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NOTE: This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net.
Chad Ochocinco to the New England Patriots? Larry Fitzgerald and Tom Brady together? What if Randy Moss played?
Can it all stop?
Enough will all the talk of these big-name receivers. Mor…
Tom Brady is the best there is, best there was and the best there ever will be.
The debate over who is the better quarterback, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, has been raging unabated for nearly a decade now. This year proves that Tom Brady really i…
With Randy Moss officially a member of the Minnesota Vikings, the Patriots will look to replace the Hall of Fame wide receiver in the next coming weeks.
While the Patriots have in-house options in Julian Edleman and Brandon Tate, th…
After missing practically all of the 2008 season with a knee injury, quarterback Tom Brady was back in 2009, and he helped lead the New England Patriots to another division title. The Patriots finished the regular season with a 10-6 record, and eight of those wins came at home, where the Pats ran the table.
An injury to star wide receiver Wes Welker was certainly a factor in New England’s embarrassing playoff loss, further emphasizing how valuable his presence is to this team. If Welker can return healthy, the Patriots have enough pieces to top the AFC East again, but it won’t be easy with the emergence of the Jets and Dolphins.
Offense
Tom Brady played well in his first season back following major knee surgery. He finished the year with 4,398 yards and 28 touchdowns with 13 interceptions while helping New England boast the third-best passing offense in the NFL.
In all, the Patriots ranked sixth in the league in terms of scoring offense, averaging 26.7 points per game. Matching last season’s offensive numbers will largely depend on Welker’s health. Welker is expected to be ready to go in Week One, but the Pats have added Torry Holt and David Patten for security. In just 14 games last season, Welker caught 123 passes for 1,348 yards. He flat out moves the sticks.
Randy Moss may have lost a step of two, but I’m a firm believer in the saying “the numbers don’t lie”. Moss finished with 83 catches for 1,1264 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. There is room for improvement in the running game, and that improvement could come if Fred Taylor is able to stay healthy.
Defense:
While last year’s defense wasn’t as dominant as the ones from the past that featured Jarvis Green, Tedy Bruschi, Richard Seymour and Mike Vrable, it still finished fifth in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing only 17.8 points per game.
However, it may be hard to duplicate last season’s numbers with the additions division rivals New York and Miami have made to bolster their passing games.
Big Vince Wilfork is back to hold down the fort up front, but pass rushers must emerge around him for New England to remain a top notch defensive team. Linebacker Tully Banta-Cain led the Patriots with 10 sacks last year, but no one else on the roster had more than five. Someone is going to have to aid Banta-Cain and Wilfork in the pass rush or New England could end up allowing more than the 209.7 yards per game it gave up through the air last season.
Prediction: 2nd AFC East
The Patriots have won the AFC East six of the last seven years, and they’ll be in the mix in 2010. In fact, as long as Tom Brady is on the field and Bill Belichick is on the sideline, the Pats will be a threat to make the playoffs. However, I have them coming up short in the division this season.
The Jets, who were the best defensive team in the NFL last year, have a lot of momentum on their side after advancing to the AFC title game last season. Check out my 2010 NFL predictions article to see who I have winning each of the eight NFL divisions.
Beat the NFL odds on a consistent basis from Week 1 of the preseason through the Super Bowl with Jimmy Boyd expert picks!
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What do Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning all have common.
They are three quarterbacks who could succeed with anybody lined up at wide receiver. In fact, they are three quarterbacks who have succeeded with anybody lined up at wide receiver.
In 2008, Drew Brees was one completion away from breaking the NFL single season record for passing yards in a season, and yet not one single New Orleans Saints receiver had a 1,000 yards.
We’ve seen Tom Brady make due for years with whatever receivers the New England Patriots give him, including in 2004 when he won the Super Bowl with David Givens, David Patten, and Deion Branch. For most of his career, Brady’s best receiver has been Kevin Faulk.
And all Peyton Manning did in 2009 was lose his future Hall of Fame teammate Marvin Harrison and starting wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, and then go out and win the MVP while taking his team to the Super Bowl.
But not all quarterbacks with big numbers are great.
In these other cases, the quarterbacks’ success have been clearly a result of their pass—catchers.
Here are ten of those cases.
