The Patriots went 14-2 in the regular season, but failed to win a playoff game. Does that make this season a disappointment? Yes, and no, On one hand, when you win 14 games, if you fall on your faces in your first playoff game, it hurts, especially against a divisional rival. However, this team wasn’t even supposed to win 14 games in the first place.

Coming into the season, all the talk was about how Tom Brady is washed up and not as competitive as he was before, and about how this defense was too young and inexperienced, especially after both Leigh Bodden and Ty Warren went down in the preseason. There was talk that the Jets might even win this division. Though they didn’t win a playoff game, they still proved that they were consistently the best team in this division. The Jets may have won 2 of 3, but the Patriots still won the division by 3 games.

Even better, they should be even more dangerous next year. Ty Warren and Leigh Bodden are back. Their young defensive players will get more experienced. They have 3 of the first 33 picks in the draft, 4 of the first 60, 5 of the first 74, 6 of the first 88, as well as the Broncos 2^nd pick in the 4^th round. They still have Brady and Belicheck and they have more bulliten board material, which is what really motivates them. If you don’t think this team is going to spend the entire offseason motivated by “28-21,” you don’t know Brady and Belicheck.

So yes, a Super Bowl title would have been nice for this team this year, but they exceeded expectations greatly and they can be even tougher in 2010. It’s tough to call this a disappointing season when so many expected them to win 10-11 games and be looking up at the Jets going into 2011. That’s not where they are now. And as for Tom Brady losing 3 straight playoff games, Montana did that once too, and he was pretty good.

At this time last year, some were talking about the Patriots as a potential 9-7 or 8-8 team that would miss the playoffs. The Jets were the talk of the division and some were even speculating the Dolphins were better than the Patriots. Their defense was inexperienced and their key offensive players were on the wrong side of 30 (Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Randy Moss).

The Patriots did what they did whenever anyone doubts them; they dominated. After starting the season sluggish, losing to the Jets in 28-14 week 2, the Patriots traded Randy Moss after week 4 and only lost one more regular season game the rest of the way (to the Browns), dominating the Jets 45-3 in the process. Unfortunately, their season came to a crashing halt with a 28-21 home loss to the Jets in the first round of the playoffs.

Now, some are once again suggesting the Jets are the better team in the division, which should be more fuel for the Patriots heading into the season. Yes, the Jets have reached back to back AFC Championship games, but the Patriots went 14-2 last year, 3 games better than the Jets. That can’t be discounted. What also can’t be discounted is that their defense will be better this year.

Young players like Jermaine Cunningham, Brandon Spikes, Jerod Mayo, and Devin McCourty have more experience under their belt and all of those guys got better as the season went on, particularly McCourty who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. The Patriots have also added veterans like Shaun Ellis, Albert Haynesworth, and Andre Carter to their defensive line, allowing them more defensive flexibility.

It appears that the always adapting Patriots will be moving either partially or completely to a 4-3 defense from a 3-4 this year. Andre Carter dominated in his last season in a 4-3, with 11 sacks as recently as 2009. Haynesworth, meanwhile, had 4 sacks as a defensive tackle in 2009 in a 4-3. Haynesworth didn’t even have the motivation in 2009 that he has now. Haynesworth will be motivated to prove Mike Shanahan wrong for letting him go. He also doesn’t have any guaranteed money on his contract. I’m not saying Haynesworth will have 8.5 sacks like he did in 2008 before he got his big deal or Carter will put up 11 sacks again, but both will be talented contributors for them when they go into a 4-3.

Rounding out their 4-3 defensive line are Vince Wilfork, one of the few mainstays on this defense and a perennial Pro Bowler, and Jermaine Cunningham, a 2010 2^nd round pick who showed some promise as a rookie last year. Shaun Ellis will also be in the mix as an end and could slide inside to tackle on passing downs. When (if?) they go to a 3-4, Wilfork will play the nose. Wilfork has experience in both a 3-4 and a 4-3 in his career so he’ll be a key to their team, whichever scheme they play. In a 3-4, their ends will be Shaun Ellis and Gerard Warren. Albert Haynesworth will also be in the mix.

No matter which defensive scheme they play, Jerod Mayo figures to be very big playmaker for them. Mayo, only 25, led the league in tackles last year. He dominated in college at Tennessee in a 4-3, so he’ll fit whatever scheme they play. Brandon Spikes and Gary Guyton are their other talented young linebackers. Spikes, a 2^nd year player, ran a 5.0+ 40 at The Combine in 2010 so I have some worries about how he fits a 4-3.

In a 3-4, Spikes and Mayo team up in the middle to wreak havoc. Jermaine Cunningham would play one rush linebacker spot, while Mark Anderson, Rob Ninkovich, and Andre Carter would see some time at the other rush linebacker spot. Basically, they have a lot of talented role players, which allows them to have a lot of versatility in the front 7, just what Belichick likes.

In the secondary, they should be better than they were last year. Devin McCourty, as you already know, was a Pro Bowler. However, they had nothing opposite him as both Darius Butler and Kyle Arrington were mediocre at best. Leigh Bodden is back from injury and 2^nd round pick Ras-I Dowling will also be in the mix. At safety, Brandon Meriweather, James Sanders, and Patrick Chung will also be significant playmakers.

Offensively, it’ll be the same story. They’re going to be very, very good as long as Tom Brady is under center. The Patriots return 4 of 5 starters from an offensive line that was one of the best in the league last year and they will get a full season of Logan Mankins, an extremely talented guard who stepped in midseason after a holdout made a huge difference. He’ll be even better this season with no holdout distracting him. They also have 17^th overall pick Nate Solder waiting in the wings.

The only non-starter from last year on the line is Dan Connolly, though Connolly did see significant time when Mankins was holding out and he played alright. At the tackles, Matt Light has resigned to be their starting left tackle. He was a very talented player for the Patriots in his prime, but he’s declining and could even be moved to right tackle this season. That wouldn’t be a problem for the Patriots because right tackle Sebastian Vollmer is an extremely talented player who allowed just one sack all last season and deserves a shot on the left side in his 3^rd year in the league. Center Dan Koppen is also a declining player, but still above average.

At receiver, the Patriots will mix things up a lot. They will go to a lot of three wide receiver sets with Deion Branch, Chad Ochocinco, and Wes Welker. Ocho gives them the legitimate deep threat they lacked last year, a huge part of the reason why they lost against the Jets. Wes Welker will be better this year than last year as he’s another year removed from major knee surgery. Remember, this guy led the league in catches in 2009 despite missing 3 games with injury. Branch, meanwhile, had a career rebirth after being traded back to the Patriots from Seattle. They also can go to a two-tight end set with two talented 2^nd year tight ends in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

In the backfield, it’s anyone’s guess. BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead did a capable job with the running game last year, with BJGE as the bruising back and Woodhead as the shifty speed back and pass catcher. They were rewarded by the Patriots drafting Shane Vereen (a shifty speed back and pass catcher) and Stevan Ridley (a bruising back).

All in all, I don’t think the Patriots will be worse on the ground than last year and the running game is hardly the reason this offense goes. This offense will certainly go and the defense, though it lacks stars, is heavy on quality role players and I trust Belichick to design a scheme that suits everyone’s strengths. I’m not sure they’ll go 14-2 again, but they’ll once again be among the league’s best teams, at least in the regular season. However, none of that will matter to them if they can’t get it done in the playoffs once again.

Quarterback: A

Running backs: C+

Receiving corps: B

Offensive line: A-

Run defense: B-

Pass rush: B

Pass coverage: B+

Coaching: A

Projection: 14-2 1^st in the AFC East

By Cormac Eklof

A great man once said, ‘it is what it is’, and that has never applied to the New England Patriots as much as it will this coming NFL season. For all the questions around defense, the running game and Tom Brady’s bizarre mullet, the answers are sitting there, staring at us all unerringly in the face.

Before leaping to the glaringly obvious conclusion, a closer look at the elements that will make up the Patriots year.

When it comes to defense, Bill Belichick is going to earn every cent of his pay check over the next several months. The Patriots have a severe lack of defensive depth, particularly at defensive back, and will at times resemble a frat house with the number of fresh, young faces in the defensive eleven. This works two ways. You could argue that the Patriots are going to be way too raw on defense. Or you could argue that Belichick is working with fresh ‘clay’ to mould. What is clear is, the Patriots ‘D’ is going to be young. Real young. The Patriots drafted and signed twelve prospects, with five of those coming in the first 90 selections of the NFL draft. Several of those dozen players are going to see plenty of field time right out of the gate, most of them on defense.

You could say the ‘D’ is a question mark, but in reality it is fairly obvious that it will struggle at first, the real question is, will Belichick be able to turn this raw crew into anything resembling a functioning NFL ‘D’? We should have some idea by week six, October 17^th as the Patriots take the field against Baltimore after their bye week.

The good news is on the other side of the ball. With Wes Welker’s timely and speedy return from injury, the Patriots look set to be explosive through the air yet again. Randy Moss will continue to draw double team, deep coverage while Welker and his ‘Mini-Me’ version of himself, Julian Edelman, mop up ‘under’ the coverage. Meanwhile, Arizona tight end Rob Gronkowski has been drawing rave reviews in the pre-season, and looks like a nice new set of hands for Brady to aim at. ‘It is what it is’, the Patriots are going to have no problem moving the rock through the air.

Of course, with the lack of solidity in the running game, they are going to have to.

Has anybody seen Laurence Maroney this off-season? Maroney sightings are akin to Bigfoot sightings, few and far between. The Patriots look like they are going to run by committee with, right now, Taylor, Taylor and Morris leading the way (sounds like a law firm!). That could change at a moments notice.

The thing is, New England has done this before, and done it quite well. While it is a veritable pain in the neck for Fantasy NFL owners, who can’t pick a Patriots RB with any peace of mind, it can be effective. Throw in the ageless Kevin Faulk on third-downs, and the Patriots will run more effectively than some people give them a chance to. Probably not well enough to make people stop saying ‘the Patriots running game is an issue’, however.

Everything ‘is what it is’ so far, and there’s no reason to get away from that mantra when talking about the chap behind center. In this day and age of (rightfully so) protected Quarterbacks and (more debatably) frequently penalized defensive backs, the ‘Field General’ position is more important than ever before. Lucky for New England, they have one of the best. A truly fascinating season lies ahead for Tom Brady. He is now two years removed from reconstructive knee surgery. He should be able to plant and throw with more ease than last season. His crew of wide receivers is deep and talented. He now has a new tight end to play with. He has plenty to prove with the Patriots dragging their heels on his contract.

Add everything up and number 12 is primed for a huge season.

When all is said and done, there should be no great mystery, definitely in the early to mid sections of the Patriots season. As the season progresses, Belichick will have the defense playing tighter, better football and the Patriots will be tougher to score on. For the opening section though, they will continue to struggle to get teams off the field on third down, however they will have no problems scoring their own points. Ready for some high scoring shoot-outs? You better be, ‘cause they are on the way.

That’s the predictable part. What we don’t know is, will the Patriots find a way to come out on top in close games? Can Belichick weave some more defensive magic, using essentially ‘lesser’ components?

One sure thing, with an initially suspect defensive group and, on the flip side, a potentially explosive passing attack, the Patriots certainly are not going to be boring.

Boston Irish blog

Cornerback

The Patriots thought they were set at cornerback coming into 2011 with Devin McCourty, Ras-I Dowling, Leigh Bodden, and Kyle Arrington. Well McCourty regressed, Dowling got hurt again, and Bodden never recovered from his injury and was cut. Arrington ended up being the #1 cornerback, while guys like Sterling Moore and Antwaun Molden had to play significant snaps. It got so bad that offensive players like Julian Edelman and Matt Slater had to play some defensive back. Sure maybe McCourty bounces back and Arrington doesn’t regress and Dowling stays healthy, but can you really chance it. They gave up the 3^rd most yards in NFL history this year. Expect this to be a primary focus of their offseason.

Safety

Safety was another position of need in their secondary. Without Patrick Chung, their lack of depth at safety was exposed this season. Brandon Meriweather was cut before the season, and rightfully so, but they didn’t have a suitable replacement for him. Look for them to add another safety this offseason.

Defensive Tackle

That Albert Haynesworth deal didn’t work out too well did it. Kyle Love is a solid player, but might be best in a rotational role so they need another defensive tackle in the mix, preferably one who can also play a 3-4 just in case they go to a hybrid scheme next year.

Defensive End

Andre Carter and Mark Anderson were both great one year signings, but they’re free agents and the Patriots will be hesitant to give them long term deals. Besides, if they switch to a hybrid scheme, neither of them have had much success in a 3-4, particularly Carter, who struggled mightily in a 3-4 in Washington in 2010. Carter is also 33 this offseason so a younger end is needed anyway. Look for them to target a young end through the draft who can play in both a 3-4 and a 4-3.

Wide Receiver

Wes Welker and Deion Branch are both free agents. Even if both return, both are over 30 years old. So is Chad Ochocinco, who sucked last season. They could sign Brandon Lloyd, but he’s also over 30. They need some young blood at the position for the future.

Center

Both Dan Koppen and Dan Connolly are free agents. Koppen will be allowed to walk. He’s over 30 and coming off a major injury. However, Connolly is someone they will try to resign. I didn’t think he was that great so it couldn’t hurt to add some competition for him.

Guard

Brian Waters is 35 and considering retirement, despite an awesome first year in New England last year where he made the Pro Bowl. Marcus Cannon could be a potential long term solution, but he’s rumored to be moving to tackle long term to backup Sebastian Vollmer and Nate Solder. They’ll need a new guard if he leaves and a potential future successor if he doesn’t.

Tight End

This might not make a lot of sense because they have the best 1-2 tight end combo in the NFL in Gronkowski and Hernandez, but they also like to do a lot of 3 tight end sets and they didn’t have that Alge Crumpler type tight end this year. They used Nate Solder there at times this year, but he’s technically an offensive tackle and is expected to start there next year so they’ll need to find a big blocking tight end to take Crumpler’s old role.

Free Agency Priorities

Wide Receiver