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.
