Its been a while since I've hopped on my space craft and launched into the blogosphere but I'm back now. I don't want to say I'm better than ever cause I'm pretty tired right now. On a scale of 1 to exhausted I'm about a 6. So there's no excuses. I'm a grinder.
Patriots fans coined the phrase "In Bill We Trust" years ago, but it took on greater meaning after the hooded coach had delivered 3 Super Bowls and defied the odds with unorthodox strategies in the draft and in free agency. He took troubled head cases like Corey Dillon and Randy Moss and gave them the launching pad for the most productive years of their career. He made tough trades, giving up long time fan favorites like Richard Seymour and Mike Vrabel. And it seemed that every year he was trading into the next years draft.
Frustrating for those of us on the outside looking in, but when given enough time Belichick's brilliance always becomes crystal clear. All those draft picks he traded? Those helped him compile one of the youngest and potentially game breaking secondary's in the game. His insistence on not taking a young pass rusher in the draft, even when several remained on the board? All that did was leave room for several tons of veteran D-Linemen to be scooped up in the span of two weeks.
The signings of Albert Haynesworth, Shaun Ellis, Andre Carter, and Mark Anderson sealed up the last potential hole in the Pats D. Haynesworth and Ellis are both former Pro Bowlers and the other two have both made a living of getting after the quarterback. I'm sure there was a huge collective sigh of relief throughout New England this past week, as everyone realized the pass rush had finally been addressed. Of the 90 or so players at Patriots Training Camp 21 of them are defensive linemen. There is more depth at that spot than there has been in around 7 years. Do the math.
Haynesworth is the key. When he applies himself he's capable of being the most dominating force on the defensive side of the football. It drove me crazy how much ESPN went on about Haynesworth failed physical last year, but it can't be overlooked how important it is that he passed the Patriots physical last week. It shows that he's ready to work. All summer long during the lockout Haynesworth can't have had an abundance of external motivation. The way things stood then he would be a Redskin whenever the season began, going back into a situation where he didn't feel wanted. But instead of resting on his laurels he must have been putting some work in. Although he's missed the last three practices for undisclosed reasons he has looked impressive so far. His 1 on 1 battles with Logan Mankins must be an impressive sight. He may not get any time during Thursday nights preseason opener but if he's ready by Week One he will make us that much tougher to game plan for.
Tom Brady had another MVP season last year, proving to his colleagues and football fans everywhere that he is the single best player in the game today. This offseason several steps were taken to ensure that he would remain just as successful. I remember getting a bunch of texts and messages from confused friends on draft night after the Patriots chose Nate Solder. After taking a step back to gather myself, I reminded all of them of the main reason the Pats lost the last several postseasons. They couldn't protect Tom when it mattered most. Solder is an absolute specimen. A converted tight end whose size and length give him a huge advantage in pass blocking. He is raw however and needs time to developed. In resigning Matt Light it is ensured that he will get that time. After some minor controversy Logan Mankins is returning too. As the dust settles what's clear is that this offensive line should be real solid and give Tom the time he needs.
It's hard to point to when exactly the flirtation began between Coach Bill and Ochocinco but their relationship was brought to the surface first thanks to an episode of Hard Knocks. Ever since that fateful episode I've fantasized about watching Ocho play catch with Tom Brady every Sunday. And only slightly less frequently, Ocho himself would drop hints on twitter that he had similar fantasies. Even though their fondness for each other was now public, it was still a little difficult to envision Belichick pulling the trigger on a trade. But sure enough Ochocinco was a Patriots just a few days into training camp. He's consistently referred to Foxboro as heaven and seems truly adamant about sticking to the Patriot Way. After seemingly wanting to impress a little bit TOO much, Ocho has shaken off his case off the drops and is beginning to grasp the offense, thrilling the crowd along the way.
At this point it would be tough for even the most bitter of Jet's fans to point out a weakness in this Patriots team. Our secondary is young, athletic, hard-hitting, and ball-hawking. The linebackers are smart, quick in run support, and solid in pass coverage. The D-Line is a run stopping meat wall in the middle with several capable pass rushers coming off the edge. The O-Line will be as good as ever. As usual we have a whole slew of running backs to choose from. There is ridiculous depth at Wide Receiver, with perhaps the biggest question being who will fill that number 4 spot. To top it all off we have the best quarterback in the league.
This season is dedicated to Myra Kraft. Cue the duckboats.
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