The New England Patriots have had anything but a good off-season. From the most notable scandal in professional football, to losing 4 of their 5 best cornerbacks, the Pats have had a less than memorable off-season. Let’s look back at what has happened off the field, and how that will impact them on the field.
“Deflategate”
In the 2015 AFC Championship game, New England quarterback Tom Brady was accused for deflating his team’s footballs. This scandal has dragged from the day of the game, (January 18, 2015) all the way until now, it has been a national spotlight.
The Patriots themselves have been very quiet during this whole situation, unless you count the days after the game when head coach Bill Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft were forced to speak on the matter. Brady has been the centerpiece of the scandal; and he continues for to fight for as long as he can, to prove his innocence.
“Deflategate” has been to many, the centerpiece of New England’s off-season; however, that is not the case. On top of the scandal, the Patriots have not had a good off-season. Let’s explore what has happened, and what to look forward to.
Key Subtractions
Darrelle Revis – Revis was by far the best player on the Patriots defense last season, playing over 92 percent of the defensive snaps. In his one season with New England, he started all 16 regular season games, and was a shutdown cornerback. His numbers do not appear to be the best, because quarterbacks were not throwing to him. Overall, Revis will be sorely missed, and it will be impossible to replace him.
Brandon Browner – On top of losing the indispensable services of Revis, New England was faced with another obstacle, when they lost their second best cornerback. Browner, a former Seattle Seahawks cornerback, was supposed to be the anchor of the other side of the secondary. However, he only played 9 games for the Patriots, in his one season. He played just over half of the teams defensive snaps, and was not as valuable as many thought he would be. Despite that, a healthy Browner would have been key to the Patriots Super Bowl repeat attempt.
Shane Vereen – Vereen was one of the key pieces in a running attack that gave Brady a bit of leeway when it came to the passing game. Although he was not the starter, he rushed for 391 yards, and two touchdowns. He also caught 52 passes for 447 yards. His versatility is something that will be sorely missed. That said, the Patriots should have enough Running power to replace him with ease.
Key additions:
None – The Patriots made no off-season moves noteworthy. The only move remotely close to that was their 2015 NFL Draft first round pick, Malcom Brown. He will be able to help them, but losing what they lost, this selection will not be enough to replenish that
Players with something to prove this season:
Tom Brady – Brady has the most to prove of any player on the Patriots because of one thing. His name. The Brady name has been caught cheating a two different occasions, and therefore he is out to prove that he is and will always be one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.
Jonas Gray – After a Sunday Night Football game in November 2014, we never heard from Gray again. After 200+ yards and 4 touchdowns, he was supposed to be the future of the Patriots backfield. However, that was not the case for the rest of the season. Gray is a player to watch because he has the capability to be great, but we will see if he can channel that, on put it to use. Overall Gray is a massive talent, but after that big performance, he needs to convince the world that is he is not a one hit wonder.
Offensive Outlook:
Presumably, New England will be without their starting quarterback for the first 4 games of the 2014 season. That means that Jimmy Garoppolo will be starting those games. If he does start these games, the Patriots are not in such a bad situation. Garoppolo was a good player in college, and has been studying the New England offense for more than a year now. To keep them in the playoff race, Garoppolo needs to win 2 of the 4 games, and they will be okay.
With a experienced offensive line with names like Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer, the line should be able to protect whoever is at quarterback quite nicely. This line is one of the better ones in the league, so they should be okay.
The running game appears to be in a very similar spot to last year, despite losing Shane Vereen. This facet of the offense looks to be strong the whole year, with a plethora of talent to make the quarterback's life a lot easier. Overall, this crew should be able to help keep the defense honest, and run for a lot of yards, often.
Defensive Outlook:
New England’s defense has always been known to be bad, and this year will stay the same. With 4 out of 5 of their best cornerbacks gone from last year, and Vince Wilfork now a member of the Houston Texans, this defense appears as though it will struggle.
The only bright spot for this defense is the linebacking corps, three headed by Dont’a Hightower, Jerod Mayo, and Jamie Collins. These are three top teir linebackers in the league. However, the linebackers cannot do all the work, so therefore this will be a awful defense, despite this great slew of players.
Prediction:
The New England Patriots, even without Brady for a little, are one of the best teams in the NFL, and will get at least 10 wins regardless of what Garoppolo does. In the end, this team will go 13-3, because of the will to win by Brady, and his fight to clear his name.