How Have New England Patriots Addressed Biggest Weaknesses from 2014?
It would be hard to argue that the New England Patriots had an overwhelming number of weaknesses in 2014.
After all, they won the Super Bowl.
That being said, all things are relative, and while some positions may not have necessarily been a true weakness, the Patriots had their share of weaknesses when compared to the strength of some other positions on the roster.
Of course, the strength of their quarterback position has usually been enough to trump those weaknesses, but the story may be a little different this year as the Patriots prepare to play as many as four games without quarterback Tom Brady at the trigger of the offense.
So, how about those weaknesses?
Defensive End
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Defensive ends Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich are entrenched as the starters in the Patriots defense. The weakness at this position pertains more to the depth than the starters.
Behind Jones and Ninkovich last year, the Patriots did not have a lot of quality options. They drafted Concordia's Zach Moore, who showed some promise in his first year in the NFL, but clearly they still felt a little uneasy about their overall depth at the position.
They drafted three pass-rushing prospects in Oklahoma's Geneo Grissom, Arkansas' Trey Flowers and Alabama's Xzavier Dickson and signed veteran free agent Jabaal Sheard from the Cleveland Browns. That's four new pass-rushers to help keep the pressure on quarterbacks—but also to take some of the pressure off Jones and Ninkovich.
In 2013, Jones and Ninkovich played more snaps than any other defensive linemen in football, according to Pro Football Focus. In 2014, Ninkovich was once again among the top five in snaps at his position (Jones missed the top five due to missing six games to an injury).
But in 2015, it looks like there will be some rest for the weary, after all.
Guard
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With all the changes the Patriots went through at the beginning of the 2014 season on the offensive line, you'd think they would have put a higher priority on making sure they had all their bases covered in 2015.
But with the departure of Dan Connolly, the Patriots left a significant question mark at the left guard position, where there's been a lot of change over the past 10 months (along with the departure of Logan Mankins before the 2014 season).
The Patriots were wise to add Florida State guard Tre' Jackson to the lineup, and he should be an immediate factor in the battle for a starting job, but there are question marks at the other guard spot. It could be Ryan Wendell, last year's starter at right guard, or it could be Caylin Hauptmann, who earned some snaps in the Patriots' first two sessions at OTAs.
For now, it looks like the Patriots have addressed the departure of Connolly, but what happens at the other guard spot could have a big impact on the performance of the offensive line in 2015.
Running Back
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Over the past 12 months, the Patriots have slowly and methodically addressed the departures of Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley. Their method has consisted of adding a lot of names to their depth chart. As it stands right now, though, the roster doesn't have a lot of star power.
LeGarrette Blount, Jonas Gray, James White, Tyler Gaffney, Travaris Cadet and Brandon Bolden comprise a well-rounded depth chart of runners, and the Patriots have a different back for every situation. What they lack, however, is one back who can play in any situation.
The modern-day NFL has gotten away from the feature back and has shifted toward a backfield by committee. In the latter category, the Patriots are acing the test. In the former, they have earned a grade of "I," for incomplete.
The running game needs to be better this year than last; the Patriots averaged 3.9 yards per carry in 2014, 11th-worst in the NFL. Whether or not it will, be, though, remains to be seen. The committee approach has worked in the past, though, with the likes of BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead in 2010 and even with Vereen and Ridley over the past few years.
The Patriots have reason to believe that their approach is the right one.
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Cornerback
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OK, so the cornerback position was not a weakness for the Patriots in 2014. Far from it: The play of the cornerback position was unarguably one of the reasons they were able to lock up a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
But my, how quickly things change.
The Patriots went from cornerback being a strength to being their biggest weakness in the span of roughly three months. Cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner left the fold as free agents, and then the team released fourth-year cornerback Alfonzo Dennard and veteran Kyle Arrington.
Now, it will be up to young cornerbacks like Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler, along with some free-agent acquisitions in Robert McClain and Bradley Fletcher, to bring their A-game and become prominent players. Only time will tell if that will be enough, but the Patriots' renewed focus on their front seven could tip the scales on how they play defense.
Kick Returner
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Kickoff returns are admittedly not the most important play in football anymore. In fact, they are close to obsolete at this point due to the rule changes that have moved the kickoff forward five yards and dramatically increased the number of touchbacks.
Perhaps that's why the Patriots have paid so little mind to finding a well-versed kickoff returner. In 2014, they averaged 22.4 yards per return, which ranked 21st in the NFL. In fact, they have ranked in the bottom 12 in the NFL in kickoff return average in three of the past four years.
This offseason saw no major additions to the kickoff return unit, so once again, we shouldn't expect any major improvement in this area. Danny Amendola was the team's top return man in 2014, and he could once again fill that role in 2015. Perhaps someone else could step up during OTAs, minicamp or training camp, but for now, it would be a surprise if the Patriots fielded a dynamic return man in 2015.
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