2013 New England Patriots Season Preview
By Loot, NFL Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
A lot of people are down on the Patriots entering the 2013 NFL season. Still, we’re dealing with a team that has won the AFC East 9 times in the past 10 seasons. The sportsbooks, not known for being suckers, have the Patriots right at the top of their list of Super Bowl favorites at 8/1 odds to win Super Bowl XLVIII. So what’s the deal? They had by all accounts a rough offseason, so how can they still be among the most-favored teams?
A lot of it comes down to Brady and Belichick. With a quarterback and head coach who are as elite as that pair, there is always going to be a good chance that they can catch fire, even without a lot of top guys. But with such an offensive team, the fact that they will likely begin the season without their top 5 receivers looms like a black cloud.
There are a lot of mixed messages with the Pats. First of all, they haven’t actually won a Super Bowl in a while. By the time this season’s Super Bowl rolls around, it would have been 9 long years since the Patriots won the Lombardi Trophy. So some may dispute their standing as one of today’s top powers. Not winning a Bowl in 9 years isn’t a dynasty, exactly.
This wouldn’t be the first time the Patriots made something out of very little. A lot has been said about the deterioration of their focal passing game during the offseason. Looking back at some great Patriots teams of the past, however, reveals that not all those teams were stocked with huge names on offense. Their last Super Bowl-winning team’s top receiver was David Givens. The year before that, the Patriots won it all with Antowain Smith as their top rusher with 642 yards and Deion Branch the top receiver with 803 yards. So let’s not get all caught up in thinking the Patriots need a roster off all-pro receivers and running backs to get it done. The past tells a different story.
One should expect Brady to have a big year behind that premier offensive line. The stars just seem to line up that way. First of all, he’s 35 and though still at full-power, he’s at an age when he can perhaps sense the end coming. The light at the end of the tunnel might not be beaming yet, but it’s at least flickering. Beginning the season with a depleted cast, leaders like Brady tend to up their game. Look for all the personnel losses to give way to a more urgent Brady. Look for a little spike in the flatline this season.
Not to get all gushy about Belichick and his staff, but you almost have to assume they’ll get it figured out. Not that they can coach and scheme their way out of any predicament, but they can make a roster better than it looks on paper. With a lot of teams, it really does come down to how good the players are. With New England, it always seemed like it was the system that was more responsible for their success and one would definitely be hasty in relegating them to the scrap heap at this point.
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The defense, while not that great, returns all its starters and adds a few useful vets and some potential studs from the draft. The running game, led by Stevan Ridley, needs to step up. Danny Woodhead is gone and Shane Vereen and Brandon Bolden will get a chance to stand out in this offense. The two tight end set, so effective the past few seasons, remains a huge question mark entering the season. Again, guys need to step up and should be able to do so, but a lot of stars have to line up right.
This will be a season where their success depends on the ability of a lot of guys to step up into more important roles. The passing game is retooled and a cast of promising but unestablished players will be counted on in a big way. The young guys on defense need to continue to develop. Incoming veterans and injured players who are now healthy should buoy the Pats on that side of the ball.
As Gronkowski returns and the defense finds its groove, look for the Patriots to be right there in the thick of things. Brady should add to his 16 postseason wins and have the Patriots in a spot to at least compete for the AFC title. Is there a chance they come out for 2013 and find they’re just not the same anymore? Sure--it happens to all teams at some point. No team remains a Super Bowl contender forever. But until given evidence and reason to do so, it’s hard to write off the Patriots.
