We’ll begin our look at the Patriots defense with the guys that are the last line of defense, the safeties:

Brandon Meriweather: A
The Patriots first round pick in 2007 really matured this year, showing off his blitzing skills while growing in his coverage skills.

James Sanders: B
Wasn’t a playmaker in 2008, but also didn’t make too many big mistakes. Will be missed if he isn’t resigned.

Rodney Harrison: I
While his season was cut short with another injury, we’re hoping that Harrison can come back next year and play the LB/S hybrid position that he helped create.

Antwain Spann: C-
Lewis Sanders: C-
Spann and Sanders stepped in when necessary and didn’t sink the ship. A draft pick in 2009 should allow both of these players to find employment elsewhere.

Tank Williams: I
If Rodney can’t or won’t play in 2009, Tank can fill the hybrid role pretty effectively.

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Concluding our look at the offense, we take a gander at the big uglies:

Matt Light: A-
Nobody is better at getting out in front of WR screens than Light. He did fine in pass pro this year as well.

Logan Mankins: B
He just didn’t seem as dominant at the point of attack this year as he did last, and whiffed on open field blocks a few times. Still a great guard to have.

Dan Koppen: B-
Struggled in his blocking duties compared to the last two years, but still continues to make solid line calls.

Stephen Neal: C+
The oft-injured and aging former wrestler had spurts of good play, but overall has become an average starter.

Nick Kaczur: C+
Can stick with average d-linemen, but those with elite speed or strength turn him into crossing guard.

Mark Levoir: B
Levoir looks to be the “swing tackle” for the next couple of years, as he has proved to be a solid backup at either position.

Billy Yates: J+
My mom said, if you can’t say anything nice…

Ryan O’Callahan, Dan Connoly: I
We’ll see when they are healthy.

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Randy Moss: A-
The only thing separating Moss from a straight A was his string of inexplicable drops on deep balls this year. Where Moss did excel this year was in blocking, I had never seen Randy do so well blocking downfield.

Wes Welker: A
One of the funnest players to watch that ever donned a Patriots uniform, Welker is the glue that held this offense together this season.

Jabar Gaffney: C+
Gaffney had a couple of huge drops this year, but proved to be a reliable #3 WR that comes at a reasonable price. The Patriots would do well to re-sign him.

Sam Aiken: C
Aiken was a good addition on special-teams, although he was occasionally a bit over-zealous, garnering more than his fair share of penalties.

Kelley Washington: C
When healthy, Washington was his usual dominant special-teams force, however, that wasn’t the case much this year.

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Ben Watson: C
While Watson has proven to be a somewhat reliable inline blocker, his unability to get open and hang on to the ball makes it difficult to justify his 1st Round Pick contract.

David Thomas: C+
Althought Thomas’ ridiculous penalty against the Colts might have cost the Patriots a playoff berth this year, the rest of the year showed that he was a reliable blocker that could catch the ball when he was asked to.

Russ Hochstein: B-
The Russ-of-all-trades was a great asset to the team, as he played h-back, fullback, guard, center, and tight end at different times this year. He won’t be an all-pro at any of those positions, but the Patriots value versatility.

Tyson Devree: I
While he didn’t get much of a chance to showcase his skills, maybe Patriot fans will get to scope out TD next year.

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