59-year old head coach Bill Belichick has been incredible since coming to New England to coach the Patriots.  They were 14-2 last year before bowing out in the playoffs in a loss to the Jets.  Belichick will be looking to get the Patriots back to the Super Bowl in 2011.  He has a 126-50 (71.6%) record in the regular season in his first 11 years in charge of the Patriots.  He is also 14-5 (73.7%) in the post season with the Patriots.  The Patriots are 3-1 in four Super Bowls with Belichick in charge.  No one outworks Coach Belichick in the week leading up to the game on Sunday.  I don’t look for that to change in 2011.

26-year old BenJarvus Green-Ellis really burst onto the scene last year with his hard running style.  Green-Ellis played in 16 games (11 starts) for the Patriots last year and he carried the ball 229 times for 1,008 yards (4.4 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  He also has caught 12 passes for 85 yards (7.1 avg) last year.  Green-Ellis has a lot of tread left on his tires as he wasn’t heavily worked in his first two years with the Patriots.  Green-Ellis has now played in 37 games (14 starts) in his first three years with the Patriots and he has carried the ball 329 times for 1,397 yards (4.2 ypc) with 18 TD runs.  He has also caught 17 passes for 133 yards (7.8 avg) so far in his NFL career.  He will be the Patriots’ back with the most carries in 2011 assuming that he can stay healthy.

26-year old small RB Danny Woodhead showed a big heart last year after coming over on a waiver claim from the rival Jets.  Woodhead played in 14 games (3 starts) for the Patriots last year and he carried the ball 97 times for 547 yards (5.6 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 34 passes for 379 yards (11.1 avg) with 1 TD grab last year.  Woodhead will be the 3rd down RB for the Patriots this year as he can really catch the ball out of the backfield.  Woodhead has now played in 25 games (3 starts) in his first two years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 112 times for 611 yards (5.5 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He has also caught 42 passes for 466 yards  (11.1 avg) with 1 TD grab so far in his NFL career.

The Patriots used a 2nd round pick on Shane Vereen out of California and a 3rd round pick on Stevan Ridley out of LSU in last April’s NFL Draft.  22-year old Shane Vereen is more of a classic tailback as he can run inside or out.  Stevan Ridley is more of a power back at 5’11″, 225 pounds.  The Patriots will likely break Vereen and Ridley in slowly behind Green-Ellis and Woodhead.

35-year old Kevin Faulk is recovering from a torn ACL, but I would never count him out.  Faulk played in 2 games (both starts) for the Patriots last year and he carried the ball 8 times for 45 yards (5.6 ypc).  He also caught 6 passes for 62 yards (10.3 avg) last year.  Faulk has now played in 154 games (44 starts) in his first 12 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 847 times for 3,550 yards (4.2 ypc) with 16 TD runs.  He has also caught 424 passes for 3,667 yards (8.6 avg) with 15 TD grabs in his NFL career.  Faulk has made so many big plays for the Patriots over the years, that he deserves a shot to come back from this injury.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PATRIOTS RBS IN 2011:  B

34-year old QB Tom Brady is still the best QB in the world right now.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Patriots last season and he completed 324 of 492 passes (65.9%) for 3,900 yards with 36 TD passes and 4 INTs (111.0 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 31 times for 30 yards (1.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Brady’s accuracy continues to amaze and he protects the ball really well as evidenced by his whopping 4 interceptions last year.  Brady has more toys to play with on offense this year, so I look for him to be at least as good as he was in 2010….and maybe even a little better if that’s even possible.  Brady has now played in 145 games (143 starts) in his first 11 years with the Patriots and he has completed 2,996 of 4,710 passes (63.6%) for 34,744 yards with 261 TD passes and 103 INTs (95.2 QB Rating).  Brady has also carried the ball 336 times for 607 yards (1.8 ypc) with 7 TD runs in his NFL career.  Brady sports a 111-32 (77.6%) record as the starting QB of the Patriots during the regular season…..and that is amazing!

25-year old Brian Hoyer will be Brady’s caddy once again in 2011.  Hoyer played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Patriots last year and he completed 7 of 15 passes (46.7%) for 122 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT (69.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 10 times for -8 yards (-0.8 ypc) last year.  Hoyer has now played in 10 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Patriots and he has completed 26 of 42 passes (61.9%) for 264 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT (77.9 QB Rating).  Hoyer has also carried the ball 20 times for 17 yards (0.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Hoyer has made the most of his mop-up time in his first two years with the Patriots.  I’m not so sure that he would be ready to step in if Tom Brady were injured in 2011 though.

23-year old rookie Ryan Mallett will likely get to challenge Brian Hoyer for the #2 QB job in training camp and the pre-season.  He is a first round talent with off the field issues.  If he can keep his head on straight, he will likely be Brady’s successor as the Patriots’ next starting QB.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PATRIOTS QBS IN 2011:  A++++++

22-year old WR Brandon Tate will battle 24-year old WR Julian Edelman for the kickoff return job in 2010.  The Patriots would like to see Tate win the job because Edelman will likely have a big role on offense.  Tate played in only 2 games for the Patriots last season and he returned 4 kickoffs for 106 yards (26.5 avg).  He has big play ability due to his speed when he’s healthy.  Edelman played in 11 games for the Patriots last year and he returned 11 kickoffs for 241 yards (21.9 avg). 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PATRIOTS KICKOFF RETURNERS in 2010:  C+

With left guard Logan Mankins holding out and right tackle Nick Kaczur likely done for the year due to a back injury the Patriots are going to need some guys to step up in 2010.  The LT will be Matt Light who is still a solid performer but he has had issues with speed rushers so Tom Brady won’t be safe at all times in 2010.  Dan Connolly and Rich Ohrnberger will battle for the RG guard job while Mankins holds out.  I think Connolly will win out.  Center Dan Koppen is a decent technician but he can be beaten as either a run or pass blocker.  RG Stepen Neal is a nasty dude who plays until the whistle blows and he excels at run blocking.  The RT will be 2nd year man Sebastian Vollmer.  Vollmer was outstanding as a rookie for the Patriots last year as he’s a solid run and pass blocker.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PATRIOTS O-LINE in 2010:  B

58-year old Bill Belichick was won the AFC East in 9 of his 10 years in charge of the Patriots (including the current nine in a row).  He led the Patriots to a 10-6 record during the regular season but they lost their only playoff game.  Belichick has a record of 112-48 (70%) during the regular season in his 10 years with the Patriots.  He also is a stunning 14-4 (77.8%) in the post-season for the Patriots and has led them to three Super Bowl wins in 2001, 2003 and 2004.  Belichick has been a head coach in the NFL fifteen years now in which he is 148-92 (61.7%) during the regular season and 15-5 (75%) in the post-season.  The AFC East has gotten much tougher but Belichick is still the best coach in the division and he will have his team ready to excel in 2010.

26-year old Stephen Gostkowski is a good weapon for the Patriots as he has a pretty strong and accurate leg.  He played in 16 games for the Patriots last season and he connected on 26 of 31 (83.9%) field goal attempts.  He also hit all 47 of his extra point attempts to finish with 125 points.  He has now played in 64 games in his career with the Patriots and he has nailed 103 of 121 field goals (85.1%).  Gostkowski has also converted 204 of 205 extra points as he has 513 points in his NFL career to date.  The Patriots don’t leave a lot of points on the field with Gostkowski kicking for them.

PROJECTED GRADE OF THE PATRIOTS KICKERS IN 2010:  B+

It all starts with 33-year old, 7-time Pro Bowler, Randy Moss.  Moss played in 16 games (all starts) for the Patriots last season and he caught 83 passes for 1,264 yards (15.2 avg) with 13 TD catches.  He has now played in 186 games (180 starts) in his 12 years in the NFL and he has caught 926 passes for 14,465 yards (15.6 avg) with 148 TD grabs.  Moss has also carried the ball 25 times for 159 yards (6.4 ypc) in his career.  The Patriots need Moss to stay focused and motivated in 2010 as those areas were questioned about his game last year.

29-year old Wes Welker injured himself pretty bad in the regular season finale last season.  The Patriots hope he will be ready to go by Week #1 in 2010 but that might be a bit optimistic.  Welker played in 14 games (13 starts) for the Patriots last season and he caught 123 passes for 1,348 yards (11.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 36 yards (7.2 ypc) last year.  Welker has now played in 93 games (43 starts) in his six years in the NFL and he has caught 442 passes for 4,809 yards (10.9 avg) with 16 TD grabs.  He also has carried the ball 13 times for 101 yards (7.8 ypc) in his career.  Welker is Tom Brady’s go to man over the middle of the field as he is tough as nails and the Patriots would really miss him if he’s not ready to go in 2010.  He has made 2 Pro Bowls in his NFL career so far.

24-year old Julian Edelman was outstanding as a rookie for the Patriots last season.  He played in 11 games (7 starts) for the Patriots last season and he caught 37 passes for 359 yards (9.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Edelman also carried the ball 2 times for 5 yards (2.5 ypc) last year.  Edelman is like a poor man’s Wes Welker as he definitely is not shy about going over the middle or fighting for an extra yard.

34-year old Torry Holt (a 7 time Pro Bowler) might be on the downside of his career but the man can still play.  Holt played in 15 games (12 starts) for the Jaguars last season and he caught 51 passes for 722 yards (14.2 avg) but he didn’t catch any TD passes.  Holt has now played in 173 games (159 starts) in his 11 years in the NFL and he has caught 920 passes for 13,382 yards (14.5 avg) with 74 TD grabs.  His playing time will likely depend on how much Welker plays in 2010.

The Patriots are really high on second year WR Brandon Tate.  The 22-year old Tate didn’t catch any passes as a rookie.  He played in 2 games (1 start) for the Patriots last season and he had 1 carry for 11 yards.  The Patriots hope to get Tate more involved in the offense this season as he is a great mix of size and speed.

35-yaer old David Patten faces long odds in making the opening day roster for the Patriots.  He has not played since the 2008 season with the Saints.  He has played in 147 games (73 starts) in his 12 years in the NFL and he has caught 324 passes for 4,715 yards (14.6 avg) with 24 TD grabs.  Patten has also carried the ball 13 times for 106 yards (8.2 ypc) with 1 TD run in his career to date.

The Patriots used a 3rd round pick on WR Taylor Price.  He is a big target at 6’0″, 212 pounds but he will likely be a developmental project for the Patriots who have a lot of talent above him on the depth chart.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PATRIOTS WRs in 2010:  A

32-year old TE Alge Crumpler will likely be the starting TE for the Patriots in 2010.  Crumpler played in 16 games (14 starts) for the Titans last season and he caught 27 passes for 222 yards (8.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 139 games (122 starts) in his 9 years in the NFL and he has caught 367 passes for 4,691 yards (12.8 avg) with 37 TD grabs.  Crumpler has been to the Pro Bowl 4 times in his career and he has never played with a QB of Tom Brady’s caliber.  If he has anything left he could really excel with the Patriots.

Rookies Rob Gronkowski (2nd round, Arizona) and Aaron Hernandez (4th round, Florida) will battle for the backup job in 2010 and much more down the road.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PATRIOTS TEs in 2010:  B

24-year old BenJarvus Green-Ellis is only 5’11″, 215 pounds but he gets the job done.  He’s like having an extra tailback on the field because he is a good runner.  Green-Ellis played in 12 games (0 starts) for the Patriots last season and he carried the ball 26 times for 114 yards (4.4 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 15 yards (7.5 avg) last season.  Green-Ellis has now played in 21 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 100 times for 389 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He has also caught 5 passes for 48 yards (9.6 avg) in his career.  With the Patriots sporting a very old set of RBs, Green-Ellis could get more carries than usual in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PATRIOTS FBs in 2010:  B