Stats On Pats Weekly By Ian Abreu, southcoast247.com correspondent
Week I
Here we go again, another season for your world champions kicks of this Thursday night against the Oakland Raiders. This will be the first time that the Raiders have visited Foxboro since the infamous "snow bowl" game; you know the rest. But as we gear up for the start of the season, some areas look strong, some look weak. Even though it was only preseason, I saw some causes for concern in many areas. Here are those concerns...
Can Chad Brown and Montey Beisel Fill the Void of Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson?
Honestly, in watching every preseason game, I saw almost zero productivity out of both Brown and Beisel. Of course filling the void of a Bruschi and Johnson is no easy task; all they can hope to do is perform like Chad Brown and Monty Beisel, not Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson. You obviously can even begin to compare Bruschi and Johnson with these two, it would be unfair; however, "we" as Pats fans seem to be doing that very thing because we set all our linebackers at such a high standard due to their performances over the past four years. All we can do it sit back, wait and see, hopefully this was just a case of the "preseason rust" and once Thursday night hits, all the Patriots linebackers (mostly Brown and Beisel) are on the same page. Without a strong linebacking corps, it'll be a long season. The 35-year old veteran (Brown) brings a career 78 sacks to the table, most of any current linebacker. Beisel played for the Kansas City Chiefs last season and compiled 64 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and an interception. The talent is obviously there, it just seems to be taking them a little while to become acclimated to the new defensive system under both Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini.
What's Doug Flutie and Matt Cassel's Role in all this?
Doug Flutie has been dubbed as the "official" number two quarterback by Bill Belichick, leaving impressive rookie Matt Cassel in the dust as the number three. If hell were to freeze over and Tom Brady were to become injured for an extended period of time; I honestly think I'd rather see Cassel take the role as the new number one quarterback. Doug, don't get me wrong, we all love you, but your 42, aging, and under-throwing everything in your way; it may be time to step down. Cassel, the former USC Trojan, has been nothing less than impressive. From the first time I saw him in the pre-season opener against the Cincinatti Bengals, I instantly fell in love with his ability. Since taking over with four minutes left in the first half, Cassel led the defending champions to four scoring drives, finishing with an impressive line of 13-20 passing for 135 yards, while tossing two touchdown passes; leading the Pats to a 23-13 victory.
Will Deion Branch Remain Healthy for an Entire Season?
The current reigning Super Bowl MVP keeps getting the "fragile" label stuck on him. Deion has rested the entire preseason and now, seems ready to make a significant impact for the offense. Deion has yet to play an entire season for the Pats, but hopefully, this year will be different. Don't forget, this a contract year for Branch; it behooves him to stay healthy and have another solid year if he wants to get his dollars and cents up. A healthy Branch will suerly take some of the offensive load off of Cory Dillon, David Givens, Bethel Johnson, Christian Fauria, Daniel Graham and Kevin Faulk.
Hopefully Gay and Samuel Won't Suffer Sophmore Slump
The safety position is all set, we know that, Rodney Harrison and Eugene Wilson have worked well together the past two years. Hence, two Super Bowl championships. Despite all that, I have a cause for concern with the cornerbacks, Randall Gay and Asante Samuel. Sure, they played well last post-season, (shadowing Marvin Harrison, Brandon Stokley, Reggie Wayne, Plaxico Burress, Heines Ward, Terrell Owens, etc) but, maybe, just maybe, offenses have now begun to dissect their weaknesses. Their no longer rookies anymore, the book could very well be out on them. We'll see how they handle Randy Moss and Jerry Porter; that should be no easy task.
Here we go again, another season for your world champions kicks of this Thursday night against the Oakland Raiders. This will be the first time that the Raiders have visited Foxboro since the infamous "snow bowl" game; you know the rest. But as we gear up for the start of the season, some areas look strong, some look weak. Even though it was only preseason, I saw some causes for concern in many areas. Here are those concerns...
