Flush With Backs

The Patriots have the luxury of having five running backs on their roster that all have the ability to contribute something to an NFL team.  Behind starter Laurence Maroney there lies LaMont Jordan, Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris and Heath Evans.  Coach Bill Belichik has stated that the team could go into the regular season with all five backs on the roster if he feels that each guy deserves to make the team.

Jordan is a solid all-around back and is probably the leading candidate for the backup role.  He’s been a starter in the league and doesn’t have a ton of mileage on his tires.  Faulk has been a fixture on the Pats’ roster since 1999 and has produced year in and year out.  He’s more of a third-down back who catches the ball really well out of the backfield.  He caught 47 passes last season to just 62 carries.  He’s eclipsed the 40 reception mark in three separate seasons while never being a starter.  Morris is a reliable backup who can make some spot starts in the event of injuries to the starter, as he did for Ronnie Brown in Miami.  He’s not going to blow anyone away, but he’s worthy of a roster spot.  Evans is a fullback and a powerful runner.  He can be useful in short yardage and goal line situations as he packs more of a punch than any of the other four guys.  All five of these guys are good enough to earn a roster spot, but even if Belichik is forced to cut one, this is a good kind of problem to have.

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Fantasy Focus: Terrific Tom

Yahoo Sports has Patriots quarterback Tom Brady ranked as the number one fantasy quarterback for the 2008 NFL season.  In a composite ranking system based on the opinions of five fantasy experts, Brady was named the consensus number one player for his position.  Brady broke Peyton Manning’s single season passing touchdown record last season by tossing 50 scores.  He also averaged more than 300 yards per game through the air, totaling out at 4806.  Brady finished as the number one overall ranked fantasy player in most scoring systems.

Though Brady was the best overall fantasy player last season, he shouldn’t be taken with the first pick in fantasy drafts this year.  There’s no way he duplicates the incredible numbers he put up last season, but he’s likely to accumulate better stats than any other signal caller in the NFL.  Brady is worth looking at with the sixth overall pick and on, once the elite running backs have been taken.  This blogger expects something in the neighborhood of 4000 yards and 35 TDs for Brady this season.  His favorite target, Randy Moss, is the top ranked fantasy wide receiver in Yahoo Sports’ rankings as well, which should make Brady owners feel good about their selection.

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Seau Hello?

Linebacker Junior Seau says he’s not ruling out a return to the Patriots this season.  The 39-year-old underwent surgery this offseason to repair a rotator cuff.  “Obviously, I have to be healthy enough to get in there and perform at a high level and right now I’m not ready,” Seau was quoted in a Boston Globe article.  Seau did confirm that the only team he’d consider giving it another go with was the Pats.  “If there is a situation that comes up, I will definitely look at it, but it has to be something with the Pats,” he said in the same Boston Globe story. “There is no sense in me going to another locker room when I have my guys in that locker room that are going back and hopefully trying to finish what we started.”

Seau spent the last two seasons with the Patriots after playing most of his career in San Diego.  The 19-year veteran can definitely still play, but he’s no longer the all-pro he was for the Chargers.  Seau surprised a lot of fans when he signed with the Patriots shortly after retiring from football.  Seau did claim that he wasn’t retiring when he announced he was leaving football, but that he was “graduating.”  Ironically, his eventual move to New England ended up being somewhat of a graduation to a higher level.

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Jordon Looking Solid

Running back LaMont Jordan is looking to make good on the opportunity he has with the Patriots and took his first step in doing so in the Patriots’ first preseason game.  The 29-year-old rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown in his debut as a Patriot.  Jordan has played eight seasons in the NFL, split between stints with the Jets and Raiders, and was a highly-regarded free agent as recently as 2005.  Jordan spent the first five seasons of his career backing up Curtis Martin in New York before being signed by Oakland.  His career in the Bay Area never really went the way he or the Raiders had hoped, as his tenure there was plagued with injuries and lackluster performances.

Jordan has a lot of talent.  He’s a really powerful back with solid speed.  Jordan was released by the Raiders in the wake of the team’s selection of Arkansas running back Darren McFadden in the 2008 NFL Draft.  The Pats’ signing of Jordan was a great move.  He’s got the ability to be a more-than-serviceable backup to Laurence Maroney, and has starter capability in the event that Maroney goes down with an injury.  Guys just seem to perform better in New England, and there’s no reason to think things will be any different with Jordan.

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Pats Backup QB Battle

Patriots quarterback Matt Cassell could be losing his hold in the job he’s held for the past few years as Tom Brady’s backup.  The former USC Trojan struggled in New England’s first preseason game, completing just one pass in four attempts and tossing an interception.  “I threw four passes [completing one] and we weren’t really able to generate much offense,” Cassel said after the game. “Preseason is really important to me.”  Preseason should be really important to Cassell because it’s the only time he sees the field unless the Patriots are up 30.

Rookie Kevin O’Connell looked best out of the three guys who lined up under center for the Pats yesterday, Matt Gutierrez being the third.  O’Connell also threw a pick, but looked the most poised of the three, despite completing less than half of his passes.  The team lost the contest to the Ravens 16-15, but the score is not what preseason is all about.  Preseason is about position battles and rounding out your roster.  The battle between Cassell and O’Connell should be an interesting one as preseason goes on.  Whereas once Cassell looked really solid, his confidence appears to be a bit shaken.

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Jets Now Competition? Favre From It.

The New York Jets, one of the Patriots’ biggest rivals, just got a little better by acquiring Brett Favre via trade.  With a future hall-of-fame quarterback besides Tom Brady in the AFC East, should the Patriots be nervous that their stranglehold on the division will be loosened?  It’s doubtful.  The Patriots are almost the exact same team that won 16 regular season games last season, though the departure of Asante Samuel was a big loss.  The Pats probably won’t go undefeated again, but keep in mind that no other AFC East team finished at or above .500 last season.

The addition of Favre makes the Jets a decent team, but a doubtful playoff participant.  This blogger sees no way that New York can challenge the Patriots for the division crown.  Favre’s presence will make this season’s games against the Jets more interesting, but it’s hard to imagine the Patriots losing a single divisional matchup this year.  The Patriots’ toughest games will come against the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants.  Those are the only four games this blogger could see the Patriots losing in 2008.  Even if the Pats were to lose all of those games, that still puts them at 12-4.

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Vrabel Returns

Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel returned to practice yesterday after missing the first 17 practice sessions of training camp.  The 33-year-old veteran said that it wasn’t an injury that kept him out of camp until this point.  “Old age,” Vrabel blamed in a Boston Globe story. “I was trying to get some rest, get back healthy. You realize how quick of an offseason it is when you play into February and you’re not as healthy as you’ve been in the past. You need a couple extra weeks going into training camp.”  Vrabel started the season on the physically unable to perform list.

Vrabel might be an old man, but he’s coming off what may have been his most productive season as a professional in which he led the team in sacks with 12.5.  Vrabel has become known for his play on the offensive side of the ball as well.  Head coach Bill Belichick has made a habit of using Vrabel as a tight end in goal line situations and the linebacker has hauled in his fair share of touchdowns.  Vrabel and fellow linebacker Tedy Bruschi are the heart and soul of this defense.  Both are getting up in years, but the Pats have a number of quality youngsters who are being schooled by these vets.

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Maroney Focused on Finishing

Running back Laurence Maroney will figure largely into the success of the Patriots this season.  Maroney recently said that he’s focused on finishing plays this year and playing through the whistle.  “Finishing. It’s all about finishing,” Maroney said in a Boston Herald article. “No matter what I’m doing - if it’s a block, a pass route or running - you have to finish it. Everything is about finishing.”

Maroney’s ability has never been in question, but his durability has.  Maroney has missed significant time since the Pats drafted him in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft.  When healthy, Maroney has displayed all the skills necessary to become a stud running back in this league.  He’s got a freakish combination of power and speed and can really punish defenders.  If he’s focused on finishing plays, he’ll do even more damage.  He’s the kind of guy who will churn out an extra few yards as long as he just keeps his legs going once he’s wrapped up.   Maroney said he’s got a little extra confidence going into this season thanks to his dominant performances in the Patriots’ first two playoff games last season.  After receiving 20 carries on just two occasions in the regular season, Maroney was a workhorse in the postseason and was a major factor in getting the Pats to the Super Bowl.  The team should increase his touches this season.

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Extra Mayo

Patriots rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo has impressed thus far in training camp.  He’s showed his versatility, going stride for stride with the speedy Kevin Faulk in pass coverage one play and blowing up the powerful Laurence Maroney on the next.  John Tomase of the Boston Herald writes, “’He’s a smart player, but I can only speak for myself,’ said linebacker Pierre Woods, who knows a thing or two about being a rookie in the system. ‘You see him out there. You judge for yourself. I’ll just say that. You see him out there.’”

The Pats selected Mayo with the first-round pick they received from the San Francisco 49ers.  Mayo is expected to see significant playing time this season and will inject energy into an aging linebacking corps.  Mayo has been impressive on the field and has spent his fair share of time watching film.  He’s developing solid relationships with teammates, including Victor Hobson, with whom he is competing for playing time.  It’s no secret that the Patriots thrive on their team chemistry, especially on defense.  It appears that this rookie is fitting in well, both ability-wise and personality-wise.  Being in a winning situation always makes that easier, but the team has to be happy with their pick at this juncture.

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Bryant Gives Pats Scare

After going down with an injury in Wednesday’s practice, cornerback Fernando Bryant had the Patriots’ staff on edge.  An already suspect cornerback corps could ill afford to lose Bryant to a serious knee injury.  But Bryant bounced back and was back on the field before the day was out.  With the Pats best corner, Asante Samuel, leaving town for the Eagles this offseason via free agency and Ellis Hobbs on the physically unable to perform list, Bryant has been the team’s most reliable player at the position during training camp thus far.

While an injury to Bryant would have definitely hurt the team, Pats fans have to be a little less worried about these types of occurrences than fans of most clubs.  Bill Belichick is known for his defensive genius and has gotten more out of less than any other coach in the NFL.  He turned aging wide receiver Troy Brown into a two-way player toward the end of his career in order to help fill the void at the corner position.  You have to wonder if a call was put into free agent and former Patriots cornerback Ty Law between the time Bryant went down and when he got back on the field.

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