11 Things To Watch With the 2011 Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) -With the New England Patriots set to kick off their 2011 campaign Monday night, here are 11 things to look out for during the season.
1. Quarterback Tom Brady
Brady is the reigning MVP of the NFL, coming off one of the best statistical seasons of his career (second only to his record-setting 2007). Brady threw for 3,900 yards with 36 touchdowns and only four interceptions. It's hard to believe Brady will be anything but stellar once again, especially with a new go-to receiver in Chad Ochocinco (once they gets on the same page).
But Brady is also coming off another postseason loss, and off-season foot surgery. Brady showed no signs of anything lingering from the surgery or heart wrenching loss to the Jets, but at 34, how will Brady bounce back from these? It's not out of the imagination for him to put up another MVP season, but he was very pedestrian in the playoff loss to the Jets.
All of that aside, Brady will likely be fine and continue to pad his Hall of Fame resume in 2011.
2. Chad Ochocino
The main question with Ochocinco right now is how he will fit in to the Patriots offense. He struggled during the preseason, and admitted that he is not "there" yet. The 11-year veteran played his entire career in Cincinnati, and this year he did not have the benefits of a full offseason, or mini-camps and OTAs, to get acclimated to a new offense.
Read: Keys Against The Dolphins
His preseason performance (or lack thereof), has some fearing a Joey Galloway reprise. But Ochocinco is just too good of a talent to let that happen. He is determined to produce, so it may only be a matter of weeks until he and Brady are on the same page. Until then, #12 has plenty of other targets to throw to.
3. The Pass Rush
With all the offseason moves, and a glimpse in the preseason, it looks like the Patriots will finally be applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks this season. Albert Haynesworth is here to rejuvenate his career, and with Shaun Ellis and Andre Carter along for the ride, opposing QBs should spend a good portion of Sundays running for their life.
Read: Haynesworth Says Time For "Sleeping Giant" To Awake
A new pass-rush should take some pressure off the Patriots secondary, which is another story. It will be a new wrinkle to Belichick's defense which, as WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Walt Perkins said, will keep the opposition guessing all season long.
4. Jerod Mayo
In his fourth NFL season, Mayo will be let loose in the new defensive scheme. He was getting after the quarterback in the preseason, and should see his sack totals increase this year. It's scary to think that with more freedom, his league-leading tackle totals could increase.
Watch: The Gresh & Zo Whiteboard
Mayo has been an instant star since being drafted in 2008. He was once again named a team captain, and is one of the true leaders on the defensive side of the ball. It's hard to imagine he could get any better, but it's possible with better defenders in front of him now.
5. The Safeties
One of the biggest question marks, not only on the defense but for the team, remains their secondary. James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather are gone. Sanders was a savvy veteran that played well in the system, while Meriweather was a big-play waiting to happen. Whether that big play was a pick or getting burned, a huge tackle or illegal hit, was the biggest problem with Meriweather. Now his free-styling ways are in Chicago, and the Patriots are left with Patrick Chung as their leader.
Chung had a solid 2010, but will have to step things up even more to make up for the inexperience of fellow safeties Josh Barrett and Sergio Brown.
6. Devin McCourty and Leigh Bodden
On the other side of the secondary, there are two stellar cornerbacks in McCourty and Bodden. McCourty proved he was a legit NFL defender with an amazing rookie season when he was forced to step in as the top corner with Bodden missing 2010 with a rotator cuff injury. Now the two are together to form one of the better duos on the league.
This does not come without question marks as well. There is always the fear of the "sophomore slump" with McCourty, and how well Bodden bounces back after missing an entire season. The team will count on these two to come up big, and they should be helped by the new-found New England pass-rush.
7. All Those Running Backs
The Patriots come into the season with four running backs in BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead, and rookies Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley. As we've all learned in the past, a team can never have too many running backs.
Read: Levan Reid's Patriots Blog
Green-Ellis is coming off a 1,000-yard season, with Woodhead fitting into the Kevin Faulk role of a catch-and-run back. Both rookies could also come in to play during the course of the season, if Belichick sees them ready to do so. It will be interesting to see how he splits up the time, whether he goes with the hot set of feet or rotates them all in at times.
Having an open competition is never a bad thing, especially for running backs.
8. Nate Solder
The Patriots first-round pick will be thrown into action early, with Sebastian Vollmer out for the season opener against the Dolphins. Solder played well in the preseason, but showed he still has some work to do. He will have the benefit, when Vollmer returns, to learn under Matt Light, but it will be even more interesting to see how he shifts over to the right side against Miami.
Solder is definitely a big part of the Patriots future, but we'll get a glimpse of how he does in the present very early on.
9. The Tight Ends
Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez had remarkable rookie campaigns in 2010, becoming instant contributors in the Patriots offense. Gronk caught 10 touchdowns, and Hernandez had 45 catches for 563 yards (with six scores of his own). How they follow it up will be the fun part.
Hernandez is coming off a great preseason, and Gronk was one of Brady's go-to guys in red zone practices. Even with a solid receiving core, the tight ends will remain a key part of the offensive attack.
Patriots Blog: The Gronk Life
The Patriots also brought aboard Rob's older brother, Dan, to provide some help on special teams, and likely some more fun in the locker room.
10. Welker In A Contract Year
If Welker catches 100 passes in 2011, he will be one of three receivers in NFL history with four 100-reception seasons, joining Jerry Rice and Marvin Harrison. That will look good when it comes to contract negations at the end of the year.
Welker is in the final year of a three-year extension, and wants to remain in New England. His numbers took a dip in 2010, as he came back from tearing his ACL and MCL in the 2009 regular season finale. He will still remain one of Brady's favorite targets though, and will have that extra motivation as he plays for a big deal.
11. Bill's (Playoff) Plan
The Patriots should make the playoffs. They should be able to make a deep playoff run. They should have done it last season, and the year before that.
Bill Belichick and the Patriots are oh for their last three when it comes to playoff games. That needs to change this time around, or the "In Bill We Trust" mantra will soon come into question. It will be interesting to see how he handles the veteran players on defense, if he tries to save them for games in January rather than have them going full force in October.
Once the Patriots get to the playoffs, and this is a long ways away, Belichick will need to make sure he isn't outcoached again, much like Rex Ryan did last season, and John Harbaugh in 2009.
Tune in to the Patriots season opener at 7pm Monday night on 98.5 The Sports Hub with pregame coverage beginning at 4pm. After the game, tune in to the Postgame show on 98.5, and to Patriots Fifth Quarter on TV38.
