2010 Starter Need: Low
2010 Depth Need: Medium
2009 Unit Grade: B+
Tom Brady
2009 Grade: B+
Signed Through: 2010 ($10.2m)
Brian Hoyer
2009 Grade: B+
Signed Through: 2011(406k, 491k)
Tom Brady performed well for the Patriots in 2009, but couldn’t live up to his 2007 standard. Probably preventing Brady from an A- grade was the lack of a true #3 threat a la Jabar Gaffney or Dante Stallworth. Joey Galloway and Sam Aiken just couldn’t cut it.
Brian Hoyer showed that he could be a quality backup in the league during some mop-up duty, also having the potential to develop into a starter in the next few years.
Only having two QB’s is a dangerous game to play, and the Patriots would be wise to look at a few free-agents or take another flier late in the draft. They should have at least three compensatory picks that can’t be traded that would be well-used on a developmental QB.
2010 NFL Draft Potential Targets: John Skelton (Fordham), Mike Kafka (Northwestern), Tim Hiller (Western Michigan), Bill Stull (Pitt)
Tags: Analysis, Roster Moves
Stanbach played QB in college, too – worst case scenario they could play him or Elderman
Elderman is their third string Qb. They dont need another.
The Patriots do like to develop late round QB’s… Matt Cassel being the prime example. They essentially turned a 7th round flier into a 1-year starter and a 2nd round pick. QB fliers can pay off big time… just look at #12.
The only reason Pats need to look at a QB is IF Brady goes down again. Without Cassell, they will have a huge drop off this time unlike 2008. Drafting a QB is completely useless. Such a low pick will never lift NE anyway. I would look for a cheap experienced free agent instead (if they really want to cover). Overall I think Pats are fine here.