2013 - Patriots Pre-Season
Wrap Up
Foxboro, MA - The 2013 Preseason for the Patriots is over and here is what we've seen so far:
Quarterbacks
Ryan Mallett - Still the leading quarterback for the team. Only played 2 quarters in pre-season due to the back-up QB battle between Colt and Rookie Chad Sapozink. We expect Mallett to have a great year with less turnovers from last year.
Chad Sapozink - We don't know too much about Chad, except that for a low level rookie he was able to perform well on the field. He had the accuracy and didn't try to force too many balls. Should be a decent back-up but give him a year or two to develop into a solid #2
Running Backs
Stevan Ridley - Stevan was able to show everyone he still had the ability to shine. He's not the flashiest runner, but is a grinder and will get you the yards if you get the ball in his hands. Not the best hands out of the backfield. We expect to see him carry the ball about 65% of the time.
Brandon Bolden - Brandon shared his potential with us last season by chewing up yards while Ridley was injured for a few weeks. He is a solid 2/3 back and will share carries with Shane Vereen. His strength is his power running and can get the yards when relied upon.
Shane Vereen - This guy just doesn't go away. Even with limited carries last year, it didn't discourage him. He showed his worth in preseason and will be sharing the carries with Bolden. They are both sharing 30% of the carries.
LaRod Stephens-Howling - Mr. 3rd down back. Knowing that the Patriots wouldn't be able to keep Danny Woodhead last year, LSH was groomed as his replacement. He will also take the lead on Kick Returns as well. LaRod will be the team's utility player this year.
Wide Receivers
Wes Welker - Working on year one of his new contract, he is focusing on staying healthy this year. We expect a solid year from Wes and he should grab about 60 balls or so because of the talent at wide receiver this year.
Brandon Lloyd - Lloyd was hurt in the playoffs last year that might have cost them an early departure from the playoffs. He will be relied upon to provide long ball capabilities again this year. Hopefully he will pull down atleast 70 balls this year.
Bryant Ford - This is the Patriots #1 pick in 2013. He will be the wildcard in this offense this year. He may not get 40 catches, but will impact the team greatly with his solid hands. I don't expect a dropped ball this year.
Aaron Hernandez - Aaron has finally moved into the WR position. He just wasn't a tight end anymore and could do so much more. He is playing the slot this year and hoping to pick up 50 receptions. He will be explosive and clutch when the situation calls for it.
Dezmon Briscoe/Andrew Apo - These guys are your 5 wide receivers. Don't expect too many snaps and/or too many catches. These two made the team based on their hands and hands alone. If put into the game, we want them to pull the ball down and not have to worry about it.
Derrick Brailsford - Picked up in the draft this year, Derrick will only be used for his speed. His hands are terrible, but he can evade tackles and even break some himself. He is 2nd on the depth chart in Kick Return and is #1 in Punt Returns. I'm hoping to see a few long runbacks for him.
Tight Ends
Rob Gronkowski - Gronk is Gronk. Don't know how else to explain it. As the wide receivers are sharing balls, Gronk is going to lead the team in touchdowns again this year. I would like to see more than 80 receptions this year and another Pro Bowl start.
Kip Wary - Picked up in the 2013 draft as a blocking tight end, but we realized that this kid can catch. He's looking like a clone of Gronkowski so far. I'm excited to see how the two tight end sets will look like when doing playaction. Can't wait....
Defensive Lineman
Chandler Jones - Rookie of the year is returning this year. I expect to see around 10 sacks this year from the sophomore defensive end. He's quick and many lineman can't handle him.
Vince Wilfork - Just like Gronk, there's nothing to say about big Vince. His wife will be on the sidelines texting away as he clogs up the middle. He's got a solid #2 in veteran Casey Hampton. Hoping to see an improvement in the run stopping game.
Rob Ninkovich - Rob got some sacks last year to solidify him as the starter this year as well. With Shawne Merriman there as well, we might see Rob on the trading block as Shawne is equally as good.
Linebackers
Mayo, Spikes, Hightower - The trio returns as they scare offenses with their quickness and awareness. All three are considered fearless tacklers and have great angles when pursuing the ball carrier. Their weakness is their coverage on tight ends. Hopefully we'll see that improved this year.
Justice Caine - Who ever thought that you could bring more talent to this linebacker corps? Justice Caine is the best Linebacker in the draft and the Patriots picked him up. He will be helping as a DE and Inside Linebacker this year as he gets his feet wet. Maybe we have 2 years in a row with the defensive rookie of the year?
Secondary
Antoine Cason and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie -Cason and DRC are coming brand new into a system that let up a lot of catches last year. They are both established as #1 cornerbacks so I hope to see QBs be afraid to throw to the outside. Should share 10-12 INTs between the two of them.
Devin McCourty - He is a perfect fit for Strong Safety as his man coverage skills lacked and he couldn't stay with his receivers. Now as safety he can scout the field and fly towards the ball. The long ball up the middle will not be an option for other teams this year.
Steve Gregory - He's just solid all around. He will be teaching rookie, Leron Battles, the ropes. He is the veteran leadership in the secondary and will prove to be just as effective as last year.