Tailback U
No substitute 4 strength.
It seems like every year, the Patriots eventually lose to a team like the Steelers or Jets because those teams can apply pressure on Brady and jam the receivers at the LOS to throw off Brady's timing.
Patriots 2011 draft class:
5 Marcus Cannon 7 OL TCU
3 Ryan Mallett 10 QB Arkansas
7 Malcolm Williams 16 DB TCU
1 Nate Solder 17 OL Colorado
5 Lee Smith 28 TE Marshall
6 Markell Carter 29 DE Central Arkansas
2 Ras-I Dowling 33 CB Virginia
2 Shane Vereen 56 RB California
3 Stevan Ridley 73 RB LSU
No wide receivers drafted, even though it was clear that they lost to the Jets, a division rival mind you, in the playoffs last season because none of their receivers could get off the press.
2010 draft class:
1 Devin McCourty 27 CB Rutgers
2 Rob Gronkowski 42 TE Arizona 2b Jermaine Cunningham 53 DE Florida
2c Brandon Spikes 62 MLB Florida
3 Taylor Price 90 WR Ohio University
4 Aaron Hernandez 113 TE Florida
5 Zoltan Mesko 150 P Michigan
6 Ted Larsen 205 C North Carolina State
7a Thomas Welch 208 OL Vanderbilt
7b Brandon Deaderick 247 DL Alabama
7c Kade Weston 248 DT Georgia
7d Zac Robinson 250 QB Oklahoma State
Overall, a great class, but again no wide receivers drafted except for Taylor Price (3rd round) who has been released.
2009:
2a Patrick Chung 34 SS Oregon
2b Ron Brace 40 DT Boston College
2c Darius Butler 41 CB Connecticut
2d Sebastian Vollmer 58 OL Houston
3a Brandon Tate 83 WR North Carolina
3b Tyrone McKenzie 97 LB South Florida
4 Rich Ohrnberger 123 OL Penn State
5 George Bussey 170 OL Louisville
6a Jake Ingram 198 LS Hawaii
6b Myron Pryor 207 DT Kentucky
7a Julian Edelman 232 WR Kent State
7b Darryl Richard 234 DT Georgia Tech
Brandon Tate has been a disappointment and pretty much irrelevent. And Julian Edelman is another under sized route runner who has done next to nothing besides fill in for Welker when he gets hurt.
I understand Belicheck's philosophy and I think drafting Gronkowski and Hernandez was supposed to be the solution but they primarily work the middle of the field, which is easier for safeties to help out, and they are also often times used to help protect Brady.
The Patriots still have holes on defense and on offense and it's like they think Brady is all they need. Gronkowski and Hernandez are flat out studs, but eventually you'd think that they need more than Welker and Branch at WR because the Steelers and Jets completely take them out of the game whenever they meet in the playoffs.
The last time they went deep into the playoffs was when they had Randy Moss. I expect them to get knocked out of the playoffs for the same exact reasons as last year, by either the Ravens or Steelers.
Maybe I should have titled it differently, but the bottom line is that the Patriots need to acquire a big time stud at WR. I think that is the only thing holding them back from another Super Bowl right now because their defense, for the most part, is able to keep teams in check in the playoffs because Belicheck is so good defensively.
Patriots 2011 draft class:
5 Marcus Cannon 7 OL TCU
3 Ryan Mallett 10 QB Arkansas
7 Malcolm Williams 16 DB TCU
1 Nate Solder 17 OL Colorado
5 Lee Smith 28 TE Marshall
6 Markell Carter 29 DE Central Arkansas
2 Ras-I Dowling 33 CB Virginia
2 Shane Vereen 56 RB California
3 Stevan Ridley 73 RB LSU
No wide receivers drafted, even though it was clear that they lost to the Jets, a division rival mind you, in the playoffs last season because none of their receivers could get off the press.
2010 draft class:
1 Devin McCourty 27 CB Rutgers
2 Rob Gronkowski 42 TE Arizona 2b Jermaine Cunningham 53 DE Florida
2c Brandon Spikes 62 MLB Florida
3 Taylor Price 90 WR Ohio University
4 Aaron Hernandez 113 TE Florida
5 Zoltan Mesko 150 P Michigan
6 Ted Larsen 205 C North Carolina State
7a Thomas Welch 208 OL Vanderbilt
7b Brandon Deaderick 247 DL Alabama
7c Kade Weston 248 DT Georgia
7d Zac Robinson 250 QB Oklahoma State
Overall, a great class, but again no wide receivers drafted except for Taylor Price (3rd round) who has been released.
2009:
2a Patrick Chung 34 SS Oregon
2b Ron Brace 40 DT Boston College
2c Darius Butler 41 CB Connecticut
2d Sebastian Vollmer 58 OL Houston
3a Brandon Tate 83 WR North Carolina
3b Tyrone McKenzie 97 LB South Florida
4 Rich Ohrnberger 123 OL Penn State
5 George Bussey 170 OL Louisville
6a Jake Ingram 198 LS Hawaii
6b Myron Pryor 207 DT Kentucky
7a Julian Edelman 232 WR Kent State
7b Darryl Richard 234 DT Georgia Tech
Brandon Tate has been a disappointment and pretty much irrelevent. And Julian Edelman is another under sized route runner who has done next to nothing besides fill in for Welker when he gets hurt.
I understand Belicheck's philosophy and I think drafting Gronkowski and Hernandez was supposed to be the solution but they primarily work the middle of the field, which is easier for safeties to help out, and they are also often times used to help protect Brady.
The Patriots still have holes on defense and on offense and it's like they think Brady is all they need. Gronkowski and Hernandez are flat out studs, but eventually you'd think that they need more than Welker and Branch at WR because the Steelers and Jets completely take them out of the game whenever they meet in the playoffs.
The last time they went deep into the playoffs was when they had Randy Moss. I expect them to get knocked out of the playoffs for the same exact reasons as last year, by either the Ravens or Steelers.
Maybe I should have titled it differently, but the bottom line is that the Patriots need to acquire a big time stud at WR. I think that is the only thing holding them back from another Super Bowl right now because their defense, for the most part, is able to keep teams in check in the playoffs because Belicheck is so good defensively.