In his rookie season, Stephen Gostkowski often appeared nervous but that wasn’t the case in 2007.  He played in all 16 games last season for the Patriots and he was 21 of 24 (87.5%) on field goal attempts and he nailed all 74 of his extra points.  Look for Gostkowski to have more field goal attempts this season as it will be nearly impossible for the Patriots to score as many TDs as they did last year.  Gostkowski has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has made 41 of 50 (82%) of his field goal attempts and he has made 117 of 118 extra points (he had one blocked as a rookie).  Gostkowski will do a good job in 2008….mark my words.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A-

The Patriots appear deep at tight end for the 2008 season and that has to make Tom Brady very happy.  It all starts with 6′3″, 255 pound Ben Watson who is a good receiver that makes a lot of big catches near and in the end zone.  He played in 12 games (8 starts) for the Patriots last season and he caught 36 passes for 389 yards (10.8 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Watson also carried the ball 1 time for 11 yards.  Brady loves to throw to Watson when he has time to look around for him so look for him to catch more passes in 2008.  Watson has now played in 41 games (31 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 116 passes for 1,489 yards (12.8 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 1 time for 11 yards.

The Patriots still have high hopes for David Thomas who has had injury problems his first two seasons in the NFL.  He only played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Patriots last season and he caught 1 pass for 9 yards.  Look for him to be more involved in the offense this season if he can just stay healthy.  Thomas has now played in 17 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 12 passes for 168 yards (14.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.

26-year old Stephen Spach will have a hard time making the team this season.  He played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Patriots last season and he didn’t even catch a pass.  He appears to have too many players in front of him to be anything more than a special teams player unless the Patriots suffer injuries at this position.  Spach has now played in 16 games (1 start) in his NFL career and he has caught 7 passes for 42 yards (6.0 avg).

The Patriots brought in 36-year old veteran Marcus Pollard to compete for playing time.  He will definately be a factor in the passing game for the Patriots as catching the football is his main strength.  Pollard played in 14 games (10 starts) with the Seahawks last season and he caught 28 passes for 273 yards (9.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Pollard to eclipse those numbers this season for the pass happy Patriots.  Pollard has now played in 191 games (135 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 349 passes for 4,280 yards (12.3 avg) with 40 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

So what if Donte’ Stallworth decided to leave in free agency as the only way the Patriots will miss him is if they have a couple of injuries in the WR corps.  31-year old Randy Moss is back and he has shown no signs of slowing down yet.  Moss played in 16 games for the Patriots last season and he caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards (15.2 avg) with 23 TD grabs (which is a new NFL record).  Don’t look for Moss to slow down at all as long as he can stay healthy.  Moss has now played in 154 games (148 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 774 passes for 12,193 yards (15.8 avg) with 124 TD grabs.  Moss has also carried the football 23 times for 159 yards (6.9 ypc).  Look for Moss to remain the best receiver in the NFL in 2008.

Wes Welker does all of the dirty work for the Patriots as he has no fear of going over the middle despite being only 5′9″, 185 pounds.  Welker also seems to find the yard sticks and he has great hands.  Welker played in 16 games (13 starts) for the Patriots last season and he caught 112 passes for 1,175 yards (10.5 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 34 yards (8.5 ypc).  Look for Welker to be really effective again as he is often working against single coverage due to Moss being on the other side of the field.  Welker has now played in 63 games (16 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 208 passes for 2,296 yards (11.0 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 39 yards (7.8 ypc) in his career.

Jabar Gaffney will replace Donte’ Stallworth as the #3 WR for the Patriots this season.  He is nothing special but he catches anything his fingers touch.  Gaffney played in 16 games (7 starts) for the Patriots last season and he caught 36 passes for 449 yards (12.5 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Look for him to eclipse those numbers this season as he will likely be very busy in the passing game.  Gaffney has now played in 91 games (63 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 218 passes for 2,600 yards (11.9 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 9 times for 56 yards (6.2 ypc) in his career.

The #4 WR job will be up for grabs between Chad Jackson and Kelley Washington.  The Patriots would probably like Jackson to win the job as he has been a disappointment since being drafted 2 years ago.  The 23-year old had injury problems last season which limited him to 2 games last season (0 starts) in which he didn’t catch any passes.  Jackson’s NFL career has consisted of 14 games (1 start) in which he has caught 13 passes for 152 yards (11.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 4 times for 22 yards (5.5 ypc) in his career.

Kelley Washington is a big guy at 6′3″, 215 pounds but he has never lived up to his potential.  Washington played in 14 games (0 starts) last season and he didn’t catch a pass while playing mostly on special teams.  The fact that Washington didn’t catch a pass at all last season means that he will likely be buried on the depth chart again this season.  Washington has now played in 58 games (6 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 72 passes for 893 yards (12.4 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 2 times for 4 yards (2.0 ypc) in his NFL career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A

The Patriots don’t use a fullback much in their offense but they like the ones they have.  29-year old Heath Evans is an effective power runner, receiver and blocker.  He is 6′0″, 250 pounds but he often runs like an even bigger man lowering his shoulder and delivering the blow often.  Evans played in 16 games (1 start) last season for the Patriots and he carried the ball 34 times for 121 yards (3.6 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 4 passes for 43 yards (10.8 avg) last season.  Don’t look for Evans to post better numbers than last season unless the Patriots suffer a lot of injuries at tailback.  Evans has now played in 105 games (8 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 146 times for 538 yards (3.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 37 passes for 269 yards (7.3 avg) with 1 TD grab in his career.

26-year old Kyle Eckel in the backup fullback but he was only really used in garbage time last season for the Patriots.  He is a little on the small side at 5′11″, 237 pounds but he runs with conviction.  Eckel played in 12 games (0 starts) for the Patriots last season and he carried the ball 33 times for 90 yards (2.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 1 pass for 6 yards.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The New England Patriots are going into battle in 2008 with the same three running backs that helped them go 16-0 in the regular season last year.  The Patriots are hoping that this is the season that Laurence Maroney breaks out.  He has all of the tools you look for in a feature back as he is fast, strong and he has good hands.  But, Maroney has been a little bit injury prone in his career so the Patriots will be sure to let Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk give him more of a rest than most feature backs get.  Maroney played in 13 games (6 starts) for the Patriots last season and he carried the ball 185 times for 835 yards (4.5 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He also caught 4 passes for 116 yards (29.0 avg).  Look for Maroney to go over 1,000 yards rushing this season and for the Patriots to get him the ball more in the passing game.  Maroney has now played in 27 games (6 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 360 times for 1,580 yards (4.4 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He also has caught 26 passes for 310 yards (11.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.

Sammy Morris was very impressive last season before he suffered a serious season ending injury after six weeks.  Morris played in 6 games (2 starts) for the Patriots last season and he carried the ball 85 times for 384 yards (4.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 6 passes for 35 yards (5.8 avg).  Look for Morris to get a lot of tough yards between the tackles for the Patriots this season as he likes to run hard between the tackles.  Morris has now played in 100 games (25 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 459 times for 1,853 yards (4.0 ypc) with 17 TD runs.  He also has caught 118 passes for 827 yards (7.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.

Kevin Faulk is one of the better third down backs in the NFL despite his advancing age.  He always seems to make the big play when the Patriots really need it.  Faulk played in 16 games (8 starts) last season for the Patriots and he carried the ball 62 times for 265 yards (4.3 ypc).  He also caught 47 passes for 383 yards (8.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for the Patriots to limit his carries this season but for him to catch more passes in 2008.  Faulk has now played in 122 games (32 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 694 times for 2,663 yards (3.8 ypc) with 11 TD runs.  He has also caught 323 passes for 2,818 yards (8.7 avg) with 11 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B