No More Brady - A Ryan Mallett Patriots Story (Madden 13)

[JaymeeAwesome]

2012 - Patriots Pre-Season

Wrap Up

Foxboro, MA - The 2012 Preseason for the Patriots is over and here is what we've seen so far:

Quarterbacks

Ryan Mallett - No picks thrown on 65 pass, but no TDs. Only completed 50% of his passes and was sacked 4 times. Ryan needs to continue his timing patterns with his receivers and build a strong relationship with Rob Gronkowski.
Colt McCoy - Thrown 2 TDs and only 1 interception. Completing 60% of his throws. Cannot throw the long ball. Will remain the backup going into the regular season.

Running Backs

Stevan Ridley - Ran for 146 yards with 2 TDs. Showed quickness to get around the outside. Needs to focus on ball control as he fumbled twice. Great hands in the flats and will be a great checkdown decision for Mallett. Stevan will be the starting back for the season.
Shane Vereen - Ran for 129 with no touchdowns. Was able to run the ball up the gut and pick up needed yards. Showed poise and broke some good tackles to gain the hard yards. Solid #2 back for when Ridley is tired or hurt.
Danny Woodhead - Had a small amount of carries with 45 yards. Danny will again be the 3rd down back to protect Mallett and to give him the quick option for the draw or screen. Danny is a workhouse and holds an important position in this offense.
Brandon Bolden - With 85 yards in the preseason, Brandon has demonstrated that he can bang the ball in there. This is his rookie season and will see very little snaps this year. When he does get in the game, we are looking for him to make an impact and show improvement.

Wide Receivers

Wes Welker - Wes sat for most of the preseason worrying about his contract. He was able to grab 4 balls through these 4 preseason games. Wes will be used in the possession game. Short and safe throws will be his specialty.
Brandon Lloyd - Finally the long back can come back to New England. Brandon was able to pull down 103 yards in the preseason. Look for Mallett to target Lloyd in single coverage. We expect 70+ catches for this wide receiver.
Julian Edelman - This is a Wes Welker clone. Worked alot of snaps in the preseason and got 8 catches for 123 yards and a TD. Edelman will see playing time in the spread formation and/or 5 receiver sets. He will also be used to return punts for the 3rd year in a row.
Greg Salas - Greg will see no more than 10 snaps a game, but will be looked at for post and flag medium routes when in there. No more than 25 catches will be expected this year from Greg.
Matthew Slater - Slater is a second generation Patriots player. He will be the 5th/6th receiver and should see no playing time unless there is an injury. His main focus will be on the special teams with a concentration on being the Kick Returner. He has proven he has the ability to run one back. Let's hope we can see some more special team TDs this year from Matthew.

Tight Ends

Rob Gronkowski - The Gronk! Expecting another solid year from this guy. Great hands and will be a 3rd and long threat. Caught 6 balls in preseason. Rob and Ryan will need to get on the same page this year and we should see near 100 catches for this combination. Get ready for the big spike in the end zone.
Aaron Hernandez - For the life of me, I don't know why he's listed as a tight end. He will be used in two tight end sets and as a 3rd/4rd receiver. He has great speed and awesome manuevering to get around defenders.
Visanthe Shiancoe - The big man. He will be the 3rd TE on the depth chart and come out on the Big sets. Used primarily as a blocking tight end, I don't expect Visanthe to bring down many balls. In goal line sets, he may see a TD or 2 this year.

Defensive Lineman

Chandler Jones - Rookie out of Syracuse, Chandler will be a force to reckon with. His big 6'5" frame will not slow him down. He gets off the ball quick and should be great in getting by the OL. Still young, so his run discipline will need some fine tuning.
Vince Wilfork - Big Vince Wilfork. Nobody wants to stop him and a lot of times, no one can stop him. He is going to clog up the middle and force the opposing backs to run outside the tackles. For a big guy he has speed, so I expect a good amount of TFL and sacks this year.
Rob Ninkovich - A converted OLB now at Left End. Very consistant player and great tackling in the open field. Should be able to fill the left end spot decently and put up a fair amount of tackles.

Linebackers

Jerod Mayo - This defensive captain has been a leader since he came into the league 4 years ago. Expected to be the lead tackler this year. Now as an outside linebacker for second year in a row he has great containment. Always looking in the backfield and watches the QB's eyes and knows where to go. Tight Ends and Running backs in the flats should be afraid to be outside the numbers.
Brandon Spikes - Hurt for most of last year, Brandon is looking for a comeback. Set up as the middle linebacker, Spikes will be the first guy into the hole. Expect to have many forced fumbles, Spikes can knock your teeth out. Tight Ends across the middle may have problems getting their hands on the ball cleanly.
Dont'a Hightower - Selected in the first round with Jones. Hightower has high energy and can make some big plays. This energy also can have their drawbacks in overpursuing and not containing the outside. Dont'a has good hands and should get a few picks when he has the opportunity.

Secondary

Devin McCourty & Kyle Arrington - Two youngs cornerbacks with something to prove. Devin McCourty (now in his third year) would like to show he's the same player as in 2010. Arrington coming of a season high in interceptions. Has great hands but needs help deep sometimes. Solid coverage on the outside is what we get with these two.
Patrick Chung - The enforcer. You do not want to be a receiver catching the ball over the middle with him nearby. You'll wake up next in the emergency room. Has a tendacy to drop balls when he can get his hands on them. Is beatable deep because he is usually stepping up into the box to make a play. Is very sneak on safety blitzes also, QBs rarely see him coming.
Steve Gregory - Great offseason pickup. He is the old man of this secondary at only 6 years in the league. Small guy with great eyes. Expect to keep the long ball catches to a minimum with him back there. This was the hole of the Patriots secondary last year and it's now filled.

New England Patriots Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
FS	Tavon Wilson	Broken Collarbone - 4 Weeks
DT	Kyle Love	Patrial PCL Tear - 4 Weeks

Going into the season the Patriots are missing two key players. Tavon Wilson, although a rookie, has shown great consistency in the Dime package as an extra defensive back. Kyle Love in the 4-3 is Vince Wilfork partner in crime. Combined weight is over 600 lbs., opposing defenses may have an opportunity to run up the middle. We hope these 4 weeks are over quickly.

[JaymeeAwesome]

2012 - End of Preseason

Strange Occurrence - A preseason tie is double-edged sword. Coaches can't be too unhappy to get five full quarters of practice in, but injury risks grow with each snap. Steelers vs Panthers

Undefeated Preseasons - The Saints, Colts, and Packers finished the preseason at 4-0.

See Who's Tweetin'

@RoFloEA - Saints finish up the preseason underfeated. Will they come flying out of the chute once the regular season starts

@MarkSchlerethEA - Colts going 4-0 maybe doesn't do a ton for them, but as a team you like seeing results now rather than later.

@RossTucker - Have a hard time believing the Packers will remember an undefeated preseason if the regular season goes poorly.

@LaVar Arrington - Someone needs to get the record books out and see if anyone who tied in preseason got to SB.

NFL Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
LT	Anthony Collins | Bengals	Dislocated Hip - 7 Weeks
HB	Fred Jackson | Bills	Dislocated Ankle - 2 Weeks
DT	Ty Warren | Broncos	Torn Tricep - 22 Weeks - Out for Season
ROLB	Chris Gocong | Browns	Achilles Tear - 22 Weeks - Out for Season
RG	Davin Joseph | Buccaneers	Pulled Groin - 3 Weeks
LOLB	Shaun Phillips | Chargers	Broken Thumb - 2 Weeks
WR	DeSean Jackson | Eagles	Abdominal Tear - 3 Weeks
MLB	Jon Beason | Panthers	Complete MCL Tear - 22 Weeks - Out for Season
LE	Chris Long | Ram	Torn Bicep - 3 Weeks
ROLB	Terrell Suggs | Ravens	Achilles Tear - 25 Weeks - Out for Season

[JaymeeAwesome]

Hello everyone. I have gotten this dynasty set up and I will begin playing the regular season shortly. If this interests you, please feel free to post your thoughts or suggestions. I hope to bring you along with me on this journey to see if the Patriots can truly be a top team without the great Tom Brady.

Should I scout any running backs or should I ride the Stevan Ridley train to where it takes me? Please chime in if you have suggestions and would like to discuss this topic...

[Legionnaire]

Okay, I have to ask. What's up with the mediocre return in that Brady trade?

Just trying to keep it difficult by not letting yourself take draft picks that are too high? Because I'm sure you could get better in return.

Anyway, I'll be following. New England usually seems like a boring team for franchise modes, but you manufactured a good way to make it interesting right away. Always fun to see how teams handle the loss of legendary players.

[JaymeeAwesome]

Most teams couldn't handle his salary except for three teams. I didn't want to get any "good" player back in the trade because I want to work through the draft. It was either straight up for a third round pick or what I did. Brady only had a few good years left anyways, so I feel that it's fair.

[Adam14]

I've been a Mallett fan since he came into the league. Good luck. And I would thought a second round pick for Brady straight up would of been worth it.

[JaymeeAwesome]

With throwing Weeden in as starter, the Browns have given up on McCoy. Why not add him to the trade to get my backup QB?

[JaymeeAwesome]

Week 1 Matchup Preview | September 9, 2012
	@
New England Patriots (0-0, 0-0 Away)		Tennessee Titans (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Top Offensive Players Ryan Mallett Quarterback Jake Locker Stevan Ridley Running Back Chris Johnson Wes Welker Wide Receiver Nate Washington Rob Gronkowski Tight End Jared Cook Jr. Top Defensive Players Vince Wilfork DT Defensive Line Kamerion Wimbley RE Jerod Mayo ROLB Linebacker Will Witherspoon ROLB Devin McCourty CB Defensive Back Michael Griffin FS Injury Report Tavon Wilson FS Broken Collarbone - 4 Weeks Dave Ball LE Achilles Tear - 22 Weeks (Out for Season) Kyle Love DT Partial PCL Tear - 4 Weeks Marc Mariani WR Broken Fibula - 22 Weeks (Out for Season) Game Notes Nashville, TN - Two young QBs take the field in this game one matchup. Jake Locker has a slight edge due to getting some playing time last year. Ryan Mallett has the better support staff for him to lead the team to victory. Expect a heavy ground game with these two teams as the Patriots, without Brady, has move to a more balanced offense instead of the air game. This may be a nail biter. Prediction - Patriots win 24-20