Cassel), are you really about to doubt them?


3. Fred Taylor and the RBBC


Fred Taylor is nearing the end of his career, and isn't the second-coming of Corey Dillon, but he's far more than serviceable at this point.

He wasn't acquired through free agency to sit and let Laurence Maroney disappoint the Boston faithful again, so it's likely that Taylor will be the "starter," while Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk share the load, with Faulk mopping up third down duties.

Taylor doesn't have the speed he once had, but his vision and timing has gotten better with age, and he's been more productive inside the tackles than ever before.

New England will be a pass-first team regardless, so it only makes sense for them to rotate fresh bodies in and out throughout their games.

With three of their "top" backs over 32, however, I'm not sure how "fresh" they'll be.


2. Can the Defense Get Back to Elite Status?

Belichick did the right thing by trading away Mike Vrabel, and the Patriots are probably better off with Rodney Harrison walking off into retirement.

Truth be told, New England wasn't their normal self last year on either side of the ball, and while the defense may not be a top-five ranked squad, they can and should crack the top-ten.

They have a lot of young, interchangeable talent that just keeps getting better.

Both Jerod Mayo and Leigh Bodden reportedly look great in camp, and their defensive line is as solid as ever.

If their offense can get back to even half of what it was in 2007, you won't hear much about the defense in 2009.


1. Tom Brady's Knee

Coaches and teammates are reporting from camp that Brady looks crisp and fluid, and that the knee is officially 100 percent.

Don't believe it?

Brady has participated in every single camp activity since being cleared to do so, and even had a practice in muddy and rainy conditions. Talk about a vote of confidence for that knee.

There's even talk of throwing him back in the mix for the first pre-season game. Yeah, he's ready.