New England Patriots:
Offense:
QB- Tom Brady
RB- Laurence Maroney/Fred Taylor/Sammy Morris
FB- Kevin Faulk/BenJarvus Green-Ellis
WR- Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Julian Edelman
TE- Alge Crumpler/Aaron Hernandez
LT- Matt Light
LG- Logan Mankins
C- Dan Koppen
RG- Stephen Neal
RT- Sebastian Vollmer
BREAKDOWN: Superstar Tom Brady has always led the explosive Patriots offense, but they need their running game to become more consistent to have a reliable overall offense. Last season, Brady threw 28 touchdowns but ten came between two games, which shows that he only averaged 1.29 touchdowns in every game for the rest of the season. Although a touchdown per game is a nice statistic, but not when the running game has been non-existent for the past couple of years. Laurence Maroney excelled in games that he was relied upon, as he scored nine touchdowns in the nine games that he recorded 13 or more carries; however, Maroney seems to be stuck in a timeshare with Fred Taylor this season. Reports out of Patriots’ training camp is that Randy Moss is more determined than ever before, and that he is poised for a breakout season to prove that he has not lost a step since his league-record 23-touchdown season. In one of the most remarkable injury recovery stories that I have heard, Wes Welker tore his ACL and MCL in the Patriots regular season finale on January 3rd, and was expected to miss at least half of this season. However in a shocking turn of events, Welker has already returned to action and participated in the Patriots’ last preseason game. Welker may not be as explosive this season as he usually is, but Welker is still a great playmaker and may be the best possession receiver in the NFL. Rookie Aaron Hernandez has earned raving reviews from the Patriots coaching staff, and may have a strong impact this season. The offensive line has solid pass protection but the key is for the starting unit to stay healthy. If they stay healthy, the Patriots offense could return to one of the most dominant offenses in the NFL.
Defense (3-4):
LE- Gerard Warren
NT- Vince Wilfork
RE- Mike Wright
LOLB- Tully Banta-Cain
LILB- Jerod Mayo
RILB- Gary Guyton/Brandon Spikes
ROLB- Derrick Burgess
CB- Darius Butler, Leigh Bodden, and Jonathan Wilhite
FS- Brandon McGowan
SS- Brandon Meriweather
BREAKDOWN: The Patriots defense has aged over the years and the once feared defense is now an average one. Jerod Mayo is the future of the defense, as he showed his athleticism last year by leading the team with 103 tackles. Gary Guyton is another reliable linebacker as Derrick Burgess is a strong pass rusher but the Patriots need him to stay healthy. The Patriots took a huge loss by losing Ty Warren, one of the most dominant players on the defensive line in the AFC. The pressure to fill the void left by Warren is going to be Vince Wilfork and Gerard Warren. Wilfork has always been one of the most dominant nose tackles in the league, and Gerard Warren has always been a bust after being drafted in the top 3 by the Cleveland Browns in 2001. The majority of the Patriots pass rush comes from Tully Banta-Cain, who led the team with 9.5 sacks last season, and will need to repeat those statistics for the weak pass rushing Patriots. My favorite player in the secondary is ball hawk Brandon Meriweather. Meriweather led the team with five interceptions last season and was third on the team with 83 tackles. Although the Patriots have some stars on defense, their days of being a dominant defense are over and they are going to need to rely on outscoring the other team to win most of their games.
Special Teams:
K- Stephen Gostkowski
P- Zoltan Mesko
KR- Matt Slater/Laurence Maroney
PR- Wes Welker/Julian Edelman
BREAKDOWN: Stephen Gostkowski is a great accurate kicker for the Patriots as he went 26 for 31 last season (83.9%) including 2 for 3 from over 50 yards and 19 for 20 inside 40 yards. Gostkowski should enjoy more success this season. Zoltan Mesko will take over punting duties this season after being drafted in the fifth round of this year’s draft out of Michigan. Mesko holds career records at Michigan for punts and punting yardage as he averaged 42.5 yards in his Michigan career. Matt Slater and Laurence Maroney were average returners as they averaged 24.5 and 21.5 yards respectively. Welker and Julian Edelman are both strong punt returners with their ability to avoid tacklers. Both of them averaged over ten yards on punt returns, which is a strong asset to have especially with the Patriots strong offense.
Dallas Cowboys:
Offense:
QB: Tony Romo
RB: Marion Barber III/Felix Jones
FB: Deon Anderson
WR: Miles Austin, Roy Williams, Dez Bryant
TE: Jason Witten
LT: Doug Free
LG: Kyle Kosier
C: Andre Gurode
RG: Leonard Davis
RT: Marc Colombo
BREAKDOWN: This Cowboy offense is mysterious as some weeks they can’t find the end zone at all, and then in other weeks they can be scoring at will. Tony Romo was highly efficient last year as he threw 26 touchdowns to go with nine interceptions. Between week five and the loss to the Vikings in the divisional round of the playoffs, Romo threw a touchdown in every game with eight of those weeks having multiple touchdowns. Although Marion Barber III played through injuries, since becoming the number one running back in Dallas after Julius Jones left, Barber has struggled and only rumbled to one 100 yard game last season with only seven touchdowns compared to 14 and ten touchdowns when he was in a timeshare. However, head coach Wade Phillips has finally noticed this and is going to give the lion’s share of the carries to speedster Felix Jones this season, who added 20 pounds in the offseason but is going to need to stay healthy for this timeshare to work. Miles Austin exploded onto the scene last season with a ten-catch and 250 yard game in week five and six-catch and 171 yard game in week seven that produced two touchdowns in each game. Austin is becoming one of the most premier receivers last season, and is going to need to repeat those numbers this year to cement his status as an elite receiver. Rookie Dez Bryant has the potential to breakout during his rookie season and become of the best receivers, but he needs to stay healthy and stay away from controversy. Controversy has followed Bryant from being dismissed at Oklahoma State for lying about his relationship with Deion Sanders, to the Miami Dolphins general manager asking if his mother was a prostitute, to Bryant not participating in rookie hazing. Bryant can put all of that behind him if he has a strong season this year. The forgotten man of the Cowboy offense is tight end Jason Witten, who is a strong possession receiver and a great target for Tony Romo, however, Romo didn’t look Witten’s way much in the red zone which gave the perception that Romo didn’t favor Witten as a receiver. I expect Witten’s touchdown total this season to rise dramatically. The offensive line isn’t the best in the league, and it’s a good thing that Romo is mobile to move around the pocket and make plays when the line breaks down.
Defense (3-4):
LE- Marcus Spears
NT- Jay Ratliff
RE- Igor Olshansky
LOLB- Anthony Spencer
LILB- Bradie James
RILB- Keith Brooking
ROLB- DeMarcus Ware
CB- Terence Newman, Mike Jenkins, and Orlando Scandrick
FS- Ken Hamlin
SS- Gerald Sensabaugh (inj.)/Pat Watkins
BREAKDOWN: The Cowboys linebacking corps are the unit that keeps the defense as strong as they are. Bradie James led the team with 113 tackles last season, DeMarcus Ware led the team with 11 sacks, Anthony Spencer led the team with 10 tackles for a loss and 67 tackles on the season, and Keith Brooking was second on the team with 106 tackles. This linebacking group works well as a unit, and are the main reason why the Cowboy defense is still in the top ten of the league. Jay Ratliff is a strong nose tackle as he was second on the team with six sacks and seven tackles for a loss last season. Terence Newman is a solid cornerback, and is reported to be looking better in training camp this season than he ever has before. South Florida youngster Mike Jenkins is turning into one of the top corners in the NFC and showed tremendous potential last season, if he can repeat that performance or improve upon it, the Dallas Cowboys secondary may become of the strongest in the league. Gerald Sensabaugh had a solid season last year, but injured his shoulder last week and is now iffy for Week one. It will be interesting how the Cowboys play if Sensabaugh is forced to miss some time. This defense has the potential to be one of the best in the NFC, but most of those expectations rely on the production of DeMarcus Ware, and how he successful he is pass rushing this season.
Special Teams:
K- David Buehler
P- Mat McBriar
KR- Bryan McCann
PR- Cletis Gordon
BREAKDOWN: Mat McBriar was a dominant punter last season as he averaged 45.1 yards punting on his 72 punts last season. His strong leg meshed well with accuracy last season as he put 38 of his punts inside the 20-yard line and forced 23 fair catches. David Buehler has an excellent leg but was limited to only kickoff duties last season. Buehler should have his ups and downs, but the Cowboys, due to unreliable kickers, have a short leash for inaccurate kickers so it will be interesting to watch Buehler’s progress throughout the season. Bryan McCann is a rookie out of Southern Methodist, and showed excellent speed there to go along with strong kick returning skills. He has the potential to run for a few touchdowns but should primarily be a reliable return man. Cletis Gordon was signed for more secondary depth but should be decent as a punt returner as well.
Next Up: Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins
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