Postmortem on Patriot's Season: Good But Not Good Enough
Take heart, New Englanders: the last time Bill Belichick missed the playoffs he won the next two Super Bowls.
So having missed the postseason again in 2008, I am heartened and encouraged by an admittedly aging but still proud team's resolve to fight until the final day. Key injuries to such stars as Brady, Harrison, Thomas, Seymour, Green, and Maroney, among others, may have cost the club a chance at a fourth Super Bowl win, but I enjoyed this year's Pats squad like few in my lifetime. Eleven and five is pretty good, considering the tough AFC East division, the health of the team, and the inexperience at quarterback in Matt Cassel.
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The last month certainly was the high point for New England's year. Impressive wins over Oakland, Arizona, and Buffalo showed that the Patriots, when right, could play and dominate much like the great teams of recent vintage. The running game, with veteran backs Morris and Jordan leading the way, was the key element in the late season victories. And, of course, the key to any running game is offensive line play. Though none of them are going to the Pro Bowl, O-Line Coach Dante Scarnechia can be proud of his boys. They did well, and should be just as good in 09.
The wide receiver position features two of the best in football in Moss and Welker, but I would feel better drafting fairly highly a young receiver to develop as a third or fourth option. Gaffney is a decent pro, but relying so heavily on the top two guys, though they never seem to get hurt seems too dicey. Here's hoping a late rounder is spent on a wideout in the upcoming draft.
Tight end remains a question mark. Though Watson has all the tools, he gets hurt and has a habit of dropping balls. At this point in his career, he is what he is: mediocre and unreliable, though gifted. Thomas is a decent receiver but not big enough to do damage blocking. They can stand pat with what they have here hoping that the greatness of Moss and Welker carries the day next season for the passing game. Also, the drafting of tight ends with early picks seems to be a very risky proposition, as I think about recent busts as Watson and Shockey.
The running back position is in decent hands. I would feel comfortable with Morris and Jordan being the top two backs next season, with the hope that Maroney can finally fulfill his promise. But when a player is injured as much as Maroney, it is not a good idea to count on them. Drafting a running back is always a good idea, and expect Belichick and Pioli to do just that.
Now for the major question mark: what to do with Matt Cassel. Tom Brady, unless he is not healthy by the summer, will be the Pats starter next year without question. He is only about 30 years old and still has plenty of productive years left. Cassel will be a free agent this offseason and I am unsure of whether the Pats would be compensated or not for his loss. If a restricted free agent, offers will be much more limited than if he was unrestricted. But do not expect the rising star to return. He has shown he can be a starter with a chance to be a real star; what with his strong arm, leadership skills, and, above all, his mobility. I really like his game and he seems to have a terrific personality in terms of leadership and savvy. The best seventh round pick since Brady, possibly in the entire league. I wish him well wherever he winds up, but please do not even suggest having him start over Brady next year. Tom Terrific has done too much for New England and worked to hard to be thrown under the bus.
Defensively is where the rubber meets the road for the 2009 New England Patriots. The defensive line is getting up in age and seems to be injury prone, though it is the strength of the aging unit. Linebackers are aging as well, but Mayo was a revelation and may just be ROY for the league defensively. Depth is needed at both spots and I expect free agent signings to play a big role in developing the linebacker spot. Size is always a good place to start on draft day, so I would be surprised if a defensive lineman is NOT drafted in the first three rounds.
Secondary is the major concern, not just on defense, but for the entire team. Losing Samuel to free agency and Harrison to injury exposed an already thin and inexperienced unit. Hobbs can play but is not a star. The rest are replaceable, and drafting a shutdown corner is priority one come draft time. A big hitting safety is needed as well.
The kicking game is in good hands, with Gostkowski the best placekicker in football right now and Hanson a serviceable holder and punter. No needs there.
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So it appears the priorities for the draft and signing free agents are as follows:
1) shutdown cornerback -- there are some good ones coming out. this will be the emphasis of B and P
2) safety -- a new Harrison is needed NOW
3) defensive line depth -- third or fourth rounder likely
4) lineback, both inside and outside -- size is always a priority for Belichick, but Mayo is undersized and turned out well
5) third wide receiver -- receivers seem to come from anywhere nowadays. I'm confident they can address this need in 09
6) tight end - it's my attitude to never draft a tight end too high unless it's a major need
7) o-line -- depth is so key to offensive line play, but drafting one early is not a priority
8) backup qb -- as seen in brady and cassel, early rounders are often wastes. we'll see with o'donnell
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To sum up, it remains a great time to be a New England Patriots fan. Though the last Super Bowl win was four years ago, the team continues to be in the mix with the NFL elite and can certainly be considered among the favorites for next year's championship.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the last time NE missed out on the postseason they drafted an historically outstanding class and won the next two SBs. I have faith that that can happen again.
So having missed the postseason again in 2008, I am heartened and encouraged by an admittedly aging but still proud team's resolve to fight until the final day. Key injuries to such stars as Brady, Harrison, Thomas, Seymour, Green, and Maroney, among others, may have cost the club a chance at a fourth Super Bowl win, but I enjoyed this year's Pats squad like few in my lifetime. Eleven and five is pretty good, considering the tough AFC East division, the health of the team, and the inexperience at quarterback in Matt Cassel.
----------------
The last month certainly was the high point for New England's year. Impressive wins over Oakland, Arizona, and Buffalo showed that the Patriots, when right, could play and dominate much like the great teams of recent vintage. The running game, with veteran backs Morris and Jordan leading the way, was the key element in the late season victories. And, of course, the key to any running game is offensive line play. Though none of them are going to the Pro Bowl, O-Line Coach Dante Scarnechia can be proud of his boys. They did well, and should be just as good in 09.
The wide receiver position features two of the best in football in Moss and Welker, but I would feel better drafting fairly highly a young receiver to develop as a third or fourth option. Gaffney is a decent pro, but relying so heavily on the top two guys, though they never seem to get hurt seems too dicey. Here's hoping a late rounder is spent on a wideout in the upcoming draft.
Tight end remains a question mark. Though Watson has all the tools, he gets hurt and has a habit of dropping balls. At this point in his career, he is what he is: mediocre and unreliable, though gifted. Thomas is a decent receiver but not big enough to do damage blocking. They can stand pat with what they have here hoping that the greatness of Moss and Welker carries the day next season for the passing game. Also, the drafting of tight ends with early picks seems to be a very risky proposition, as I think about recent busts as Watson and Shockey.
The running back position is in decent hands. I would feel comfortable with Morris and Jordan being the top two backs next season, with the hope that Maroney can finally fulfill his promise. But when a player is injured as much as Maroney, it is not a good idea to count on them. Drafting a running back is always a good idea, and expect Belichick and Pioli to do just that.
Now for the major question mark: what to do with Matt Cassel. Tom Brady, unless he is not healthy by the summer, will be the Pats starter next year without question. He is only about 30 years old and still has plenty of productive years left. Cassel will be a free agent this offseason and I am unsure of whether the Pats would be compensated or not for his loss. If a restricted free agent, offers will be much more limited than if he was unrestricted. But do not expect the rising star to return. He has shown he can be a starter with a chance to be a real star; what with his strong arm, leadership skills, and, above all, his mobility. I really like his game and he seems to have a terrific personality in terms of leadership and savvy. The best seventh round pick since Brady, possibly in the entire league. I wish him well wherever he winds up, but please do not even suggest having him start over Brady next year. Tom Terrific has done too much for New England and worked to hard to be thrown under the bus.
Defensively is where the rubber meets the road for the 2009 New England Patriots. The defensive line is getting up in age and seems to be injury prone, though it is the strength of the aging unit. Linebackers are aging as well, but Mayo was a revelation and may just be ROY for the league defensively. Depth is needed at both spots and I expect free agent signings to play a big role in developing the linebacker spot. Size is always a good place to start on draft day, so I would be surprised if a defensive lineman is NOT drafted in the first three rounds.
Secondary is the major concern, not just on defense, but for the entire team. Losing Samuel to free agency and Harrison to injury exposed an already thin and inexperienced unit. Hobbs can play but is not a star. The rest are replaceable, and drafting a shutdown corner is priority one come draft time. A big hitting safety is needed as well.
The kicking game is in good hands, with Gostkowski the best placekicker in football right now and Hanson a serviceable holder and punter. No needs there.
---------
So it appears the priorities for the draft and signing free agents are as follows:
1) shutdown cornerback -- there are some good ones coming out. this will be the emphasis of B and P
2) safety -- a new Harrison is needed NOW
3) defensive line depth -- third or fourth rounder likely
4) lineback, both inside and outside -- size is always a priority for Belichick, but Mayo is undersized and turned out well
5) third wide receiver -- receivers seem to come from anywhere nowadays. I'm confident they can address this need in 09
6) tight end - it's my attitude to never draft a tight end too high unless it's a major need
7) o-line -- depth is so key to offensive line play, but drafting one early is not a priority
8) backup qb -- as seen in brady and cassel, early rounders are often wastes. we'll see with o'donnell
----------
To sum up, it remains a great time to be a New England Patriots fan. Though the last Super Bowl win was four years ago, the team continues to be in the mix with the NFL elite and can certainly be considered among the favorites for next year's championship.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the last time NE missed out on the postseason they drafted an historically outstanding class and won the next two SBs. I have faith that that can happen again.
posted by joe sweeney at 7:07 AM
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