It’s hard to believe that training camp for the 2012 season opens in just six weeks. I haven’t even taken a voluntary look at any of the Super Bowl yet! Through free agency, the draft and now OTA’s the Patriots have made some positive moves that should pay dividends in the fall and winter.
As we close the book on another Pats off-season and enter the longest and worst football void of the year let’s take a look at the top 3 improvements the Patriots have made since the disappointment in Indy.
1. Defensive Versatility and Depth: By the end of last season injuries began to catch up with the Pats. That’s not something you can plan for but this year the Patriots re-stocked their defense with a number of versatile defenders who can do multiple things.
Free agents like Will Allen, Steve Gregory and Trevor Scott all have experience in multiple roles, as do rookies Chandler Jones, Dont’a Hightower and Tavon Wilson. What we’re left with is a defense that should be more “amoeba”-like than ever. This should give the Patriots the ability to keep offenses guessing, and constantly shift players into spots where they can be successful. The defense had to improve this off-season and there’s little doubt that they should be better despite losing 10-sack guy Mark Anderson.
2. Outside Wide Receiver Threats: Brandon Lloyd was the slam dunk move everyone expected the Pats to make, but what they didn’t expect was a 2007 receiver reunion outside of Randy Moss. Along with Lloyd the Patriots added Jabar Gaffney and Donte Stallworth, all of whom are well-versed in Josh McDaniels offensive system. With Deion Branch and Wes Welker also back, the Patriots should have a fierce competition at the position in training camp. Ultimately New England will challenge defenses outside the numbers in a way they were unable to in 2011. This should not only open things up for Wes Welker, but also make the match-up nightmares with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez even harder to deal with.
3. Shifting Offensive Backfield: While Joseph Addai could be a significant contributor the opportunity is there for second-year running backs Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen to become important parts of the offense. Danny Woodhead also should be a significant part. The Pats were content to let solid, if unspectacular Benjarvus Green-Ellis leave for the Bengals, replacing him with the lower priced Addai.
One of the less heralded moves of the off-season was the focus on finding fullbacks. Both Tony Fiametta and Spencer Larson were acquired, giving the Pats their first true fullbacks since Heath Evans in 2008. Just what the Pats are thinking with these fullbacks remains to be seen, but it’s another new twist on an offense that was already incredibly versatile.
