Fantasy Football: Top Sleepers at Each Position

Football season is just around the corner and fantasy drafts have already begun. Fantasy magazines are lining the front row at your local book store and ESPN is calling out this years fantasy studs, and duds.

After winning 50 percent of my leagues last year, I feel I now have some legitimacy to my fantasy football opinions. (If you are wondering; Yes, my record was 1-1)

Rookie running backs were definitely the surprise of the league last year for fantasy players, and don’t hesitate to pick some up this year as well.

Although I don’t see any of the rookie running backs having as much impact as Matt Forte or Steve Slaton, players like Donald Brown, LeSean McCoy, and Shonn Greene could be in store for big years.

Now, here is a list of players who might not be first round picks, but could help out your fantasy football team tremendously.

Quarterback – Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer is looking fantastic in camps this offseason and is getting a lot of work in with his recievers. We all heard about Chad Ochocinco’s plans of moving in with Palmer to further their friendship and better their chemistry. Although Palmer’s wife decided that wouldn’t be a very good idea, it still shows me that Chad is really serious this year about making the Bengals relevant again. The other good thing about Palmer is that he is being drafted between rounds 7-9. I beleive he has just as much value as players like Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rogers, who are being drafted between rounds 4-6.

Runningback – Felix Jones

In Jones’ first five games as a rookie he averaged a whopping 8.9 yards-per-carry. He has a knack for making big plays and is a dangerous weapon in a very dangerous offense. Jerry Jones has recently said Jones will touch the ball between 12-15 times per game this year. That’s almost double what he was getting last year before his injury. Jerry Jones has also said he is thinking about using Jones and Marion Barber on the field at the same time, using Jones to split out as a reciever or run some type of wildcat offense. The main reason for this it to cut down on Barber’s touches to keep him fresher for the postseason. You can pick this guy up between rounds 6-8 and he could potentially be used as a number two runningback.

Wide Receiver – Lee Evans

Who is the most excited about the signing of Terrell Owens? Lee Evans. He finally has a legitimate receiving threat lining up on the opposide side of the ball. He will no longer recive all of the defensive attention nor face double teams all game long. He has amazing speed and is a true deep ball threat. If teams put too much attention on T.O. and Marshawn Lynch, Evans will find a way to beat you deep. Don’t be worried about Trent Edwards, either. He is entering his second year in the NFL and has progressed majorly since his arrival in the league. He should do just fine this year.

Tight End – John Carlson

John Carlson had a great rookie year last season, leading the Seahawks in all major reciving categories. The Seahawks have also announced that Carlson will be used as an every down player. (He only played on 1st and 2nd downs last season) He is also expected to have more plays drawn up for him this year, requested by one of his biggest fans, Matt Hasselback. Don’t worry too much about the signing of TJ Houshmandzadeh. He might take some of Carlson’s catches, but he will also open up field, giving Carlson more room to run after the catch.

Defense – New England Patriots

The Patriots suffered so many injuries last season they didn’t even look like the real Patriots. With Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour, Adalius Thomas, Ty Warren, and an improved secondary all coming back for 2009 expect the Patriots to regain their scary, intimidating defensive prowess. Jerod Mayo stepped up as a rookie last season and won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. The Patriots offense will also be much imroved with Tom Brady coming back from injury. This will allow them to attack opposing offenses in much better field position than they did last season.

Hutch’s Sit Down Comedy: Discussing This Week In the NFL (HUMOR)

So, the St Louis Rams just recently dropped their best linebacker, Pisa Tinoisamoa. This move really confuses me. They admitted the 6’1, 240 lbs. linebacker just wasn’t big enough for their new scheme.

I’m going to make it my business to call them out on this. How are you judging players when you say big? Because the player who is expected to take over for him, Chris Draft, is only 5’11, 236 lbs. I mean the only reason I could think of why he was cut was because the rest of the people in the organization were tired of trying to pronounce his name.

But that my friends, is what the point of a nickname is. Think about, if everyone would just start calling him something like Pisa Pizza, they would not only have a guy with a sweet nickname, but then they wouldn’t have to release their best linebacker!

Who else is sick of hearing about Brett Favre? I mean, will he ever just go away? The most recent report from rotoworld.com is, “If you put your finger in (Favre’s) shoulder it goes right through.” That’s disgusting, Brett.

I mean for a guy they call the Iron Man, being able to poke my finger right through you isn’t a good sign. My finger is about 4” tall and weighs as much as a nickel. If that’s poking through you I wouldn’t even want to watch what would happen if you got hit by a guy like Ray Lewis. I mean, would you blow up, or just kind of crumble to the ground in pieces? Either way, I think that may be some sort of sign that your playing days might be over, Iron Man.

Lions running back, Kevin Smith, has recently said on his blog, Smith34.com, That the team “will definitely make the playoffs this season”.  After reading this statement my jaw dropped. but after reading his next statement, it completely fell off its hinges.

“Believe it or not we weren’t far off last year. Almost every game we could have won.”

I am very excited to see the enrollment numbers to Smith’s college alum, University of Central Florida. If I was a father about to send my son or daughter off to UCF, I would seriously be questioning the legitimacy of their professors.  I mean, he was only a rookie last year, could his brain seriously be this damaged already?

You were the first team in NFL history to not win a single game over the course of an entire season!  Maybe playing for the Lions was just too much for this young kid to handle. I can imagine it was a very tough experience to go through.

New England’s Play Calls Will Have No Restrictions In ’09

New England’s offensive play calls will be dramatically altered this season, the reason being the comeback of Tom Brady.

Last year, with Matt Cassel under center, the Patriots were limited to certain play calls. Cassel didn’t have the Brady’s arm and the Patriots had to call plays with that in mind.

According to NFL.com, the Patriots averaged 33 passing attempts per game and 32 rushing attempts per game last year.

In 2007, the Patriots averaged 37 passing attempts per game, and only 28 rushing attempts per game.

Meaning, New England threw the ball on 57% of their plays in 2007, apposed to only 50% in 2008.

Also, in 2007, 62% of the teams first downs came from passing plays. Opposed to only 52% in 2008.

New England even averaged 11 more points per game in 2007 then they did in 2008.

As you can see, when Tom Brady is under center, the Patriots are going to throw the ball much more. They are also going to score faster and much more frequently

When Matt Cassel did drop back to throw the ball last year, more than likely it would be thrown within five to 20 yards. New England ran a lot of screen plays for Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris. This helped Cassel adjust to the speed of the NFL and give him confidence in his ability.

Cassel’s main target in 2008 was Wes Welker. Welker is known for his crafty route running and quick slants. This was the perfect match for Cassel. Welker finished the season with 111 catches for 1,165 yards. These totals were within 1 catch and 10 yards from his previous season in 2007.

Randy Moss, on the other hand, had only 69 catches for 1,008 yards. Moss, the speedy down field playmaker, was in a way, too good for Cassel. Cassel could not air the ball downfield and let Moss make plays the way Brady could.

Moss and Welker’s touchdown totals were both cut in half with Cassel starting.

With Tom Brady back in the mix, expect the Patriots to come out swinging in 2009. There is no reason this years offense couldn’t have the capability to put up similar numbers to what they did in ’07.

The offseason additions of Joey Galloway, Greg Lewis, and Fred Taylor will help.

I expect Randy Moss to have another comeback season. The whole offense will flourish with their MVP quarterback back in the mix.

New England will probably run three receiver sets with Moss, Welker, and Greg Lewis. With their offseason acquisitions, Chris Baker and Alex Smith, I also expect them to run two tight ends at a time. Baker and Smith are better blockers then their current starter, Ben Watson.

I bet all three will split time this season.

Brady will go back to utilizing the shotgun formation like he did in ’07. They lost their only valuable fullback, Heath Evans, so I doubt they will use a fullback at all this season. An extra tight end on the line sounds much more beneficial to this years new passing attack.

Lewis and Moss will run a lot more deep routes this year than last I believe the Patriots will use a lot of four receiver sets.

Galloway and Moss running deep routes side by side could prove to be very dangerous and hard to cover for opposing defenses. Especially, with Welker running drag patterns across the middle.

The safety will have to make a lot of tough decision this year with all of their offensive weapons. Expect Moss to see a lot of single coverages. Brady will take full advantage of them if they are there.

New England has a scary offense, loaded with speed. I am very excited to see how Belichick uses it.

 

 

AFC East: Possibly The Most Overrated Division In Football

For the past several years, the AFC East has been dominated by the New England Patriots. However, the Miami Dolphins won the division last year and proved they can compete with some of the best teams in the league.

2009 should be the year that the AFC East finally demands respect from around the league. Here I’ll discuss each team’s offseason transactions, including rookies taken in the draft. I will also take a look at each team’s success last year and try to determine if that will translate over to 2009. I will give each team a grade and compare the division to the rest of the top divisions in the NFL.

 

Buffalo Bills

The Bills made one of the most talked about transactions of the offseason with the acquisition of Terrell Owens. Owens will line up opposite Lee Evans, giving Evans a lot more room to operate downfield and go against single coverages. This will also spread the field for running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson to catch balls out of the backfield.

Trent Edwards is entering his third season in the NFL. The Harvard graduate still has a lot of room for improvement and the addition of Owens will only help. One of Edward’s biggest problems last year was his offensive line. They hardly gave him much time to make decisions in the pocket. By trading their best offensive lineman from last year, Jason Peters, they will continue to struggle blocking for him. If the offensive line can step up this year and let Edwards make some accurate throws in the pocket, he could be in line for a sleeper year.

The Bills’ defense raises a lot of concerns. They made a good pick in the draft by selecting the defensive end out of Penn State, Aaron Maybin. He should be able to add  much-needed pressure from the outside. He’s not known for his success against the run and the Bills linebacker core isn’t either.

Depending on the status of safeties, Donte Whitner and Ko Simpson, the Bills could actually field a very underrated secondary this year. Terrence McGee and Leodis McKelvin are solid corner backs and Ashton Youboty is a young, talented back up.

Last year, the Bills finished the season 7-9. Their notable wins were against the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos. The Bills started off the season with a 4-0 record, leading many to believe this was their year to finally make the playoffs.

I am giving the Buffalo Bills a C. Although they will field a better team then they did last year, their schedule is much tougher. They will keep a lot of games close, but I only see them winning five or six games this year.

 

New York Jets

The New York Jets had an amazing offseason. Drafting Mark Sanchez number five overall was a great move. I don’t think Sanchez is as good as Matt Ryan was last year coming out of college, but he should have a quality season. He ran an NFL-style offense at USC and played against NFL-caliber defenders. He has tremendous accuracy on the run, which will help him progress quickly in the big leagues.

The Jets’ key loss was wide receiver, Laveranues Coles. Chansi Stuckey is currently the Jets’ number two wideout, with Brad Smith and David Clowney third and fourth. They also lost their second tight end, Dustin Baker. This won’t help Sanchez along with his development. I expect to see them utilize their strong running game, led by Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, and rookie Shonn Greene.

Their offensive line is big, fast, and powerful. Ferguson, Faneca, and Mangold will manhandle opposing defenses on the left side. Brandon Moore and Damiem Woody will hold their own on the right side.

They also just added blocking specialist Tony Richardson. He helped Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson run for crazy yardage totals back in Kansas City. His presence will be big.

The Jets finished last season with a 9-7 record, with Brett Favre completely falling apart at the end. It’s hard to predict how much better Sanchez will do, but I see them producing a similar record this year. Their schedule isn’t too hard. I give the New York Jets a B, and predict they will win ten games this season.

 

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are the most over-rated team in the division. They had what I would call a ‘fluke’ year last season. They shocked the rest of the league with their wildcat formation and gained a lot of success with it. This year, the Dolphins will come back down to earth and prove they are not a playoff team. Miami had a very easy schedule last year, and won a lot of very close games. This year they have a much tougher schedule in store.

They also had the worst offseason of any team in the division. They did not acquire any big names from free agency and reached for every pick they made in the draft. Their first pick, Vontae Davis, will either prove to be a boom or a bust. He has all of the physical attributes needed to succeed at this level, but I’m not convinced he has the right mindset to do it, especially if he follows the footsteps of his brother, Vernon. They are probably going to use Pat White as a wildcat formation player, and as a wide receiver. Teams are eventually going to catch on to their tactics, and shut them down.

Ted Ginn Jr. needs to step up as a quality No. 1 receiver. He has let those who had high hopes for him down. Greg Camarillo and Davone Bess haven’t impressed much either.

Once again, the Dolphins will need to rely on their rushing attack, led by Ronnie Brown. He’s a stud running back and running behind the mammoth, Jake Long, sure does make it easier. The tandem of Brown and Ricky Williams proved to be hard to stop last year. I think they will only get better this year behind an improved offensive line.

Miami’s defense surprised a lot of people last year. Joey Porter is a beast in the middle and can disrupt almost any play he gets around. Miami has also talked about bringing back all-pro end, Jason Taylor. This would add even more pressure from the outside. Adding Gibril Wilson will also add help to the secondary.

I am giving Miami a C. They are equally as talented as the Buffalo Bills and face a very similar schedule, playing in the same division. They will have similar records, winning a maximum of seven games this year.

 

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are going to win the AFC East with ease this year. Their starting roster is simply too strong for the rest of this division to compete with.

Tom Brady is a huge upgrade over Matt Cassel. Cassel did a good job last year at what he was asked to do, but this is Brady’s team and no one knows how to operate this offense like him. He makes every pass look so effortless. He demands the opposing defense to respect the pass, opening up large running lanes. He has enough weapons surrounding him this year to once again lead the league in touchdown passes.

They literally filled all of their holes from last year during a very productive off season. Signing Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden, Fred Taylor, Joey Galloway, and Greg Lewis was simply unrivalled. Coach Belichick knows exactly what he needs to do to assemble another championship team.

The Patriots’ secondary is now loaded with with a mix of experience and young talent. Brandon Merriweather will probably be asked to step up and be the leader of that secondary.

They also have a lot of team leaders on the defensive side of the ball. Tedy Bruschi demands respect from anyone in the middle of the field and JeRod Mayo and Adalius Thomas will be ruthless defenders on the outside.

Vince Wilfork will be playing for a new contract this year, so expect monster numbers out of him. He will be able to clog the up the middle running lanes with the best of the best.

The Patriots are my favorite to win the Superbowl this year. I predict they will win 12 or 13 games this season. I give them an A. This team is poised for greatness.

 

Final Word

There is a lot of talk that the AFC East is going to be a very tough division this year, but I disagree. This year is not this division’s peak.

Buffalo has way too many question marks on the defensive side of the ball and Trent Edwards is not yet good enough to make up for it.

Miami had a breakout season last year with one of the easiest schedules in the league, but they will come back down to earth this year. When Ted Ginn Jr. is your No.1 receiver, you know you will have some problems against the best teams in the league. Their defense is good, not great.

New York is the biggest question mark in the division. Their team success pretty much revolves around the success of rookie quarterback, Mark Sanchez. If he has a Matt Ryan-type season, which is unlikely, the Jets will have a very good season. If he plays like an average rookie quarterback, they will be an above-average team at most.

New England has its question marks also. I am assuming Tom Brady will be 100% at the start of the season, like all clues indicate. If Brady falls again, the Pats will fall like a pile of crumbling rocks. They will have an average season, primarily because of their coach, Mr. Belichick. If Brady stays healthy, he will be adding another ring to his hand this year.

My Official B/R Interview with Randy Moss (HUMOR)

Me: Hey Randy! So, how does it feel to be catching balls in practise from Tom again?

Randy Moss: It feels great, man. Having Giselle back and getting to see her again everyday. I’ll be out on a deep route, man, and I’ll glance over and see her eye’n me up. You can bet your life I won’t be droppin that pass, man.

Me: So now with Tom back in the lineup, what are your expectations for 09′?

Randy Moss: Man, Having Tom and Giselle back is definitely a good thing for us. She’s making the whole team better. No one wants to look dumb in front of her, you know?

Me: I hear you. I see you’re turning 33 this year. How do you stay in such good shape?

Randy Moss: Fear

Me: Fear?

Randy Moss: Fear of getting traded back to Oakland, man. I’ll tell you what. Coach B is a hell of a coach. I let the new rookie Darius Butler beat me in a sprinting drill. I looked over and saw Coach digging for something in this old box. He pulled out my old Oakland jersey and just pointed to it. I came in first for the rest of the drills, man.

Me: That’s good to hear Randy. Are you still staying out of trouble?

Randy Moss:Well, I’ll be honest with you. My kid was having a father-son pee wee football game last week. He wanted me to come out and play. I guess they were raising money to buy new equipment, there was a pretty decent show up.

Man, I scored on the very first play of the game. I ran straight into the endzone and turned around and mooned the crowd. Unfortunately, there was a cop standing right there to slap an indecent exposure fine on my ass.

Me: (Laughing)  I thought you would have learned your lesson, Randy! How’s the Randy Moss Motorsports racing team going?

Randy Moss: Very well, thanks for asking. We just won our first first place finish the other week, man.

Me: Wow, you must be a pretty talented coach yourself.

Randy Moss: I like to think so, man. I don’t have many tips to tell my drivers. I just tell them to go out there, put the pedal to the metal, and turn left. It’s really not as hard as it sounds to be a racing coach.

Me: What do you make of Brett Favre wanting to come back to football?

Randy Moss: Funny you ask that. I was just at his son’s birthday party a few nights ago. He was turning 50 so I guess a group of people wanted to throw him a surprise “over the hill” party.

Me: His son just turned 50? So how old would that make Brett?

Randy Moss: Brett doesn’t like to talk about his age. But did you hear how his dinner went with Coach Childress last night?

Me: No. Tell me about it.

Randy Moss:The first thing Coach said to Brett when they sat down was, “Mr. Favre, Sir. You have always been my favorite player growing up as a kid.” Then he pulled out this football card and said, “Could you please sign this 1937 Brett Favre Rookie card for me?”

Favre let out a hush laugh and a small cloud of dust poofed from his mouth. “Sure kid,” Favre replied.

(All of a sudden Randy sat up straight from his slouch, brushed his cornrows to the side, and started talking much more clearly and polite.)

Me: Randy, I noticed you are acting a bit different from earlier in the interview.

Randy Moss: ( Nods his head and gives a wink of his eye)

(Now standing at the front door was Ms. Bunchen and Coach B. And yes, he was pointing at a raiders jersey in his hand.)

Me: Thanks for the interview, Randy. Go win a Superbowl ring this year and make us proud!

With Brady Back Under The Wing The Patriots Will Win Another Ring

With the upcoming NFL season slowly approaching, I am getting very anxious to see what the New England Patriots have in store for us. The Patriots will field a much different team from a year ago, and they are the early favorites to win it all.

Let’s take a look at the top position battles this season, their upcoming schedule, and some possible obstacles that could hurt our run to the Superbowl.

Top Position Battles in 09′

Running Back

The most exciting addition the Patriots made this offseason was the acquisition of running back, Fred Taylor.

The Pats ran a much more conservative offense last year, trying to adjust to the loss of Brady. There were only three teams who ran the ball more times per game than New England in 2008. Although I don’t expect us to run the ball as much this year, we could use another hard nosed runner in the backfield.

I have not been impressed with the development of Laurence Maroney, and am starting to believe he might not be the answer we all made him out to be.

The best way to run in New England is by committee. The tandem of Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, LaMont Jordan, Laurence Maroney, and BenJarvis Green Ellis proved to work well for us.

As a team, they averaged over 140 yards per game and over 4.4 yards per carry. Although I believe Fred Taylor might be the most talented of the group, Laurence Maroney has the most upside, giving him the early edge to start on opening day. 

With the release of LaMont Jordan, I also see Laurence Maroney getting the first chance on goal line carries.

The Pats will most likely go back to their pass happy offense this year. Kevin Faulk is the best back we have at catching the ball out of the back field. This reason alone leads me to believe that Faulk will see the most plays this year in the backfield.

Expect all five running backs to split carries based on who Coach Belichick believes is best suited for that situation.

Wide Receiver

The wide receiver position is going to be fun to watch this season for Patriots fans.

Randy Moss will once again flourish as a No. 1 accomplice to Tom Brady. Wes Welker will also be a great threat in the slot position. But we already know about those guys.

The new acquisitions, Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis, will be battling for that No. 3 spot, opposite Moss. This battle will greatly depend on who can work better with Brady in camps.

Galloway is 37 years old and is coming off of an injury plagued season. Galloway depends on his speed to get open down field so if he comes into camp lacking this speed we are used to I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets buried in the depth chart.

Lewis is a lot younger and has more potential to be a speedy down field threat. The other player who might battle for this spot is rookie Brandon Tate.

Unfortunately, he is coming off of a very serious ACL injury and might miss the entire season. He also tested positive for marijuana at the rookie combine. I don’t expect to see him play much more then maybe special teams this year.

Lewis has what it takes to be the No. 3 receiver in an offense that suits him much better than what he had in Philadelphia. I am giving Lewis the early edge.

Cornerback

This is probably the toughest position to break down right now for the Patriots.

Coach Belichick has a lot of talent to work with this year and I am anxious to see how he utilizes it. Recent additions Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden are the most experienced of the group, which will probably make them day one starters.

However, last year’s rookies, Jonathan Wilhite and Terrence Wheatley also impressed me.

The guy I am the most excited to watch this year is rookie Darius Butler. He had an excellent career at the University of Connecticut on both sides of the ball. He was their starting corner back but also played wide receiver, indicating how good his hands are.

He has tremendous speed and athleticism, jumping 40″ in the vertical jump, and recording a 4.46 in the 40 meter dash. The cousin of Ravens running back Willis McGahee, he can play in both man to man and zone coverages. He has a good nose for the ball and is a great open field tackler.

Give Butler some time learning behind Springs and Bodden, but if one them should get hurt, Butler will make some noise this year.

In Depth Look at New England’s 09′ Schedule

According to ESPN.com, the Patriots have the third hardest schedule in the NFL this season. Their opponents went 151-105 last year for a .580 winning percentage.

Does this worry me? Not at all. Our first game of the year comes against the Buffalo Bills on the first Monday Night Football game of the year. This should prove to be an epic battle between Randy Moss and Terrell Owens.

However, Bills starting running back Marshawn Lynch is out through suspension. The Bills offense will need some time adjusting to the new look offense. New England will start off the year with an exciting win.

Their next game will be against the New York Jets. It will be Mark Sanchez’s second career start and it will be against a very scary defense.

Expect a lot of big plays on defense, giving New England a 2-0 start. Their next five games before their bye week are Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, Tennessee, and Tampa Bay, with their only away game at Denver.

Without Jay Cutler under center I do not see them as much of a threat this year. Tennessee is the best team we will play before our bye week, but without Albert Haynesworth, their defensive line won’t nearly be as scary as it once was.

We should be undefeated leading up to our bye week.

The five games after bye week are against Miami, Indianapolis, New York, New Orleans, and Miami.

The Colts game is in Indianapolis on a Sunday night. The Saints game is in New Orleans on a Monday night. This will be a very tough stretch for New England.

I think we will split games with Miami, and come out of this five game stretch with two losses. I mean, you can’t expect us to go undefeated every year can you?

Our last four games come against Carolina, Buffalo, Jacksonville, and Houston. We should win the first of those three. The last week of the year I believe Houston will be fighting hard for a playoff birth. They have a strong team this year and will surprise a lot of people.

New England will be sitting around 13-2, having clinched the playoffs weeks before. We will most likely rest some of our starters for most if not all of the game. Houston will play this game like it’s their last, which it could very well be, and sneak in a last week win.

The overall projected record for 2009 is 13-3. And when it comes to playoffs, well, let’s wait for the season to start before I make these predictions.

Possible Obstables We Could Face in 09′

The most obvious obstacle New England will face in 09′ is the health concerns of Tom Brady.

We have seen Carson Palmer and Peyton Manning both come back from similar knee injuries. We must also feel very comfortable with the progress of the injury or we wouldn’t have sent his backup Matt Cassel to Kansas City.

I believe this is a prime example of “We must trust in Belichick.” He knows what he’s doing. If he thinks Tom is fine, then I think Tom is fine.

Another issue is keeping our front seven healthy.

According to NFL.com, the Patriots recorded 47 sacks in 2007. Last year that number dropped to 31. They also had seven more forced fumbles in 2007.

With Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour, and Adalius Thomas all coming back healthy this year, I believe our 2009 numbers will look more like they did in 2007.

Our defense must get pressure on the quarterback, forcing quicker throws and giving our secondary more opportunities for interceptions. We need to get the intimidation back in our defense.

Last year when the Dolphins smoked us for 38 points in the second week of the season, opposing teams gained a lot of confidence when lining up against us. New England’s defense starts with a ferocious front seven. We need these guys to step up in a big way this year.

Jerod Mayo should once again lead the team in tackles and I expect him to keep progressing as one of the best linebackers in the league.

With Adalius Thomas coming back from injury, this group of linebackers will once again bring fear to opposing teams.

Overall Outlook for 2009

I predict the New England Patriots will not only win the Superbowl this year, but do it in their old, dominating fashion.

Their offense is loaded with talent and speed, and should start where the 2007 team left off. They will be an aggressive, up tempo offense, that will score a lot of points and will get criticized for running up the score.

Tom Brady will have an exceptional year, throwing many touchdowns to Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

Our defense will be big, tough, fast, and scary. Our front seven will be able to shut down the run, and our secondary has the depth and talent to run with the best.

Brandon Merriweather will explode onto the scene to be our best safety. He has learned from Rodney Harrison how to play tough, hard nose football.

It is now his turn to come in and be the leader of this secondary. We have an exciting mix of experienced veterans and talented young prospects.

Coach Belichick will once again show the world why he is simply a mastermind when it comes to coaching.

The Patriots will once again show the world why we are a dynasty. Success is what the New England Patriots stand for. We have a very prestigious organization that is built around it.

 

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