New England Patriots

NFL Previews - New England Patriots

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New England Patriots 2007 Preview

(My Sportsbook) - The New England Patriots don't come off a Super Bowl victory, nor were they the member of their conference to post a 14-2 record in the 2006 regular season.

Those resume' items belong to the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers, respectively, and both teams remain long on talent and possess high hopes for 2007.

And yet neither is the odds-on favorite to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Glendale, AZ this February.

That distinction belongs to the Patriots, a team that stole some of the offseason's biggest headlines by making crucial moves that threaten to make a very good AFC East Champion into an unbeatable Super Bowl Champion.

The team's acquisition of former Ravens Pro Bowl linebacker Adalius Thomas is regarded by most as a match made in heaven. The athletic and versatile Thomas should be able to roam free in Bill Belichick's ever-shifting defense, transforming the team's front seven into perhaps the most dangerous one in the league.

On offense, New England made three huge scores - receivers Randy Moss, Donte' Stallworth, and Wes Welker - who could help the already productive Tom Brady reach Peyton Manning-like statistical plateaus.

And remember, this team was just one defensive stop from appearing in the Super Bowl last season, taking the Colts down to the wire in an AFC Championship during which Manning found a previously untapped reserve of cool.

After making offseason moves that seemed specifically designed for the objective of beating the Colts, and still possessing Belichick and one of the most highly-regarded staffs in the league, is there really a good reason to bet against New England in 2007?

Not until they give us one.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2007 edition of the New England Patriots, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2006 RECORD: 12-4 (1st, AFC East)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2006, lost to Indianapolis, 38-34, in AFC Championship

COACH (RECORD): Bill Belichick (75-37 in seven seasons with Patriots, 111-81 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Josh McDaniels

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dean Pees

OFFENSIVE STAR: Tom Brady, QB (3529 passing yards, 24 TD, 12 INT)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Richard Seymour, DE (40 tackles, 4 sacks)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 12th rushing, 12th passing, 7th scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 5th rushing, 12th passing, 2nd scoring

FIVE KEY GAMES: at N.Y. Jets (9/9), San Diego (9/16), at Miami (10/21), at Indianapolis (11/4), at Baltimore (12/3)

KEY ADDITIONS: RB Sammy Morris (from Dolphins), WR Randy Moss (from Raiders), WR Donte' Stallworth (from Eagles), WR Wes Welker (from Dolphins), WR Kelley Washington (from Bengals), TE Kyle Brady (from Jaguars), DE Kenny Smith (from Buccaneers), DT Kareem Brown (4th Round, Miami-Florida), LB Adalius Thomas (from Ravens), CB Tory James (from Bengals), S Brandon Meriweather (1st Round, Miami-Florida)

KEY DEPARTURES: RB Corey Dillon (released, March 2), FB Patrick Pass (to Texans), TE Daniel Graham (to Broncos), DE Marquise Hill (deceased), OLB Tully Banta-Cain (to 49ers, March 6), CB Chad Scott (out for season/injury), S Tebucky Jones (released) P Todd Sauerbrun (to Broncos)

QB: Brady slapped another outstanding year on his glistening resume' last season, excelling despite never feeling fully comfortable with a revolving door of receivers. Brady threw TD passes to 11 different players in 2006, a testament to the difficulty of defending the Patriots' multi-faceted scheme. In light of New England's upgrades at the receiver positions, look for another big year out of the perennial Pro Bowler. Matt Cassel will begin his third year as Brady's primary backup, and reports are that 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde will soon be signed to hold the clipboard.

RB: After three productive years with New England, the Patriots allowed Corey Dillon to walk away into possible retirement, though Dillon has not completely closed the door to returning. Whatever happens with Dillon, New England is content to begin handing the football to Laurence Maroney (745 rushing yards, 22 receptions, 7 TD), who wasn't always Belichick's favorite player during his rookie year but showed flashes of greatness. Backing Maroney will be ex- Dolphin Sammy Morris (400 rushing yards, 1 TD, 21 receptions with Miami), who will be happy to do his running behind a stable group of lineman. Kevin Faulk (123 rushing yards, 43 receptions, 3 TD), who is set to begin his ninth season in New England, is still going strong at 31 and will be the third-down back. Heath Evans (117 rushing yards, 7 receptions, 1 TD) has proven to be a capable fullback, and 2006 fourth-round draft pick Garrett Mills has the versatility to play fullback or tight end.

WR/TE: Though there were certainly worse receiving corps in the league last season, New England apparently felt that it wouldn't be able to win a Super Bowl with the likes of Reche Caldwell (61 receptions, 4 TD) and Jabar Gaffney (11 receptions, 1 TD) in the primary receiving roles. Caldwell and Gaffney are still around, as are veteran Troy Brown (43 receptions, 4 TD) and 2006 second- round draft pick Chad Jackson (13 receptions, 3 TD), but all of those players will be fighting an uphill battle to get on the field following the acquisition of Moss (42 receptions, 3 TD with Oakland), Stallworth (38 receptions, 5 TD with Philadelphia), and Welker (67 receptions, 1 TD with Miami). Moss and Stallworth are expected to line up on the outside, with the dangerous Welker working the slot. None of the remaining receivers are a lead- pipe cinch to make the team, and that includes another of the team's offseason pickups, former Bengal Kelley Washington (9 receptions, 1 TD with Cincinnati). At tight end, Ben Watson (49 receptions, 3 TD) should benefit from the presence of an improved wideout corps. Kyle Brady (5 receptions with Jacksonville) was brought in to be the blocker in two-tight end sets, and second-year-man David Thomas (11 receptions, 1 TD) should see plenty of snaps as well.

OL: Four-fifths of the New England o-line is set, with left tackle Matt Light, left guard Logan Mankins, center Dan Koppen, and right guard Stephen Neal virtually assured of jobs if healthy. The only question mark is at right tackle, where both Ryan O'Callaghan and Nick Kaczur have both been starters and are capable. The loser of that duel will head up a solid group of backups, one that also includes center/guard Russ Hochstein, tackle Wes Britt, and guard Gene Mruczkowski. As a group, the New England line allowed a modest 26 sacks a year ago.

DL: Despite some injury problems here and there, New England's three-man line of Vince Wilfork (50 tackles, 1 sack) in the middle and Richard Seymour (40 tackles, 4 sacks, INT) and Ty Warren (84 tackles, 7.5 sacks) on the outside was as dominant as ever last year. Warren in particular had a monster year, though it was Seymour who continued to grab a lion's share of the headlines and the attention from opposing offensive coordinators. The d-line unit also boasts a couple of solid backups in end Jarvis Green (33 tackles, 7.5 sacks) and nose tackle Mike Wright (32 tackles, 1 sack), both of whom started games for the Pats last season. Fourth-round draft pick Kareem Brown is making a bid to join that rotation, and Kenny Smith, who has not played since being a part-time starter for the Saints in 2003, could make a comeback and make the team.

LB: Though the signing of Moss received much of the offseason attention in New England, the acquisition of Adalius Thomas (83 tackles, 11 sacks, 1 INT) could have just as great an impact on the team's Super Bowl aspirations. Thomas has proven athletic enough to play positions as varied as defensive end and safety, and should be given plenty of freedom by the defensively creative Belichick. The rest of the LB corps will be familiar, with Roosevelt Colvin (53 tackles, 8.5 sacks) playing the other OLB slot and Tedy Bruschi (112 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT) and Mike Vrabel (89 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 3 INT) stopping the run from their inside positions. Thirty-eight year-old Junior Seau (69 tackles, 1 sack) surprised the pundits by announcing his return to New England, but Seau and another cagey veteran, Chad Brown, will probably see only spot duty if they make the roster. Younger players like Eric Alexander (14 tackles) and Pierre Woods (13 tackles) might prove healthier and more versatile over the course of the season. Larry Izzo (14 tackles), the leader of the special teams, returns for his seventh season in New England.

DB: The only fly in the ointment for New England is the threatened holdout of cornerback Asante Samuel (64 tackles, 10 INT), who has publicly stated that he will sit out the first 10 games if the team doesn't remove the "franchise" tag and give him a new contract. If Samuel is serious, the Patriots will have to make do with the likes of Ellis Hobbs (44 tackles, 2 INT), Randall Gay, and Tory James (41 tackles, 4 INT with Cincinnati) at the cornerback slots. Hobbs and Gay have both been starters during their New England careers, and the ex-Bengal James is just three years removed from a Pro Bowl season. The Pats need better luck in the health department at safety, where Rodney Harrison (49 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and Eugene Wilson (24 tackles) have both missed significant chunks of time in recent years. Perhaps in reaction, the team used its first-round draft choice on Brandon Meriweather, who should be a regular part of the rotation sooner rather than later. In the backup department, Artrell Hawkins (71 tackles, 1 INT) and James Sanders (44 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) have both been valuable contributors in the secondary.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Stephen Gostkowski (20-26) got better as his rookie season of 2006 season wore on, and should be much more comfortable in his second season. Punter Josh Miller (43.0 avg.) missed six games plus the playoffs due to injury a year ago, but is back in the fold and healthy. Long snapper Lonie Paxton has given no reason to have his roster spot questioned. In the return game, Wes Welker (22.2 kickoff return avg., 9.2 punt return avg. with Miami) should give the team a new dimension, and Ellis Hobbs (36.0 kickoff return avg., 1 TD) and Kevin Faulk (10.6 punt return avg., 21.4 kickoff return avg.) both have experience in that area as well.

PROGNOSIS: Yet another time when overthinking can be a real detriment to your prognostication skills. There isn't a team in the league that can boast more talent than the 2007 Patriots, and there isn't a coach who can credibly claim that he's better than Belichick. The AFC East is weak, which means New England should roll right through and end up as the conference's top seed, while teams like Indianapolis and San Diego must work harder to secure their place in the bracket. The stars are all aligned for the '07 edition of the Pats, though of course the team's ability to deliver on its immense promise is contingent on intangibles like health and chemistry. We'll guess that New England will deftly sidestep those potholes, and will put the final nail in their "Team of the Decade" portrait in the form of Super Bowl title number four.

August 6, 2007, at 11:11 AM ET

WagerOnFootball.com - New England Patriots Predictions

As is usually the case in Foxboro the Pats are poised to make yet another championship run. They believe they have tbolstered the areas that most needed help - the WR's, RB, LB and special teams. If injuries are on their side this team will once again challenge to be the best team in the AFC, and probably a 11-5 record isn't out of their grasps.

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