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There’s a good reason no one predicted the Seattle Seahawks would score 41 points last weekend: They hadn’t done it all season.
They had come close to 40 points just once (in a 36-18 win at Arizona) and had averaged just 19.4 points during …
As New England wrapped up week two of the pre-season with a 28-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Patriot fans have a lot to look forward to.
After watching the game, I came away with a lot of bright signs of what this team did tonight:
5. New England’s Young Secondary
As we all know, the Patriots have a very young and inexperienced defense, but their secondary looked very strong against the Atlanta Falcons. New England’s safety, Patrick Chung, looked very impressive tonight.
Chung recorded four tackles and was very aggressive while playing the strong safety position in week two.
Other young secondary defenders, such as rookie Devin McCourty and Brandon Meriweather also recorded four tackles each and both played aggressive.
4. Establishing The Run
One weakness of the 2009 New England Patriots was their inability to consistently establish the run. During tonight’s game, the Patriots’ run game looked very impressive.
Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris both rushed for over 50 yards while both scoring a touchdown.
New England has a quality core of running backs, but it’s just a matter of finding the right guy at the right time.
New England needs a little bit more balance, and after two games of the pre-season, New England appears to be heading in that direction.
3. Tom Brady Was Efficient
Tom Brady looked great tonight. Brady put up numbers similar to his record breaking season in 2007.
Brady completed 10 out of his 12 passes while throwing one touchdown pass throughout two quarters.
Brady looked very comfortable, and had less pressure on him with the efficient running game. If New England goes more balanced, than Brady will be more efficient.
2. Young Tight Ends
The pair of rookie tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, along with veteran Alge Crumpler, looked satisfactory tonight.
Gronkowski and Hernandez both scored a touchdown each, and played very well. They both seem to be comfortable with their role on the Patriots’ roster.
I believe that with New England’s new core of tight ends, they add a whole lot more of versatility. And, both are an upgrade from last seasons Ben Watson and Chris Baker.
1. Wes Welker Is Back
Wes Welker played in his first game since injuring his knee back in early January. Welker appeared to be O.K.
He played well, in the short time had played, and snagged two passes from Brady for 20 yards.
It was also good seeing Welker take a strong hit, which knocked him right to the ground, but he got up and showed no sign of pain.
With the improvement of Julian Edelman, Welker and him can become a nightmare for defensive coordinators.
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Darrelle Revis is represented by Neil Schwartz and Jonathan Feinsod. Amongst their clientele are guard Pete Kendall, tight end Chris Baker, wide receiver Vincent Jackson, and Revis.
What do these four players have in common, you ask?
All four have been or are involved in contract disputes that have seen no positive result in negotiations. All four are also represented by Schwartz and Feinsod.
It begs the question: Are Schwartz and Feinsod at least partially to blame for their clients’ holdouts, and in many fans’ eyes, poor decisions?
Let’s start with the Pete Kendall situation. According to Kendall, the Jets “promised” him a revised contract in 2007. However, the Jets did not give him what he wanted, and in the end he was traded to the Washington Redskins.
The next year, Chris Baker also accused the Jets of lying on a promise to give him a revised contract. Baker was ultimately released.
Whether the Jets “lied” about promising contracts or not, the end result of both players’ situations was that neither was able to come to terms with the Jets, and neither remained a Jet.
Flash forward to this season’s training camp—now Schwartz and Feinsod have two even higher profiled players in current holdouts: Darrelle Revis and Vincent Jackson.
In Jackson’s case, he is a restricted free agent who is not happy with the offer the San Diego Chargers gave him. As a result, he has not reported to training camp.
Going forward, the Chargers seem to have left Jackson out of their future plans, as it looks like he is going to miss the 2010 season.
As for Revis, he is reportedly asking for a 10-year, $160 million deal, while the Jets’ offer fell $40 million short. He is also a training camp holdout, and is getting fined for every day he misses camp, as he still has three years remaining on his current contract.
In the midst of the Revis situation, his representatives have recently called Jets owner Woody Johnson a “blatant li[ar].”
Now, regardless of whether or not these players deserve more money, I have a hard time believing Schwartz and Feinsod aren’t whispering in their ears telling them to demand more.
As far as I know, the more money a client makes, the more money the agent makes. And while Revis in particular is definitely worth more than his current contract pays him, I wonder how much influence his agents have in his demand to become the highest paid cornerback in the NFL.
In my opinion, it’s not at all a coincidence that Schwartz and Feinsod’s clients are holding out. It seems to be an ideology of the agency. Yet, I also think it is pretty foolish.
In regards to Revis, the Jets’ current offer would already make him the highest paid player in Jets’ history—asking for $40 million more than that is pretty absurd. It’s even more absurd when you realize that the $40 million more is to make him the highest paid CB per year.
The current highest paid CB is the Oakland Raiders’ Nnamdi Asomugha, who signed only a three-year contract. The difference is, Asomugha’s three-year contract leaves him a lot of uncertainty in a sport where players’ careers don’t always last very long. A 10-year contract for Revis is all the security he needs to ensure his family is always well fed.
As for Jackson, it looks like he will sit out the entire 2010 season. That’s foolish because not playing for a year drastically decreases one’s value, but also because the NFL seems destined for a lockout in 2011. If both Jackson and Revis don’t play in 2010, they may not play in 2011 either!
At the end of the day, I think Neil Schwartz and Jonathan Feinsod need to realize that they aren’t giving the best advice to their star clients. Revis and Jackson are football players, and undoubtedly want to play football. Additionally, both have the opportunity to play for teams that have a very high probability of winning the Super Bowl.
To give up that opportunity because of pride is pretty nonsensical.
If Revis and Jackson don’t realize that for themselves, hopefully Schwartz and Feinsod do, for the good of their clients, their clients’ teams, and the fans.
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Here is the official depth chart that is required to be released before the first pre-season game. This was compiled from an article in the Denver Post by Lindsey Jones and also from the Yahoo Sports and CBS Sports websites.
As you can see, it doesn’t have a lot of meaning for the upcoming pre-season game in Cincinnati.
For one thing, Ryan Clady will in no way be starting that game at LT. What will likely happen is D’Anthony Batiste will start, with Tyler Polumbus backing him up. Clady is still weeks away from even returning to practice.
The running back positions mean absolutely nothing for this Sunday, as none of the first three listed players are expected to suit up. This leaves Toney Baker, Lance Ball and Bruce Hall fighting for playing time. The signing yesterday of Justin Fargas also adds more fuzziness to an already cloudy RB picture.
It shows that Doom is not listed on the chart, but there is a good chance he will return before the end of the regular season.
Notice also that we have two rookies listed as starters in Beadles and Walton. This speaks a lot to how high they both were rated by the coaching staff. There will be the requisite rookie mistakes but I do believe that this O-line will come along as the pre-season and the regular season progresses.
Considering all the injuries and uncertainties, it doesn’t have much in common with reality but here goes:
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Last Years Record 10-6
Wins: Bills (x2), Falcons, Ravens, Titans, Bucs, Dolphins, Jets, Panthers, Jaguars
Losses: Jets, Broncos, Colts, Saints, Dolphins, Texans, Ravens (Playoffs)
Biggest Playmaker Tom Brady
QB, Michigan, Drafted #199, 11th Year
Tom Brady consistently makes plays and makes everyone around him better. Brady could have another great year with a veteran offensive line and a very solid receiving corps.
Impact Player Vince Wilfork
NT, Miami, Drafted #21, 7th Year
Entering his seventh season with the Patriots, Wilfork has been a staple of the Patriots 3-4 defense. A huge key to this defense is a dominating nose tackle who can stuff the middle and take on two blockers. While he may not boast huge numbers, he is the key to the Pats’ defense.
Biggest Free Agent Addition Torry Holt
WR, NC State, Drafted #7, 12th Year
Torry Holt will be a great complement to fellow WR’s Randy Moss and Wes Welker. As Moss consistently draws double teams down the field, Torry Holt could have a big year. He only had 51 catches for 722 yards and zero touchdowns (all career lows) in 2009, but he was playing for the run-first Jacksonville Jaguars.
Biggest Offseason Loss Benjamin Watson
TE, Georgia, Drafted #32, 7th Year
Watson has been the Pats starter at TE for years, and losing him and fellow TE Chris Baker left the Pats with a serious question mark at the position. Now they will look to Alge Crumpler to be the leader of the group, with two rookies (Gronkowski and Hernandez) likely to be the top pass catchers.
Biggest Draft Steal Aaron Hernandez
TE, Florida, Drafted #113, Rookie
Hernandez is a versatile athlete that will fit in very well with the Patriots system. At Florida he was involved in the passing game as a tight end and a wideout, as well as in their option attack.
Hernandez is electric with the ball in his hands and picking him up in the fourth round was a great move by the Pats’ management.
Biggest Draft Reach Zoltan Mesko
P, Michigan, Drafted #150, Rookie
Mesko has a big leg and the potential to be a game changer, but drafting a punter is always risky business. Not to take anything away from Mesko, as he has been impressive this spring, but only time will tell if it was worth using a draft pick to pick him up.
Offseason Grade B
The Patriots went quietly about their business, focusing mainly on re-signing veterans such as Vince Wilfork, Kevin Faulk, Leigh Bodden and Stephen Neal.
The Patriots addressed their needs in the draft, selecting two tight ends who should be factors immediately, and bolstering their defense with the selections of versatile CB Devin McCourty and LB Brandon Spikes.
Getting a deal done with LG holdout Logan Mankins is a must and they could have addressed the OLB spot.
X-Factor Wes Welker
WR, Texas Tech, Undrafted, 7th Year
After blowing out his knee in the final (irrelevant) regular season game in 2009, Welker’s knee should be a question mark only because of his importance to the team. Julian Edelman served as an adequate replacement but Welker is a vital part of the Patriots’ success.
Welker has been cleared, and the Patriots need him to stay healthy.
Name You Should Know Tully Banta-Cain
OLB, California, Drafted #239, 8th Year
Banta-Cain rejoined the Patriots after two seasons in San Francisco. After seeing his role increased in 2006 in which he registered 5.5 sacks at OLB, he left for California, only to register four in two years combined.
Tully stepped up big for the Pats last year with 9.5 sacks, and look for continued success this year
Rising Star Jerod Mayo
ILB, Tennessee, Drafted #10, 3rd Year
Drafted in the first round out of Tennessee in the 2008 draft, Jerod Mayo has been a consistent player in the middle of the Pats’ defense. However, Mayo has only 1.5 sacks, zero interceptions and two forced fumbles in two years combined.
If he can become more of a consistent playmaker Mayo will be the next star of the Pats’ defense.
Offensive Outlook A-
Tom Brady is still the quarterback of the New England Patriots. Coming off a season in which the Pats posted the third highest yards per game totals, we expect similar success for the Pats offense this year who added the dynamic (but aging) Torry Holt, all-around TE Rob Gronkowski and playmaking TE Aaron Hernandez.
If Laurence Maroney can stay healthy and have a successful year, expect the Patriots to be very hard to stop.
Look for second year WR Brandon Tate to come back strong from his injury and push for the third receiver spot.
Defensive Outlook B-
The Patriots most glaring weakness is their pass rush, where they ranked 23rd in total sacks last year. Tully Banta-Cain stepped up with 9.5 a year ago and will have to continue his success.
Vince Wilfork is consistently huge (literally) in the middle, while the young secondary must step up.
The Patriots will need a few players to become consistent playmakers if they want to have an elite defense.
Special Teams Outlook B
After Chris Hanson’s 32nd ranking yards per punt in 2009, the Patriots drafted Zoltan Mesko from Michigan.
Stephen Gostkowski has been reliable throughout his career, nailing 19/20 FG attempts inside the 40 in 2009. Welker averaged a very healthy 12.5 yards per punt return last year.
If the Patriots can get decent production in their kick return game (Brandon Tate?) they could have a very effective Special Teams unit.
Projected 2010 Record 10-6
It’s hard to bet against the mysterious Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady, especially when he is surrounded by weapons. If the tight ends can overcome their inexperience and the Patriots can generate a pass rush, look for them to be hard to beat. It certainly won’t be easy for the Pats, as they have the sixth hardest schedule in the NFL (according to 2009 Win-Loss Records).
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