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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Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Patriots Postseason Grades: Safeties
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Patriots Postseason Grades: Offensive Line
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. Like What You Read? - Subscribe to NE Patriots Draft!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Patriots Postseason Grades: Wide Receivers
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. Like What You Read? - Subscribe to NE Patriots Draft!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Patriots Postseason Grades: Tight Ends
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. Like What You Read? - Subscribe to NE Patriots Draft!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Who Do You Want to Go the Superbowl? (Part 2)
Other than the Patriots not being in the playoffs, things are going pretty well in the playoffs.
In the AFC, the Steelers took care of the Chargers, finally putting to rest any notions of their 2nd-Round pick (which belongs to the Patriots) getting moved back 15-16 picks. The Ravens seem like a team of destiny, even though if you would have looked at the Super Bowl Odds at the start of the year, you wouldn't have guessed it. One more win from them, and the Patriots have their 2nd rounder move up one slot. If I were doing some Super Bowl Betting, my money would be on Joe Cool and the Ravens.
In the NFC, things are even better as the Eagles and Cardinals both have worse records than the New England Patriots. Therefore, no matter who wins, the Patriots 1st Round Draft Pick will move up one slot to #23. Good times. Like What You Read? - Subscribe to NE Patriots Draft!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Broncos Hire Josh McDaniels
Chris Mortensen is reporting that the Denver Broncos have hired Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels to be their next Head Coach. According to reports, Dom Capers will join McDaniels on his way from Foxboro to the Mile High City.
We would tap Bill O'Brien, wide-receivers coach, as the heir apparent to the OC job. Our speculation is that O'Brien and Bill Belichick will share play-calling duties for a year, before receiving the reigns, similar to the way that McDaniels worked his way to the top. O'Brien coached at multiple ACC schools before joining the Patriots organization.
Capers and McDaniels may prove to be just the tip of the iceberg, as talks have heated up between Belichick's right-hand man Scott Pioli and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Let the raiding begin... Like What You Read? - Subscribe to NE Patriots Draft!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Patriots Post-Season Grades: Running Backs
The running back position was an interesting one to watch in 2008, as no fewer than six Patriots suited up in the backfield due to injuries and ineffective play. Let's grade them out.
Laurence Maroney: D+
Being placed on IR probably saved the first-round pick the embarrassment of being benched. He show homerun ability at times, but still dances too much in the hole.
Sammy Morris: B+
While Sammy Morris will never be a pro-bowler, he gives the Patriots exactly what they need. He's a guy that can give you 4-5 yards a pop, rarely lose yards, and occasionally pop one for 25+.
Lamont Jordan: B-
With him missing a few games due to injury, Jordan doesn't quite measure up to Morris, but he still played an important role. Jordan was great in short-yardage and coming out of the backfield.
Kevin Faulk: A
I shudder to think where the Patriots would be if management had released Faulk when everyone was wanting them to, following his fumble problems a few years back. Faulk is our best backfield blocker, our third best receiver, and unmatched in his ability to pick up first downs on draw plays.
Heath Evans: B-
The former Dolphin is never going to jump off the page at you, but he is a solid blocker that can catch the ball or pick up a 4th and 1 when called upon.
Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis: B
The "Law Firm" was a great surprise this year, as he ended up starting a few games due to the injury problems in the middle part of the year. BJGE would make for solid depth if the Patriots don't choose to retain Lamont Jordan. Like What You Read? - Subscribe to NE Patriots Draft!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Who Do You Want to Win the Superbowl?
As a Patriots fan, who should you be rooting for in the playoffs? While many of you would obviously have trouble rooting for the Eagles or Steelers, it might be in the Patriots best interest. If you keep your emotions out of it, a clear picture emerges of who Pats fans should root for.
Although after checking the Super Bowl Odds this might sound far-fetched, we should be rooting for an Eagles vs Ravens matchup. This would move our 1st-round draft pick up one spot from #24 to #23 (Eagles) and would also bump up our 2nd-round draft pick one spot (Ravens).
None of you will have any problem rooting against the San Diego Chargers already, but it would be bad news if the Chargers made it to the Super Bowl. If you plan on doing any Super Bowl Betting though, they have some good odds. If the Chargers made it to the big game, their 2nd round pick would drop from #47 to at best #63. That pick was traded to the Patriots last year.
Looks like we need to cheer for Asante Samuel a couple more times... Like What You Read? - Subscribe to NE Patriots Draft!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Patriots Postseason Grades: Quarterbacks
Over the next two weeks we'll be looking at the Patriots positional groupings and assigning grades based on expectations and performance during the 2008 season. We'll start with the signal-callers.
Quarterbacks Group Grade: A-
Matt Cassel: A
The 7th-round afterthought made some serious cash during the 2008 season. Showing great speed and elusiveness along with an arm that improved each week probably will earn him about $14 million dollars -- the price of a Patriots franchise tag.
Kevin O'Connel: C
Handed the ball of really well, but didn't get the playing time and pass attempts to give him anything but an average grade.
Matt Guttierez: C-
Expected to be the backup QB by quite a few fans and pundits, Guttierez disappointed by spending the majority of the year inactive as the 3rd quarterback.
Tom Brady: Incomplete
We hope the Golden Boy will be back at 100% for the start of the 2009 NFL season, as Matt Cassel probably won't be around. Like What You Read? - Subscribe to NE Patriots Draft!
