New England Patriots 2010 Preview: Grading The Starting Roster
Starting jobs on New England's roster were hard to come by for youngsters back in the dynasty days. The team relied more on veterans who were in the system for awhile and knew what they were doing, while developing their eventual replacement.
This year, with many key injuries swallowing the starting talent whole, some young players are being thrown into the fire. it will be up to the other guys around them to bring them along quickly and fill the gaps in the meantime.
Here's my breakdown of the starting 22 on New England's roster as observed throughout the preseason and on NFL.com.
QB1: Tom Brady
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No-brainer. What, did you think Zac Robinson might dethrone Brady this year?
Tom Brady broke 4,000 yards for the third time in his career, and although many say he had a down year, he still managed to put up Peyton Manning-like numbers. The defense is limping into the regular season, so he'll have to have another great season if the Patriots want to contend.
Grade: A+
RB: Laurence Maroney
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The New England Patriots always feature all of their backs in different ways, taking advantage of each one's strengths. That being said, it's hard to project who exactly is the "starter" for Week 1 against the Bengals' seventh-ranked rush defense.
Laurence Maroney usually gets the majority of the carries anyway, but he's also listed as the starter on NFL.com. One has to wonder how many more chances Maroney will get to prove himself; he's the only one of New England's five running backs that didn't average over four yards per carry last year.
Grade: C
WR1: Randy Moss
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Many question Moss for his age, and wonder if maybe he'll lose a step. The bottom line is, he hasn't yet, so what makes anyone think he will? Moss was still one of the best in the league last year, and he's looked great and worked hard all preseason long. That's a big statement to his mindset going into the season.
Put it this way: The last time Randy Moss was in a contract year, he set an NFL record with 23 touchdown receptions in a single season.
Grade: A+
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WR2: Wes Welker
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"The Slot Machine" had a ton of success last year, but none of it was luck. Welker was consistently in the right place at the right time, reeling it in and moving the chains for nice gains up the middle.
Instead, the Slot Machine had the worst turn of luck at the worst possible time, tearing ligaments in his left knee in the final game of the 2009 season. It took a combination of luck and perseverence to make the eight-month turn-around to get back on the field, but Wes Welker has done just that.
Will he reel in 123 catches again? Maybe not, but he will still contribute in a big way to the Patriots offense.
Grade: A-
WR3: Brandon Tate
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Hold your horses: the Patriots didn't re-sign Reche Caldwell, although the deer-in-the-headlights look in this picture may eerily resemble our favorite pass-dropper.
He's not the second coming of Randy Moss or anything, but Brandon Tate flashed a ton of potential this preseason, and looks like the viable third option that the Patriots noticeably lacked all last year.
Grade: B
TE: Rob Gronkowski
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Remember this name: Rob Gronkowski.
I'm not claiming to be the one who discovered him; all that credit belongs to the Patriots talent scouting department. I am, however, saying here and now that Gronkowski will likely go down as one of the great tight ends of our time. Anytime you get a tight end that draws comparisons to Mark Bavarro in the second round of the draft, it has to be considered a steal.
Gronkowski already looks like one of Brady's favorite targets, and had eight receptions for 109 yards and four touchdowns this preseason. I see the makings of a Peyton Manning-Dallas Clark type relationship here.
Grade: B+
LT: Matt Light
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Losing a step? No longer athletic? He's 6'4" and 305 lbs. so I'm guessing all that went out the window awhile ago. His game has never been MMA-style, a la Stephen Neal (mentioned later). Light would rather just push you to the ground.
LG: Dan Connolly
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It's not time for the Patriots to start playing Tina Turner's "Missing You", but Connolly has done well filling in for the absent Logan Mankins. As one holdout after another seems to get resolved as we steamroll toward the beginning of the season, Mankins still hasn't shown up.
He did well in preseason work and in spot duty over the past few years, but can Connolly stand the test of a 16-game season?
Grade: C+
C: Dan Koppen
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Koppen has been the starting center for New England since 2003 and has only missed seven games in that span. At 6'2" and 296 lbs. he may not be the most imposing force at center, but he has sound fundamentals and holds his own against big interior linemen.
Expect the same level of productivity out of Koppen that he's given New England throughout his career.
Grade: A-
RG: Stephen Neal
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Rumors swirled that Neal would leave the NFL to train in MMA and become a cagefighter. He's far more fearsome than Kip, but I wonder who he'd plan on fighting. Instead, he locks it up with defensemen for another year at least. He's been hit by injuries over the past few years, which could bode poorly for a Patriots offensive line that's already testing its depth.
Grade: B-
RT: Sebastian Vollmer
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The Patriots took Sebastian Vollmer as the tenth offensive linemen in the 2009 draft, but he's arguably one of the top two or three after last year's performance in place of injured Nick Kaczur. Vollmer looks ready to Matt Light decides to hang it up.
Grade: B+
LE: Mike Wright
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Mike Wright is one of many Patriots defenders that is more of a rotational player but is being thrust into a starting role because of injuries. Ideally, Wright would come in off the bench to replace one of the tired linemen. Without much experience as a starter, though, he could become one of those tired linemen.
Grade: B-
NT: Vince Wilfork
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Don't make distasteful jokes about Wilfork being the "anchor" of this line. Don't you think he got enough crap in high school? Well, maybe not...the other kids probably wanted nothing to do with Big Vince.
The nose tackle is by far the most important in the 3-4 defense. Wilfork is one of, if not the best at what he does. Signing him to a long-term extension was a no-brainer.
Grade: A
RE: Gerard Warren
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Is Gerard Warren a serviceable option as a defensive linemen? Yes. The second coming of Richard Seymour? Most certainly not.
He spent most of his career in a 4-3 defensive alignment, so it's yet to be seen whether he translates into the 3-4. He looked impressive throughout the preseason, creating pressure even though he didn't tally a sack.
Grade: B-
LOLB: Marques Murrell
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Marques Murrell got bumped way up the depth chart when both Derrick Burgess and Pierre Woods were released on Saturday. The former New York Jets back-up Murrell had a memorable preseason, lodging a big sack on Drew Brees on 3rd-and-9 on New Orleans' opening set of downs. He hasn't played very much in his three-year career, but spending it all in the 3-4 defense helps, especially since he was brought on by Eric Mangini.
Still, he has no experience as a starter, and we really don't know what he can contribute on a weekly basis.
Grade: C+
ILB1: Jerod Mayo
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Run defenses may have to make like a sandwich shop and hold the Mayo unless they want him to shut them down this year.
The former Defensive Rookie of the Year will be asked to lead more than he has in the past this year, but in his third year, it would seem that he's ready. Now, with the solid run-stopping Brandon Spikes playing by his side, the Patriots can utilize more of Mayo's athletic traits and perhaps even have him rush the passer a bit more frequently than in years past.
Grade: A-
ILB2: Brandon Spikes
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Spikes was poised to be a first-round pick until a slow 40-yard dash time killed his stock. In the long run, something tells me that Spikes will be proof positive that the 40-yard time isn't everything in evaluating players.
He has play-making experience, and has gotten it done in big games for several years in the SEC, leading a National Championship defense. He's young, and has a few mechanical things to work out, but even as a rookie, his field awareness will help a young defense that could be susceptible to mistakes.
Grade: B+
ROLB: Tully Banta-Cain
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Leading the team in sacks is often considered bragging rights. Take that with a grain of salt when the pass rush is as inept as New England's was.
Banta-Cain had a break-out season last year, and clearly fits better into New England's system than he did in San Francisco. It remains to be seen whether he can carry the load for the Patriots pass rush yet again in 2010.
Grade: B+
CB1: Devin McCourty
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With Leigh Bodden on injured reserve, and missing for the duration, Devin McCourty will be thrown to the wolves, locked in the lions den, and about 30 other foreboding analogies that say he's got his work cut out for him.
He'll have his ups and downs, but hopefully more of the former than the latter. He probably won't have much help from a front seven that's without Ty Warren and struggled to get to the quarterback even with him last year. Even if McCourty plays well, it may not appear so simply because of a lack of pressure.
Grade: B+
CB2: Darius Butler
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The good come with the bad with young cornerbacks as they get acclimated to the NFL game, but Butler has experienced more ups than downs in his limited time in the league.
The Patriots will look to him for improvement on last year, when according to WEEI.com, he allowed 36 catches on 64 targets for 11.9 yards per completion. They'll want him to make more plays on the ball, though, than the mere six pass disruptions he had last year (three of which interceptions).
Grade: B
FS: Patrick Chung
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Chung got a huge vote of confidence from Rodney Harrison, who said that the kid has a lot of potential.
Chung played sparingly in all 16 games last year, registering two sacks and an interception. He may not have been asked to do a whole lot this year, until Brandon McGowan was placed on injured reserve and ultimately bumped Chung into a starting role. He has looked decent in preseason, but he'll have to do a lot better than that against tougher competition starting in about six days.
Grade: B
SS: Brandon Meriweather
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It remains a mystery to me why Brandon Meriweather continues to draw criticism for having yet to deliver on his status as a first-round choice in 2007. One would think that tying for the team lead in interceptions last year with five, and collecting nine over the past two years, would count for something. He has also led New England's secondary in tackles over the past two years.
Look for Meriweather to become an anchor for the secondary, in much the same way that other elite safeties have done for their defense.
Grade: A-/B+
Overall: B
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Injuries have thrust many of New England's younger players into starting roles, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Patriots are already on the clock. If the youngsters can embrace their starting roles and acclimate themselves quickly, the Patriots will do just fine.
One thing is certain: the future of New England's roster is bright, and we'll be watching the future unfold before our very eyes this upcoming season.
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