The Leading Authority of the NFL Draft

NFL Draft Bible Northeast correspondent Chris Mogollon previews the 2009 New England Patriots.

In a blink of an eye the Patriots went from being thought of as invincible to beatable again. With Brady gone, there was doubt in the Patriots. Unlike in 2007 when they seemed to blow out every team by double digits, the 2008 team just found ways to win. Belichick responded with a 11-5 record which in most season would have been a trip to the playoffs and maybe had his best coaching season.

There is something to be said about how dominant Belichick has been since taking over as head coach -- weather it’s pre-season doubt or major injuries the Patriots find ways to makeup for up for lack of anything or catastrophic setbacks with winning.

Belichick has gone eight consecutive seasons of at least finishing in a first place tie -- in that run the Pats have won double-digits games seven times. Surely New England has had the talent to bolster so many winning seasons. But free agency, injuries or busts never seem to effect this franchise and that’s because of Bill Belichick. He pushes the right buttons and has proved he can win anyway.

This year the health and depth of the Patriots are being questioned. It’s undeniable that they have players that are injury prone, other coming back from major surgeries, and suspect secondary. But Belichick will find a way, weather it’s scheme or finding the right role player he just makes the right decisions.

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks: If Tom Brady's knee didn't pop in last years opener, the Patriots would have been a Super Bowl contender instead of sitting at home in January after a second-place finish. Nevertheless, Brady's back and his health is priority number one when evaluating the Patriots 2009 campaign. Brady has always recovered well from injuries, before missing last season he had a 111 game streak of consecutive starts. But tearing ligaments in his knee and multiple off-season surgeries isn't something Brady has ever had to come back from. It's his recovery and transition back to the NFL that are the only factors that can slow the three-time Super Bowl champion down. In 2007, Brady thrived playing with the additions of Randy Moss and Wes Welker as he broke Dan Marino's single season touchdown record throwing for 50 touchdowns and only eight interceptions—his plus-42 differential was also a NFL record. His 398 completions were 5th all-time, 117.2 passer rating was second all-time, 4,806 yards was third all-time and he was named NFL MVP. It is highly unlikely that the Patriots passing offense will be as dominant and Brady will throw for 50 touchdowns again—but he doesn't have too. Brady will be an offensive of player of the year candidate and among league leaders in yards, touchdowns and wins because when it comes to quarterback attributes—arm strength, decision-making, and leadership—Tom Brady isn't just capable, he's superior. Now that Matt Cassell has moved on to Kansas City Chiefs, the Patriots may not have the insurance like last year. Back-up Andrew Walter was less than adequate during his time as an Oakland Raider but has not seen much action since the 2006 season. Also in the mix is second year man Kevin O'Connell, the former San Diego State star only saw a handful of snaps last season, and undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer out of Michigan St.

Running Backs: Another key offensive Patriot returning from injury is Laurence Maroney who played in only three games last year before have season-ending shoulder surgery. In is short career Maroney has shown glimpses of being the play-maker the Pats drafted in the first-round in 2006, but inconsistency and injuries have stunted his growth. He flourished as a sub in his rookie season but in 2007 struggled when asked to be the lead ball carrier. If his consistency doesn't develop with experience the Patriots have a cast of backs to pick up the slack. Returning is last years leading rusher Sammie Morris and long-time Patriot Kevin Falk. Morris is a solid running back, but not a star. He rushed for 727 yards last season with most of his top performances coming in the second-half. Faulk is reliable, and clutch. He makes the little plays and is a pesky component to the New England ground attack. The wild-card in the mix is the addition of Fred Taylor. Even though he's 33 and was plagued with injuries last season Taylor gives the Patriots a homerun threat that all defenses must respect. Taylor thrived splitting time with Maurice Jones-Drew in Jacksonville, averaging a career high 5.4 yards per carry, rushing the ball 223 times in 2007 but slowed down last year. Health and age could be major concerns for the running backs—they cannot afford another major injury from Maroney again and it's fair to ask if Faulk and Taylor have enough left? If everything goes right, they have the depth for backs to really excel at their roles.

Wide Receiver: Brady's back, and Randy Moss is thrilled. Whether it's chemistry or just two Hall-of-Famers at work the Brady to Moss combo is something special and legendary. Moss showed little signs of slowing down last year catching 60 balls for 1008 yard, and 11 touchdowns—even though Cassell couldn't get it downfield as much as the golden boy. Moss, who is also a year older, is bound to have his 10th 1000-yard season. The Patriots picked up the perfect compliment to Moss two seasons ago in Wes Welker. Last year he caught 111 balls for 1165 yards and was selected to the Pro Bowl. It's no secret the difficulty it takes to stop the small and quick Welker, who has been a mismatch for all defenses. What the Patriots are missing is proven depth and a number three. In the off-season they lost Jabar Gaffney who’s an important part of the offense, even though his numbers make him look average. To make up for it they added veterans Joey Galloway and former Eagle Greg Lewis. Galloway as an interesting acquisition, he resurged his career in 2005 with Tampa and notched three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and only missed one game during that stretch. But last year that wasn't the case, don't be surprised if age and nagging injuries could keep Galloway from being effective this year as well. Lewis is a nice fit, but not good enough if he is asked to do too much—something Bill Belichick rarely does. Same Aiken is also back for his second year with New England, but is nothing more than an extra deep threat. Two rookies that will see some action are converted Julian Edelman (Kent State)—who has already espoused comparisons to Welker—and the sleeper in the unit Brandon Tate (North Carolina). The Patriots addressed another need during the off-season adding tight ends Chris Baker from the rival New York Jets and Alex Smith. Returning as starter is Benjamin Watson, who is a good blocker but didn't put nearly the successful numbers last year like he had in years past. He had four games last year where he didn't even catch a ball and his touchdown went down. Baker could be the guy to make up for it if Watson has another lackluster season—Baker may not put together a break-out season, but can have some big break-out games.

Offensive Line: This unit proved to be more than just an athletic and pass blocking line last season. After Brady went down, the playbook leaned on the rushing attack for New England to win games and the offensive of line really pulled through. A Pro-Bowl selection in 2007, Logan Mankins has improved each year since his rookie season in 2005. The veteran anchoring this unit is two-time Pro Bowler Matt Light. Light, Mankins and center Dan Koppen have started four years together, and were apart of three consecutive seasons (2005-2007) of holding opponents under 30 sacks. Depth will be important—starter Stephen Neal has missed games the past couple seasons due to injury. There might be a battle for the right tackle position between Nick Kazcur and Ryan O'Callaghan. Rookie Sebastian Vollmer could see action this year. The overall unit isn't as big as they used to be but there is something to be said about their recent success and chemistry. An injury to a veteran like Light or Mankins, whole not Brady-esque, could land a tremendous gash to the heart of the offense.

DEPTH CHART

	NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
	CB	FS	OLB	ILB	ILB	OLB	SS	CB
	SHAWN SPRINGS	JAMES SANDERS	PIERRE WOODS	JEROD MAYO	TEDY BRUSCHI	ADALIUS THOMAS	BRANDON MERIWEATHER	LEIGHT BODDEN
	TERRANCE WHEATLEY	BRANDON MCGOWAN	TULLY BANTA-CAIN	ERIC ALEXANDER	GARY GUYTON	SHAWN CRABLE	PATRICK CHUNG	JONATHAN WILHITE
	DARIUS BUTLER	RAY VENTRONE	DERRICK BURGESS	PARIS LENON	VINNY CIURCIU	TYRONE MCKENZIE	TANKS WILLIAMS	MIKE RICHARDSON
	K						JAMAR LOVE	HERANA-DAZE JONES
	STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI			LDE	NT	RDE
	P			TY WARREN	VINCE WILFORK	RICHARD SEYMOUR
	CHRIS HANSON			LE KEVIN SMITH	MIKE WRIGHT	JARVIS GREEN
	COACH			MYRON PRYOR	DARRYL RICHARD	TITUS ADAMS
	BILL BELICHICK			STEPHEN WILLIAMS	RON BRACE
	WR	LT	LG	C	RG	RT	TE	WR
	RANDY MOSS	MATT LIGHT	LOGAN MANKINS	DAN KOPPEN	STEPHEN NEAL	NICK KACZUR	BENJAMIN WATSON	WES WELKER
	JOEY GALLOWAY	WESLEY BRITT	RUSS HOCHSTEIN	RYAN WENDELL	BILLY YATES	DAMANE DUCKETT	DAVID THOMAS	GREG LEWIS
	JULIAN EDELMAN		GEORGE BUSSEY		RICH OHRNBERGER	MARK LEVOIR	ALEX SMITH	SAM AKIN
	MATTHEW SLATER	FB		QB	SEBASTIAN VOLLMER	RB	CHRIS BAKER	SHUN WHITE
	TYREE BARNES			TOM BRADY		LAURENCE MARONEY	TYSON DEVREE
	BRADON TATE			KEVIN O'CONNELL		KEVIN FAULK
				ANDREW WALTER		SAMMY MORRIS
				BRIAN HOYER		FRED TAYLOR	BENJARVUS GREEN ELLIS

DEFENSE

Defensive Line: Richard Seymour returned close to the dominance in 2008 that New Englanders were so used to seeing for most of his career. Last season he recorded eight sacks, which tied his career high (2003). He was healthy last year, and had the most complete season of anyone on the defensive line. The trio of Seymour, Warren and Vince Wilfork has been the staple of the 3-4 defense, however their age and injuries heavily contributed to a Patriots defense that was just average in rush defense and sacks. Wilfork and Warren struggled toward the end of the season—Wilfork's fatigue slowed him down and Warren's groin injury caught up to him. The depth of the line will be real important this year, with the addition of Steve Williams and return of veteran Jarvis Green at defensive end. In the second round of last year's draft the Pats drafted nose tackle Ron Brace out of Boston College to back-up and eventually replace Wilfork. Make no mistake the Patriots' defensive line is real good and experienced, but they're also injury prone and not necessarily in their prime anymore.

Linebackers: With the departures of Mike Vrabel and Roosevelt Colvin the Patriots will need their line backing depth to step up this year again. Last season rookie Jared Mayo took the league by storm proving to be a relentless run stopper. The rookie of the year finished with 128 tackles. Pierre Woods is likely to replace Vrabel on the outside, and Derrick Burgess will also see some time. Woods & Adalius Thomas are the pass rushers of the unit, an area that New England weren’t great at last year. The two back-up linebackers to keep an eye on in 2009 are Shawn Crable, another Michigan man, and Gary Guyton. Crable didn't see any action last year, mostly because of an injured shin, but can be the disruptive blitzer the Pats have been lacking. Guyton is the perfect fit to bring in on passing downs, situations that Thomas and Mayo have struggled in. To help out the outside the Patriots also brought back Tully Bunta-Cain.

Secondary: Last season the Patriots allowed 27 touchdown passes, second most in the NFL and 12 pass plays that went over 40 yards. It was hard enough replacing Asante Samuel, but now they will also have to replace the solid Ellis Hobbs and safety Rodney Harrison. In the offseason New England brought in two cornerbacks to makeup for their losses and lack of production by signing Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. Springs cannot be relied on to be the starter all season. He is an experienced player that will contribute but his ability has dropped and he has trouble staying healthy throughout his career. Adding Bodden could be a more serviceable addition. Cut by the Lions, Bodden is familiar with the coaching staff and system from his days in Cleveland. The Patriots need their 2008 draft picks to grow up fast—corners Terrance Wheatley and Jonathon Wilhite. Rookie cornerback Darius Butler, a second round pick, could also see action. Brandon Meriweather recorded four interceptions last season and 2009 could be his breakout season at safety. But Meriweather still has to improve his discipline if he wants to be a star in this secondary.

2009 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS OFF-SEASON TRACKER

Acquisitions
RB Fred Taylor
WR Joey Galloway
TE Chris Baker
OT Damane Duckett
LB Tully Banta-Cain
LB Paris Lenon
CB Shawn Springs
CB Leigh Bodden
DB Brandon McGowan
Drafted
WR Brandon Tate, North Carolina
WR Julian Edelman, Kent State
OT George Bussey, Louisville
OL Sebastian Vollmer, Nebraska
OG Rich Ohrnberger, Penn State
DT Ron Brace, Boston College
DT Darryl Richard, Georgia Tech
DT Myron Pryor, Kentucky
LB Tyrone McKenzie, South Florida
CB Darius Butler, Connecticut
SS Patrick Chung, Oregon
LS Jake Ingram, Hawaii
Re-Signed
OG Russ Hochstein
OT Wesley Britt
DE Mike Wright
DT Kenny Smith
LB Eric Alexander
LB Pierre Woods
DB James Sanders
DB Tank Williams
P Chris Hanson
Undrafted
QB Brian Hoyer, Michigan State
FB Eric Kettani, Navy
WR Tyree Barnes, Navy
LB Antonio Appleby, Virginia
CB Jamar Love, Arkansas
SS Marcus McClinton, Kentucky
Departures
QB Matt Cassel
RB LaMont Jordan
FB Heath Evans
WR Jabar Gaffney
WR Kelley Washington
LB Larry Izzo
LB Darrell RObertson
CB Deltha O’Neal
Unsigned
OT Barry Stokes
OG Billy Yates
CB Lewis Sanders
SS Rodney Harrison

PROJECTION

The Patriots are good. Real good. And if stars like Brady and Seymour stay healthy New England is more than just a playoff contender, they're destined for another division title and maybe a fourth Lombardi Trophy for the B-Boys. But overall this isn't the same team from 2007. The depth and age make them a lot more vulnerable then previous New England teams. They have concerns in the secondary and depth on the defensive line, relying on aged/unproven players especially at cornerback. But there is no need to hit the panic button. Brady is bound for a big season, they have tons of good options on the ground attack and the linebacker unit will flourish like they always do. The Patriots have the horses to get them through the regular season and into a home playoff game where Brady and Belichick thrive. Patriots go 11-5 and fall a game short of the Super Bowl.

Photo Credit: College Press Box (Boston College, North Carolina)