Before you get upset with the Patriots for drafting players who you have never heard of before, understand that every year there are players who Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. (great analysts) rave about before the season, but end up being busts.

Basically, just because a guy is not talked about as a prime NFL prospect does not mean that he won’t eventually become one.

Here’s a breakdown of the first four rounds of the Pats’ 2010 draft.

Devin McCourty, CB

First of all, do not be turned off by the Patriots drafting Devin McCourty. Initially, I was disappointed with the pick as well, but looking into it, McCourty may be a solid player for the Pats.

Firstly, he is a demon special teams player, as he had seven blocked kicks at Rutgers. Also, he is a kid with lots of speed, running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash.

He is a good press corner, and just as importantly, a sound tackler, something the Pats have been missing on the outside for quite some time.

He does not have great ball skills, and he won’t lead the league in interceptions, but he is more of a two-year prospect who will immediately contribute on special teams.

I thought Sergio Kindle would be a good pick here, or even at a later pick for New England (he was available well into the second round). He is an injury threat with a banged up knee, and the last thing the Pats need is an injury-prone player on defense.

Grade: B- He will be a good player for New England, but he could have been picked up closer to the second round, or even in the second round.

Rob Gronkowski, TE

This TE could have been a first-round selection, had it not been for a back injury that set him back during his senior season. However, he is one of the best TEs, if not the best, at getting open in the middle of the field.

He’s a good blocker, has soft hands, and is much more consistent than Ben Watson.

He’s also borderline 6’7″, 265 lbs, and he runs a 4.64-40, so he’ll be a matchup threat against some smaller defenses (like Indy).

Grade: A- Patriots drafted for a need here, and Gronkowski is great at getting open, providing Brady with an extra option in the middle of the field. Hopefully he’ll stay healthy.

Jermaine Cunningham, OLB

Cunningham is the perfect player for the Patriots, especially late into the second round, because as a Gator he was a consistent pass rusher. Not overpowering or extremely fast, he finds ways to get into the backfield with consistency using quickness and technique.

This is just the type of player Bill Belichick likes, a coachable kid who plays with technique and consistency.

Grade: B+ It would have been nice to see the Pats address this position earlier, but they get a good special teams player as well as a consistent OLB.

Brandon Spikes, ILB

Spikes should be competing for the job alongside Jerod Mayo as the Patriots’ starting middle linebacker. Spikes was a good player in Florida. He is a great tackler and possesses a rare ability to anticipate plays, and he does not give up on plays, regularly chasing down players from behind.

He is strong in the three-point stance, so he will be a threat to get after the quarterback. While Spikes has a great initial burst of energy, whether off the line or into coverage, he is unable to sustain his speed, as he was clocked with a 5.01-40 at the combine. This is slower than the punter the Pats drafted, Zoltan Mesko, who ran a 4.99.

Grade: B I like Spikes despite his lack of speed because he is explosive, energetic, passionate, and smart.

Taylor Price, WR

Price is fast, quick, and has great acceleration, as he bursts off the line and quickly gets to his top speed.

He is a versatile player, as he can pass the ball too, opening up offensive possibilities for New England.

Price is not exceptionally talented as a pass catcher, occasionally dropping catchable balls, but chances are that he’ll be used more as an outside threat than a possession receiver.

Grade: C+ Price is a good pick and will develop to be a good wide out, but the Patriots could have picked a much more explosive player from Notre Dame, named Golden Tate in the second round.

Aaron Hernandez, TE

Hernandez is a great pick for New England. He is a gifted tight end who is quick, a great receiver, and a potential deep threat. He was expected to be a 2nd or 3rd round pick, but the Pats nabbed him in the 4th.

Also, he’s good after the catch, possessing explosive ability while breaking tackles.

Grade: A Hernandez not only fits a need at TE for the Pats, but he creates competition at the position and is great value late in the fourth round.

Before we all jump on the Dolphin’s or Jet bandwagon, lets remember that while they drafted college stars, college success doesn’t always translate to NFL stardom. Obviously, the same holds true for New England in terms of drafting college players, so we’ll have to wait and see how these kids pan out.

Overall Grade: B+. While the Patriots may have drafted some players they could have found in later rounds, they still put together a package of players which are talented and fit needs, both offensively and defensively.

What do you think? Did BB bomb this year’s draft, or will his young rookies find success in the NFL?

As a Pats fan, I must admit that I was frustrated. I mean, a fifth rounder for Santonio Holmes? Considering New England needs a wide out, he could be useful, even if suspended for four games.

But, are the Pats actually the third best team in their division? Let me just say that it is too early to tell. The Patriots have 12 draft picks, and Bill Belichick  has hinted at trading up, potentially spending one of his three second rounders.

Also, before we write the Jets a ticket to the Super Bowl, let’s remember that they lost their best RB from last season, and while they do have LT, Shonn Greene and Leon Wahington, they lost the RB who led the NFL in yards last year.

Plus, they have Mark Sanchez at the helm. I think Sanchez will be a good QB in the NFL, but Sanchez threw 20 picks last year, and was near the bottom of the league in passer rating. If the Jets want to make the Super Bowl, or utilize the weapons they have at the receiver position, Sanchez will have to be better.

Also, the Jets have a very volatile locker room, and while talented, if the team morale drops, the team’s stats will too. Look at the Broncos last season, after starting of 6-0, they went on a stretch of losing.

After losing one game, they were unable to prevent it from snowballing, and I think part of the problem was a lack of trust in their coach (locker room problem). Josh McDaniels was calling out players left and right.

All I’m saying is that locker room problems cannot be underrated. If the Jets get off to a slow start, they may not be able to dig themselves out of the ditch, with multiple locker room distractions.

The Dolphins are seemingly just as talented, but their once strong running game has become inconsistent, with Ricky Williams a year older and Ronnie Brown unable to stay healthy.

The addition of Karlos Dansby will help tremendously, cementing a poor run defense, and the Jets were able to acquire their biggest need, an offensive play-maker in Brandon Marshall.

The ‘Phins gave up little of their “future”, by trading two second rounders over the next two years.

To me, the Jets and Dolphins are both as good if not better than the Pats on paper, but let’s remember how the Patriots won their first Super Bowl.

A superb defense and an above average offense.

The Pats definitely have the latter, even without Wes Welker, and the Pats have 12 draft picks (the majority of them hopefully addressing defense) to bolster their defensive unit.

If the Pats can address the pass rush effectively, the secondary will inherently become better, and Darius Butler certainly has great potential, showing great cover skills last season.

I still have the Pats winning the division, partly because I think with Sebastian Vollmer playing tackle instead of Kaczur the Pats will be able to deal with blitzes (especially against the Jets) much more effectively.

You look at what both Miami and New York have done, add talent at the expense of locker room composure.

What am I saying?

The AFC East is finally a three team division, one of the strongest in the league.

New York and Miami have both improved vastly, but do not discount the team’s losses, or what they’ve given up. The Patriots have lost little from last season, while adding back-ups and depth.

It’s too early to decide who will ultimately have the upper hand, because the draft can change the outlook of any team; for better or for worse.

Image Credits: media.commercialappeal.com

Well, looking at the 2003 NFL Draft (six-seven years to determine a player’s worth in the NFL seems reasonable), the drafting strategy of New England seems exceptionally brilliant.

First Round:

In the first round, 32 players were taken. Of those 32, 23 belong to an NFL franchise or were released into free agency this off season. Players who have been free agents for the past two years are considered “finished,” and therefore are considered out of the league (despite being free agents).

Of the 23 players still in the league, 12 of them are Pro Bowlers.

Second Round:

In the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft, 32 more players were taken with their hopes of playing in the NFL finally fulfilled.

Unfortunately for some, only 20 of them are currently living the dream; that is 20 of the 32 drafted players are in the NFL right now.

There were five Pro Bowlers drafted that round, out of the 20 total players.

Salaries:

The Average amount of guaranteed money assigned to a first round pick totaled at $6.482 million dollars in 2003, and in 2007 it was $10.86 million; the average guaranteed contract is increasing.

At 67% over four years, lets say (for the sake of argument) an increase of 16.8% per year in average guaranteed money to a 1st round pick, although many experts agree that the average contract is rising exponentially.

Nonetheless, a growth of 16.8% yearly means that in 2008, the average amount of guaranteed money can be expected to lay at $12.68 million/year.

In 2008, the average salary of a second round draft pick was $1,932,000 in guaranteed cash, $1.932 million.

This sum is 1/6 of the average 1st round salary.

Let’s go back to the number of NFL caliber players in each round.

In the 1st round, 72% of the players have had reasonable success, while in the 2nd round, 63% have remained in the league.

However, for your chance to increase 9% drafting a legitimate player, is it worth paying 600% as much? Not quite…

One could argue, well, if I’m drafting a pro bowl player, then yes, I’d pay that much more.

In terms of Pro Bowlers, 37% (34% excluding Larry Johnson, whose career has presumably blown up) of the players drafted in the 1st round are Pro Bowlers, and 16% of the 2nd round players hold the same status.

Essentially, there’s about a 20% higher chance of you drafting a Pro Bowler in the 1st round than in the second, that’s one in five players.

Again, I’ll ask the question: Is a 20% chance worth a 600% increase? If you are a team who is in dire  need of players who can make an immediate difference, then yes, pay up.

Overall:

But, if you’re the Patriots, and already have a core of star-caliber players, then this money saved can be used retaining the team’s free agents, along with making their stadium better or paying a big name free agent (okay, well, hypothetically).

Obviously, a team needs to draft first rounders to keep adding youth to their star players, and the Pats do need to draft a “now-impact” type pass-rusher in the draft this season, and will most likely do so in the first round.

However, if New England can hit on two of their three 2nd round draft picks, something that is not out of question as last year the only legitimate bust from the 2nd round was Ron Brace (and the jury is still out on him), then they should be poised for future succes.

About those other second rounders: Pat Chung was a solid special teams player, Darius Butler displayed some flashes of brilliance, and Sebastian Vollmer shut down the likes of Dwight Freeney.

So, if the Pats can hit on the majority of their second rounders, then they’ll have built a good supporting cast of young players from the past two years of drafting, along with the starting star players and the potentially solid 1st round pick.

Thus, I propose that the question concerning stocking up on second rounders is very conditional.

If a team needs “now” impact players, then keeping their first rounders should serve them well, but if looking for more salary cap space and a strong group of supporting cast players which a team can count on to provide valuable talent, then picking up second round picks is a blessing.

What do you think? Are the Pats doing the right thing for the team (both now and in the long run) trying to stockpile second rounders? Should they try at all costs to grab first rounders?

If you enjoyed these ideas, you might want to see what the Pats can do to Contend for the SB Next Season.

First, let’s put this game into perspective. The Pats are the best team this decade, and are the first dynasty of this new  millennium. They played a bad game, and this one loss does not characterize the Patriots’ dynasties.

I’m not going to spend time discussing the game, because in all honesty, there really isn’t much to discuss.

Tom Brady played a terrible game, the wide receivers played a bad game, the defense was laid out to dry, constantly trying to stop the Ravens from their own 30 yard line, and the special teams were sporadically good (some good returns but awful coverage).

That pretty much sums it up.

Brady couldn’t make a pass, and you have to wonder how much of his performance was injury related, as he was throwing ducks throughout the game, unable to zip the ball with a tight spiral consistently. If he did have a broken index finger, that would certainly play a role in his throws.

Randy Moss didn’t have a great game, but he did have a few catches for first downs, and he too was apparently banged up (knees and back).

I am not going to sit here and make excuses for New England. They came out flat and trying to look for a single play which sums up the game would be difficult, because there were so many (key word here) BAD plays by the Pats.

So, after a truly pathetic game, what are some keys which the Patriots need to fix going into next season to go back and contend for the Super Bowl.

In my opinion, these are the key areas the Pats need to focus on:

• Finding a pass rusher/OLB
• Brady coming back healthy
• Receivers playing well potentially without Welker
• The right side of the Patriot line (consistent ground game)
• Defensive cohesiveness/experience
• Coordinators

I know it seems like a lot to handle, but some of these things are expected to happen (Brady’s health early on and the receivers playing well). I think Edelman will continue to develop, and the right side of the line can be bolstered if Sebastian Vollmer plays at the level which we’ve seen him play at (against Dwight Freeney). The defensive cohesiveness just takes time and working together.

One of the most pressing issue that New England faces is finding a player who can rush a quarterback with consistency. Tully Banta-Cain is not a great player, but he is the Patriot’s best pass rusher. He should be a role player on this team, playing in obvious passing situations.

Next year, with their first round mid-twenty pick, they need to draft a pass rusher. Obviously, if they find a guy who they think fits their system, they may look in the second round for that type player.

Preferably, they will draft a linebacker early, because other than Jerod Mayo and maybe Gary Guyton, the Patriot ‘backers are lacking. Adalius Thomas probably won’t be back next year, and Tully Banta-Cain is a good 5th or 6th linebacker.

I do think Derrick Burgess can make an impact if he stays, but he is more of a pass rushing specialist, as he is not the same stud he was earlier in his career.

So, the Patriots should try to find an outside linebacker, because at this point Mayo is great and Gary Guyton is a solid player. Guyton developed with Mayo’s absence, and he has the physical qualities (speed and strength) to have reasonable success.

Secondly, they need to find a way to develop consistency on the ground. I still have faith in Laurence Maroney to average 3.9-4.1 yards per carry and I am willing to give him one more year to be the player we thought we were getting when he was drafted.

Welker is most likely going to be out in the beginning of the season with his knee injury (depending on recovery time his return could even be late in the year). With Welker out, the Pats cannot use those 4-12 yard passes as a running game. I think this might come from a new player on the right side of the O-line.

Nick Kaczur is an okay player, and Stephen Neal, although a great player, is well out of his prime and at this point thinking about retirement. The Pats should be able to find their RG or RT with success, as they have had success drafting linemen in the past.

Next season, Sebastian Vollmer might see more snaps instead of Kaczur, depending on their performances in training camps and pre-season.

Thirdly, Brady needs to come back, fully healthy and ready to play. This season, he came back still finding a rhythm, and he was banged up week to week. He hurt his shoulder in the pre-season, hurt his ribs early on, re-injured them, and broke his finger later on in the year. Essentially, he was never fully healthy and came into the year trying to recover from a serious injury.

I know he had his second best statistical season, but it just seemed like he was not the same quarterback he was in ’07 (or even previous years) in terms of consistency and command.

Tom will have a good off-season, spending time with his family, and he should be able to fully recover, emotionally and physically for the year.

The receiving corps will have to improve upon the season.

Randy Moss is an amazing receiver, but has trouble during certain stretches. He did have 13 TD’s and over 1000 yards over the regular season. The potential loss of Welker early next year will hurt, but Julian Edelman seems like a solid replacement.

Yards after the catch were questioned in Edelman’s ability, and one play that might be forgotten is on a 4th and long play against the Ravens, nullified by a penalty. Nevertheless, Edelman made the catch on the next play for a first down, converting the 4th & 17 play to prolong the game.

However, I want to go back to that initial play. Brady threw a screen pass to Edelman, and from there the game looked over. A Baltimore defender was poised to make a tackle.

At that point, Edelman juked, ran forward and met more defenders, he broke one tackle, spun out of another hut and dove with defenders all around him for 11 yards and the first down. Essentially, it was a ridiculous effort, and if there comes a time next year when Welker and Edelman can finally play together, fully healthy, with a Randy Moss, watch out.

Sam Aiken is a decent 4th option, and hopefully he’ll be okay after hurting his head in today’s game. He has okay speed and while he has trouble reeling in the long ball he makes the easy catches most of the time. Also, I would like to see what Brandon Tate can do after being hurt this season.

Isiah Stanback seems like a decent player. He made the catches during his limited opportunities, but I question his desire to win. After the Baltimore loss, he went over and shook the hands of the opposition. He had a gigantic grin on his face, and while it’s a good thing to have sportsmanship, he could show some disappointment that his season was over.

I think a move will be made to sure up this receiving corp, especially without Welker for some time.

Fourthly, I think the Patriot secondary needs to build on this season. They came out during some plays and made huge interceptions or tackles, but they were inconsistent and clearly a young unit. Leigh Bodden was one of the only consistent factors. Brandon Meriweather seems finally poised to develop into a really good safety (pro bowl this year), and continual improvement over the season. James Sanders finally played very well this year after losing his starting job, wrapping up ball carriers and covering well.

However, despite some players who had success, the secondary was clearly taken advantage of at times because of their youth. Obviously, the only fix for this is to gain experience, and with one season together as a group, they should come out next year playing much more consistently. I like Darius Butler’s coverage abilities and drive, Bodden showed he’s solid, and Meriweather can be great at times. Hopefully Brandon can build up consistency, and James Sanders can build upon this season.

Jonathan Wilhite is an good option at the 3rd corner, but I’m sure New England can find a better option. I think Terrence Wheatley might have an impact if he can stay healthy, but he is an unknown. Shawn Springs is old, and maybe during some packages he plays assuming he stays.

But, with one year under their belt, I think this unit comes out with more success next season as a group but for that to happen, Vince Wilfork, the plug down low, needs to be re-resigned.

And, all season I was talking about it, the defense never seemed cohesive, and they never seemed to play as a unit. At the end of the year they started to play as a team occasionally, but again, I think that this was a very young defense and the only way for them to gain this “cohesiveness” is to play together, which they now have done for a year.

In all, I think the defense comes out much better next season, with the possible addition of a few players through the draft or free agency.

One thing that really does worry me, and is my next point, are the coordinators. I wrote an article about offensive play calling (http://newenglandsportsonline.com/blog/for-the-patriots-a-lack-of-change-is-the-problem/) but I continue to stand by my opinion that Bill O’Brien needs to be revoked of his play calling.

The offense was predictable, and throughout the season the Patriot offense has had to burn a timeout because of the inability to get the play in time. O’Brien is not necessarily a bad coach, but he is not a good play caller. Every down seemed to be predicted, especially against this Ravens team.

The offense was unimaginative and uncreative, and I think these crazy plays and play calls which set up the next plays have been lost, and as a result the excitement players have on offense fades.

Someone who knows what he’s doing (like Weis or McDaniels) needs to take the helm of play calling and the offensive coordinator position.

Belichick had too much to handle this year, dealing with the coordinators, the offensive play calling at teams, defensive play calling, coaching, picking players, etc. If coaches/coordinators are found, I can see this team being much more successful than they were this year.

Defensively, Dean Pees is good at grooming young players, and considering the youth he had on defense this season, their inconsistencies should be excused. Next season, however, I expect more from Pees and his unit.

If it cannot produce, then a change might have to be made. Still, this is a topic for next season.

In my opinion, the number one, most important thing the Patriots need to do? Come back next year, hungry, ready to play. Not just going through the motions. I mean determined and passionate about every single play they make.

We’ll see how this off-season plays out, and if the Pats can improve their roster/coaching staffs.

I still think the Pats are a playoff team, but at this point, not nearly a Super Bowl contender. They’re still a solid team, but at this point not one of the elite.

To return to that status, they will have to have a very successful off-season.

Up two possessions in the fourth quarter, right after Moss scored his touchdown, the Patriots defense was clearly giving Peyton Manning and the Colts offense any underneath passing patterns.

Obviously, this makes sense. Let the Colts drive, but make them wear down the clock. Unfortunately, the Pats were unable to take significant time off the clock through defense, breathing life into Indianapolis’ lungs.

Bill should have made the Patriots utilize the schemes they had been using for the majority of the game, holding the Colts to a reasonable 21 points.

However, Belichick’s major mistake came during the ensuing drive, after Pierre Garcon burned Leigh Bodden (who did play a solid game) on a slant-and-go pattern for a TD.

Bill decided to move away from the formula of offense which had put up 31 points in 3-plus quarters against the leagues’ No. 1 ranked defense. Whether or not he was trying to run the clock out, the running game he tried to use was clearly ineffective.

Belichick decided not to utilize his teams’ strength (passing) against Indy’s weakness (pass defense), and instead used his weakness (running), playing right into Indy’s defensive strength (run defense).

New England was unable to burn any significant time off the clock with only their sub par running game (wouldn’t it be great if Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor were available, maybe the running game would have succeeded).

Every possession New England had in the fourth quarter was slightly dysfunctional. The offense sputtered, but Bill did not think to go back to the Patriots’ strength and get Welker or Moss involved in the game.

Then, his second mistake (which is not as major because if he doesn’t commit the first mistake, the game never gets to this point) came with 2:23 left, when he used both of New England’s remaining timeouts before the end of the two-minute warning.

Obviously, the 4th-and-2 call to go for it was questionable, but I stand by Bill’s decision.

No, it’s not because if Bill makes a decision, I deem it correct. It’s because the Patriots defense was without Ty Warren, Jarvis Green, Rob Minkovich and Tully Banta-Cain, resulting in an exhausted front seven without one of its best pass rushers (Banta-Cain).

Yes, Peyton had not been overly successful against the Pats despite injuries, as he threw two ducks for interceptions, but if Peyton threw with the same precision he did in a short field, he would certainly have had success.

Even if the Colts had to drive 70 yards, who’s to say New England wouldn’t have been torched due to a lack of pass rush? Belichick realized his blunder in calling the two timeouts, and he knew he needed to go for it, as he would be unable to stop the clock if the Colts went through a long drive.

What he didn’t count on was his defense making desperation stops, keeping the clock going.

I have trouble understanding two things.

One, the play Belichick called. I know he was confident in its ability to gain two yards, but if Kevin Faulk had, instead of running a short out route, ran a short in route, where he cut across the center of the field, he would have gained the necessary two yards.

On the out route, Melvin Bullitt was given extra time while the ball was in the air to react and make a solid stop, whereas if Brady threw the same pass to Faulk in the middle, Bullitt would have had less time to react, giving Faulk an opportunity to dive forwards, while still giving Brady the opportunity to evade the blitz.

Second, the defense from the Colts’ 30. Unlike some people, I don’t think that Belichick going for it was an insult to the defense. I think it was a statement of reasonable support, putting faith in the defense to hold the Colts on a short field.

However, I think that on the Joseph Addai run, with just over a minute to play, the defense should not have stopped him at the 1, giving the New England offense 1:13 to work with instead of just 0:13 on the clock.

One more thing I should mention, Laurence Maroney fumbling the ball in the end zone. Unbelievable and completely inexcusable. Even though the Colts didn’t score off the mistake, the Patriots should have at least added an extra three points, if not seven had Maroney not fumbled. Can he alone be blamed for the loss?

No, obviously Belichick has to take some heat, as he has, as do many defensive players for missed tackles and the sort.

Nonetheless, whether or not Belichick should have gone for it should have been irrelevant had he not botched the earlier portion of the fourth quarter, when he had opportunities (on interceptions and punts by the Colts) to put the game away.

The game is over. I am still stunned, and there is truly no excuse for the Patriots’ to even be in that situation at the end of the game, as I said up by three possessions with just 10 minutes remaining.

However, the Pats can clearly hang with the Colts, even in Indy. So, if the teams match-up in the playoffs, which would not be too surprising, we can look out for a sensational game.

The most disappointing part about this game to me? Not just that we lost, but that now the Colts have won 18 regular season games in-a-row, 5 away from breaking the Patriots’ 22-game regular season win-streak record. Yes, records are meant to be broken, which I suppose provides some solace, but the Patriots still have the most consecutive (post-season/regular season) wins, which, when Super Bowl titles are looked at, are important.

Looking at this in a positive light, as seemingly hard as it might be, we know that the Patriots will not have problems playing against Indianapolis even if in Indianapolis, putting up 34 points and losing by just 1, and we know that Sebastian Vollmer can be a force, as he shut down Dwight Freeney. For that matter, the Patriot offensive line was very strong, with the exception of a couple breakdowns caused by Robert Mathis. From a football fan’s point of view, this was truly an amazing game to watch, it’s just that the Patriots fell on the wrong end of the score.

Of Course, No. 93, Richard Seymour, achieved many great personal things as well.

Throughout his time with the Patriots, Seymour compiled 39 sacks, five pro-bowl appearances and of course, three Super Bowl Championships.

His run stuffing and pass rushing abilities instilled the taste of dirt and the look of browned grass into his opponents minds. He truly was an integral part of three Super Bowl winning teams.

Unfortunately, we know that all good things have to come to an end.

So is the case with Richard Seymour, who is no longer a New England Patriot, or No. 93.

He is now No. 92 and will don the silver and black of the Oakland Raiders’ uniform.

Does it hurt to see Seymour go? Absolutely, and the Raiders know they’re getting a hell of a player in Richard Seymour. In this case, the Pats did not really have a choice but to trade Richard.

Next season, Vince Wilfork and Richard Seymour would both be eligible for free agency, and would need to be re-signed by the team. In all likelihood, Wilfork will demand a major pay raise similar to that of Albert Haynesworth, as Wilfork is widely considered the best nose tackle in the game. The Pats would not only need to re-sign Seymour, but also retain some key offensive lineman, such as Stephen Neal and Logan Mankins

Wilfork is younger than Seymour, and is certainly in the prime of his career, whereas Seymour is now past his younger days. Richard is certainly a great player, but New England would not have been able to re-sign both Wilfork and Seymour next off-season. Due to age, rare ability at his position, and health factors, Wilfork would have been the logical choice.

Seymour did have great ability at the defensive end position, but the limited end talent in the NFL exceeds the amount of nose tackles with skill the league offers.

Thus, the Patriots had two options.

1. Receive Seymour’s services for another season and get a third round draft choice in 2011 (Just like what happened with Asante Samuel), if they didn’t re-sign him. Due to a probable Wilfork pay raise, the Pats would have had severe trouble re-signing Seymour and some other offensive lineman while remaining under the salary cap.
2. Miss out on Richard for this season and obtain a first round draft pick. Not only is it a first rounder, but it will probably be very high, be it the Oakland Raiders’ pick. Unless Oakland suddenly becomes a legitimate threat (no signs of doing so yet), the Pats will have the opportunity to draft someone to fill Seymour’s shoes, or maybe fill a future void.

The Patriots knew that they could get value on the market by trading Seymour, and they did just that. Hopefully, Bill Belichick & Co. will be able to draft a player of similar caliber to Seymour.

So, Patriots fans, goodbye No. 93, thank you for giving so much to our beloved organization, and just be thankful that you’ve won some Super Bowls with New England, because in  Oakland, a winning season would be a godsend.

They were able to limp to an 11-5 season last year, despite a depleted starting line, both offensively and defensively. Star quarterback Tom Brady was injured, as were running backs Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris, along with guard Stephen Neal.

Defensively, the Patriots were missing the majority of their secondary, including Rodney Harrison and Terrence Wheatley. At linebacker, the Pats were without their strong outside linebacker Adalius Thomas, and were thin at the inside linebacker position as well.

The Patriots need to stay healthy to win next season’s Super Bowl. New England can win games despite injuries; however, the team will need to be at full strength to win a title.

Offensively, the Pats merely need to come close to what they did over the past two seasons, and they will blow away their opponents. With Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker, the passing game will not be an issue.

The Patriots acquired RB Fred Taylor over the offseason. This means that they will feature three prime running backs: Maroney, Morris and Taylor. Each back can put up solid offensive numbers, and each poses a threat for the defense. Taylor and Morris are both hammering backs, and if they have the opportunity to lower their shoulders, they will take it. Maroney is a little bit more of a scat back, and while he can run defenders over, he can also use his quickness to blow by them.

Defensively, the Patriots have the best defensive line in the NFL, and only improved it by picking Ron Brace in the draft. With Brace, Wilfork can get rest while the offensive line still must deal with a monster defender in terms of size.

At linebacker, the Patriots are good, but not great. Jerod Mayo was the rookie of the year last season, and he will only get better. Tedy Bruschi will play alongside him, and while Bruschi is aging, he still makes smart plays and tackles with great consistency. At outside linebacker, the Patriots have Adalius Thomas, who is not only a threat to sack the quarterback, but also is a dominant run stuffer, who can cover the best tight ends in the league.

Opposite Thomas will be Shawn Crable or Tully Banta-Cain. This position is the biggest hole in New England’s defensive lineup; however, Bill Belichick and the rest of the coaching staff have displayed a great amount of confidence towards Crable, and believe he can be a great player. If the genius responsible for three Patriots’ titles puts his trust in a player, you can believe it’s true.

In terms of New England’s secondary, they can be dominant if they remain healthy. In the secondary, Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders are solid safeties. Behind Sanders and Meriweather on the depth charts is Patrick Chung, who can be the hard hitting safety the Pats missed with the absence of Rodney Harrison.

Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden, the two apparent starters for the Patriots, have both proven themselves to be successful corners in this league. Behind Bodden sits younger corners including Jonathan Wilhite, Terrence Wheatley, and Darius Butler. Butler was considered the best corner back available in the draft by some, while Wheatley and Wilhite both demonstrated solid play last year. Wilhite started to come into his own at the end of the year, while Wheatley was able to shut down Reggie Wayne of the Colts before he was injured.

For the Patriots to miss the playoffs, they would need to catch the injury bug. Literally, they would need to have more injuries than last season, because this year they are deeper, more experienced, and better.

The only injury which could truly halt the Patriots’ season would be one to Tom Brady, as Kevin O’Connell still hasn’t proven himself. While O’Connell’s skill is unknown, Belichick may have found himself another gem late in the draft. Hopefully, the Pats will not have to see his skill development this season. The reason I think Brady’s knee will be a non-factor is because if there was any doubt about his health, Bill Belichick would not have dealt Matt Cassel.

The Patriots will win Super Bowl 44, barring more injuries than they experienced last season.

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No the market was not as big as the Pats hoped for Cassel due to his price tag, but maybe trade just him for a second rounder. Not Mike Vrabel too! Ultimately, the Patriots turned a 7th round draft pick and a low-priced veteran linebacker into a high second round pick, but considering what the Patriots could have received in return. Despite the Pats clearing up some cap space, the Chiefs struck some black gold here.

1. Tom Brady will be back. Matt Cassel played well. Extremely well, however he was not able to fully utilize the deep threat to Randy Moss. Cassel is a great accurate, dink-and-dunk quarterback, similar to Brady when Tom was younger, however Tom can make the short throw AND the long throw. Cassel was great, but Brady is better.
2. Our Running Backs will be healthy. Okay, last year was crazy. Three out of our four running backs were injured, and all for significant periods of time! No way that happens again. Even if one, or two go down, we have a lot of depth there. Sammy Morris is a great runner for 4-5 yard carries, consistently, as he is fairly quick and packs a punch when he runs into a defender. He also is very good at hitting the holes. Lamont Jordan is a great guy for those tough, 2-3 yard situations, just because of his size and because he’s so hard to bring down. Laurence Maroney is good for 5 yards a carry, if he achieves his potential. He can run over defenders, juke them out, and has a powerful stiff arm move. If BB can utilize these three running backs so that Jordan gets 4 carries a game, Morris gets 10, and Maroney gets 10, meaning they split the load, then they will stay healthy and fresh. Plus, Kevin Faulk can always be thrown into the mix. If any of the backs get tired? No problem, there ar at least two more capable starters. And yes, I believe that Maroney will stay healthy this year, as will Morris, as both are learning to keep their bodies healthy, specifically Maroney, who is learning that it’s better to get tackled than to get injured.
3. Our cornerbacks are good. Ellis Hobbs is a solid corner, and can cover pretty much all the #2 wideouts in the league, and can occasionally shut down a #1 guy. He is a little bit slow on the deep ball, however with Brandon Meriweather’s ball hawking skills and recovery speed, that should be less of a problem. Also, Jonathan Wilhite showed promise at the end of last season. He was able to intercept the ball, and make some big defensive plays. He is a great option to cover the #3 receiver, and occasionally the #2 wideout. Now, not he showed his rapid improvement towards the end of last season, and if he continues to improve, he can become a very, very good corner in this league, because of his instinct. Lastly, Terrence Wheatley was getting better before he injured his wrist.  He is very similar to Wilhite, except that he is a little bit more of a speed corner as opposed to a wrap-up tackler. He is a good tackler, and if improves at the pace he was before he got injured (He shut down Reggie Wayne while playing the Colts before he went down), then he will be a great corner in this league, even a shut-down one. Just because he wasn’t a first rounder, doesn’t mean he can’t be good. Even Jonathan Wilhite. Remember, Asante Samuel was a 3rd rounder.
4. The safeties will be better. James Sanders is improving, and Brandon Meriweather led the team in picks (4) despite only starting 10 games. Sanders is a good, consistent tackler, and Meriweather is a great ball hawk, who is quick and has developed a real knack for the ball. He is working on his tackling, and once he becomes a better wrap-up tackler, his occasional big hit will be glorified. Also, Tank Williams, who was overlooked to to his pre-season injury, is a great safety. He also can play linebacker if need be, and he is a very, very consistent tackler, who posesses enough speed to flow with tight ends and most wide receivers.
5. The line is good. Both lines. The offensive line last year was great after getting used to Cassel’s style, and with Brady back, (or even with Cassel if Brady can’t go) then they will dominate, similar to the ’07-’08 season. Last year, we saw what the Pats defensive line could do with the three men healthy. Warren did go down towards the end of the year, however when they are healthy (which they were for 14 games last year, and will do the same next year) they are dominant. Richard Seymour. Need I say more? Quick, powerful, great at batting down passes and rushing the passer. Vince Wilfork is just a mountain in the middle, and Ty Warren is an underrated run stuffer, who has the ability to get to the QB.
6. Ben Watson will be better. He will be used more offense, as he has become a better blocking tight end, and his route running has improved. He is a great run after the catch tight end, and like Antonio Gates, is very athletic and very fast.
7. Our linebackers will be better. Jerod Mayo will improve, Adalius Thomas won’t be injured, and Mike Vrabel will at least be consistent. Also, Pierre Woods will be a stronger back-up, and a more useful option after his experience last year. Also, Gary Guyton showed promise according to Bill Belichick before getting injured, so he will provide some depth. If Bruschi can come back after his injury, great, he is not great anymore, but he is good, and knows how to play. Also, the Pats will probably address their linebacker issues in the draft, even with Rosevelt Colvin and Junior Seau.
8. The defense will be deeper next year. Similar to last year, the Pats will probably go all out defense during the draft, to address depth issues at linebacker and safety, as well as grab a #3-#4 cornerback. The Pats will either go safety or linebacker in the first round, and whichever way they don’t go, they will probably choose in the second. I think they will choose a linebacker in the first round, especially after how well Jerod Mayo played last year. Then, in the 3rd, they’ll probably go for a corner, and in the 4th and 5th round they’ll look for secondary players in general. Because they have Tank Williams, who can play linebacker, they don’t need to draft 3-4 backers this year, rather only 2-3. That’s why I think they’ll draft a backer in the 6th round, and then leave the 7th round up to possibly a special teams guy who’s primary position is cornerback.

I think this is how the draft will shape up:

Round

1. Linebacker

2. Safety

3. Cornerback

4. Cornerback/Safety (somebody who has the versatility to play either)

5. Safety/Cornerback (same as above, however more of a safety)

6. Linebacker

7. Lineman/Small Linebacker

Overall, the Pats will just be better defensively, and will be able to utilize all of their weapons offensively. Even though the Pats lost Pioli and McDaniels, I believe that that the coaching of Bill O’Brien will be fine in replacing Josh, and Belichick has a very similar and uncanny knack for getting a steal pick, similar to Pioli.  Plus, I don’t expect the Pats to get hit with 20+ injuries again this season. And when healthy, this team has shown (2007-2008) that they really can’t be beat*. So, if the Pats made, and almost won the Super Bowl* with an extremely similar team, which has an improving defense, then shouldn’t they be able to do it again?

• *Note: The Giants won because of an attrocious offensive game, and the David Tyree catch 1) never happens again and 2)Richard Seymour and Ty Warren were being held on that play (look at the replay)

That, ladies and gentlemen, is why Pioli will be missed more than McDaniels. Bill Belichick can still call plays from the sideliens, however the insight Pioli had will be forever lost. McDaniels was good because of the players he had to work with, and while I certainly respected him, I don’t expect him to have too much more success than Shanahan did with Denver. Pioli, however, will do to the Chiefs what Bill Parcells did to the Dolphins. Clean out the old veteran players who aren’t future prospects, and have a good draft. The Pats will still have good drafts, and Nick Caserio (should he be named) will be a solid replacement, however Pioli will be sorely missed.

Overall, both’s absences will leave an impact, and the offense of the Pats may not be as good, but with a QB named Tom Brady and WR’s like Randy Moss and Wes Welker, the offense will not have a very noticeable drop off. And neither should player personnel. Caserio has been with Pioli for a while, and knows his style of drafting players and positioning them where they can succeed.