Adrian Fedkiw
Each day leading up to the official start of the NFL football season, I will be providing you with player rankings, team previews, analysis, predictions, opinions and a whole lot more.
Tom Brady won’t be allowed to play with his balls for the first four games, but at least he’s still got Gisele to do the job for him.
Lucky bastard.
With Brady out those first four contests, the job is in the hands of Jimmy Garoppolo. Just how much are the New England Patriots going to miss Brady? Not that they’re a better team without him, but Bill Belichick still managed to squeak out 11 wins with Matt Cassel in 2008 when Brady was lost for the season in the opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Can Belichick register the same type of success?
I believe so, considering the Patriots have a trio of winnable home games to go with a top-notch defense, although I’m penciling the opener against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale as a loss. I’m still expecting 12, 13 or 14 wins by season’s end like New England has been basically doing every year during the Brady era.
Grading the Roster
QBs- Tom Brady (9.2), Jimmy Garoppolo (7.2)
RBs- Dion Lewis (7.4), LeGarrette Blount (7.3), Donald Brown (7.3)
WRs- Julian Edelman (7.5), Danny Amendola (7.3), Chris Hogan (7.2), Nate Washington (7.2)
TEs- Rob Gronkowski (9.1), Martellus Bennett (7.5)
Ts- Nate Solder (7.7), Sebastian Vollmer (7.6), Marcus Cannon (7.3)
Gs- Jonathan Cooper (7.3), Joe Thuney (7.2), Tre Jackson (7.3)
Cs- Bryan Stork (7.3), David Andrews (7.1)
DEs- Jabaal Sheard (7.7), Rob Ninkovich (7.4), Chris Long (7.3), Trey Flowers (7.2)
DTs- Terrance Knighton (7.7), Malcom Brown (7.4), Alan Branch (7.3), Markus Kuhn (7.2)
OLBs- Jamie Collins (8.5), Shea McClellin (7.2), Ramon Humber (7.2), Rufus Johnson (7.1)
MLBs- Don’t’a Hightower (8), Jonathan Freeny (7.3)
CBs- Malcolm Butler (7.6), Logan Ryan (7.3), Justin Coleman (7.2), Cyrus Jones (7.2)
Ss- Devin McCourty (8.2), Patrick Chung (7.4), Duron Harmon (7.3)
K- Stephen Gostowski (7.4)
P- Ryan Allen (7.3)
KR- Keshawn Martin (7.3)
PR- Danny Amendola (7.3)
HC- Bill Belichick (7.5)
Team Rankings
Team- 7.527 (1/32)
Offense- 7.635 (1/32)
Defense- 7.477 (3/32)
Quarterbacks- 8.20 (2/32)
Running Backs- 7.33 (17/32)
Receivers- 7.63 (1/32)
Offensive Line- 7.38 (15/32)
Defensive Line- 7.44 (13/16)
Linebackers- 7.55 (2/16)
Secondary- 7.46 (5/32)
Special Teams- 7.33
Coaches – 7.5
PREDICTION- 14-2
QUARTERBACKS
Brady turned 39 earlier this month, but you wouldn’t know it when watching him play. There’s still not any throw he can’t make. He threw for 4,770 yards last year with 36 touchdowns and just seven interceptions en route to his fifth straight AFC Championship Game appearance.
Brady is the best decision maker in the game. He also remains one of the most accurate as well in New England’s quick-strike, spread em out attack. He puts the ball on the numbers and leads them perfectly pretty much every time using his consistent, quick and compact motion. His deep ball accuracy, which has always been the strength of his game, remains there as well. Brady’s quick and choppy footwork allows him to move in the pocket pretty well, despite his limited athletic ability. Brady is still the ultimate winner and the guy I want leading my offense in the two-minute drill.
In the limited action I’ve seen Garoppolo, he showcases good poise in the pocket to go with good ball placement. He’s a quick-rhythm passer that gets the ball out.
RUNNING BACKS
The promising Dion Lewis is once again hurt, needing another injury to the same knee that he tore his ACL last year. New England averaged 7.2 yards per play when he was in the game last season compared to 5.2 when he wasn’t. He’s a quick and elusive runner who is equally adept at catching passes in the backfield. He totaled just 171 yards on the ground in two seasons with the Eagles prior to running for 234 last year prior to the injury.
LeGarrette Blount remains a bruising inside runner that’s a threat around the goal line and the newly-signed Donald Brown is also solid in between the tackles. James White and Brandon Bolden are other options.
With Brady at the helm, the lack of running production doesn’t hurt the offense too much, but the Pats still have to tote the to keep defenses honest. The threat of Lewis as a pass catcher was vital last season.
RECEIVERS
Rob Gronkowski is the best pass catching and blocking tight end in the game.
He’s equally adept in both pass protection and run blocking. He can drive block in the running game and uses his big frame and long arms to lock onto defenders when he’s not running a pattern. Gronk doesn’t get enough respect in this area of his game.
Gronk is simply uncoverable in the passing game, catching 72 passes for 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago. He’s too big for safeties and too fast for linebackers. And his hands are the size of cantalopes. Gronk combines strength through his break with the quickness and balance to move quickly and decisively through his route. He has the ability to take over a game by himself. He’s also very agile for a man his size and is Brady’s go-to guy in pressure-packed situations.
Martellus Bennett gives the Patriots a dynamic tight end duo, something they’ve lacked since Aaron Hernandez did, you know. Bennett is very good at working the seam and boxing out defenders.
At wide receiver, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola have similar skill sets, both are quick and shifty route runners. The former quarterback Edelman has been unheralded for years, at his best after the catch running the crossing route. Amendola would be similarly recognized had he been able to stay healthy over the last few seasons. Chris Hogan and Keshawn Martin provide depth.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer are a solid pair of tackles. Vollmer is a 6’8 behemoth who uses his length to advantage in the passing game. He’s also fluid and powerful, but does struggle a bit in run blocking and can get unbalanced at times. Solder finished 2015 on injured reserve after suffering a biceps injury in October.
Former first-round guard Jonathan Cooper was acquired in the Chandler Jones deal to the Arizona Cardinals during the offseason. He’s a solid piece to a questionable guard group that also includes third-round rookie Joe Thuney, Tre Jackson and Shaq Mason.
Center Bryan Stork was traded Wednesday, which opens the starting job for David Andrews, who went undrafted in 2015.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Making up Jones’ 12 ½ sacks won’t be easy. Jabaal Sheard broke out in New England last season after not fulfilling his true potential while in Cleveland. He gets off the snap quickly and showcases solid speed when closing in on quarterbacks. His strength is stopping the run.
Rob Ninkovich will be out a few weeks during the regular season due to a triceps injury, so Chris Long will start in his absence. The former No. 2 overall pick was a surprising release by the Rams during the offseason.
Run-stuffing defensive tackle Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton was brought in as a free agent following a one-year stint with the Washington Redskins. He gets push and is a huge force in the backfield and has such strength that if he gets his arm on you, he’s gonna bring you down. He can make tackles not only in space, but in a crowd as well. Last year’s first round pick Malcolm Brown and Alan Branch, along with Knighton, form a solid trio.
LINEBACKERS
Jamie Collins is simply a stat sheet stuffer. In 12 games last year, he had 51 tackles, 5 ½ sacks, an interception and five forced fumbles. As evidenced by those numbers, he’s very versatile, can play every linebacker spot and does everything well; blitz, cover, stop the run and tackle.
Collins is a former college safety who has ballooned up to 250 pounds, but he still showcases great speed. When he plays outside, his speed and athleticism allows him to shut down the outside runs and when he’s in the middle, he can take on blockers and stifle the inside runs using his length, big hands and combination of power and speed. Collins can also beat you on the edge using his first-step quickness and speed and times his blitzes well through the a-gap. In coverage, Collins gets good depth on his zone drops and attacks the football using his anticipation and closing speed. The other starter at outside linebacker, Jonathan Freeny, is underrated and Shea McClellin provides depth.
Dont’a Hightower took over at middle linebacker following the retirement of Jerod Mayo. He’s at his best running downhill and laying the lumber in the hole. His reaction time is exceptional. As a pass rusher he times his blitzes extremely well and when he gets a head of steam he runs over the blitz protection.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan might be the most underappreciated cornerback duo in the league. Butler has really taken off since that Super Bowl interception at the goal line, showcasing decent athleticism and solid footwork. Ryan is consistent, plays with good intelligence and rarely makes mistakes.
Devin McCourty’s range and instincts as a center fielder is among the best in the game. The move from cornerback to safety was the best thing that could’ve happened to him because it’s here where he can use his athleticism, top-end speed and instincts. And he’s rarely targeted, he can completely shut down the middle of the field. Many may not think of McCourty being a great run defender because he is a former cornerback, but has fantastic range due to his speed and does a solid job of taking away the outside runs.
During his brief absence from New England, Patrick Chung stunk it up in Philadelphia, but Chung has thrived again with the Patriots.
TEAM PREVIEWS
NFL PLAYER RANKINGS