With the pre season in the books, the 2010 Patriots welcomed TO, Ochocinco, and the rest of the Bengals to town.  The pre season did not end well for the Pats, the defense looked like a young defense and the running game had some questions.  Let’s look at each phase of the game and see how I graded the Patriots.

Overall Offense Grade- A

The Pats looked great entering the game, moving right down the field and scoring on their first possession.  They were outgained by the Bengals, 428 to 376, but the Bengals played from behind the entire game.  They were great on third down, 9-13, and in the red zone, going 3-5 with three touchdowns.

Quarterback- A

You can’t get much better than a 120.9 passer rating as Brady carved up the much hyped Bengals defense.  Brady looked in mid season form, going 25-35 for 258 yards and three touchdowns.  As usual he spread the ball around hitting 7 different receivers and hitting Wes Welker for two TDs.  Brady will face a better defensive backfield in week 2, but these are players he is used to playing against, Revis and Cromartie, so he will make something happen.

Offensive Line- A

Logan who?  This was looking like a big weakness heading into week one, but they O line only let up two QB hits and no sacks allowed.  This will be a up and down season for the offensive line, so let’s not get too excited yet.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends- A

How could I not grade them with an A?  Welker came back and had 8 receptions, 64 yards, and two touchdowns in his return game.  Moss had an average game, 5 receptions for 58 yards, no TDs, but an 11.8 average and a 32 yard reception, which shows that he is still a big play WR.  The great thing to see was second year WR Brandon Tate, who missed the 09 season with an injury, had 4 receptions and 36 yards, and also made an impact in special teams.

Running Backs- B+

This is going to be a committee of backs and each week we could have a different guy stepping up.  Fred Taylor lead all backs with 14 carries, 71 yards, and a 5.1 average.  He is healthy now, and will continue to be the starting back until someone else steps up.  Kevin Faulk contributed as usual; the ageless back had 3 carries for 23 yards and four catches for 47 yards.

Overall Defense- B

Yea, I gave them a B.  They looked good at the start and some guys stepped up big and looked to be leaders out there, however, they did let up 24 points, 428 yards, 342 of them were passing yards.  Lastly, they were outscored 21-10 in the second half.  With a lead that big, the defense should have pinned their ears back and went for blood, which leads me to believe that Belichick still has some questions.

Defensive Line- B

We all know in a 3-4 defensive scheme, these guys do not get any glory, but they played well this week.  Vince Wilfork and Ron Brace chipped in with a few tackles and one pass deflected.  Mike Wright did not show up much in the box score, but that is what a true lineman does in the 3-4, take up space so the LBs can make plays.  They are thin at D-line, and will need to continue to improve each week.

Line Backers-B

The Pats have a young group of LBs this year and they will be up and down each game.  Jarod Mayo (12 tackles, 8 solo) will continue to be a rock in the middle of the field and is the leader of the front seven.  Against the Bengals, the LBs were steady, but they were outplayed by the secondary.

Secondary-A

The defensive backfield was the reason the Patriots won this game (and special teams).  Second year safety Patrick Chung was amazing having 16 tackles (12 solo) and seemed to be everywhere on the field.  Darius Butler did give up a TD to Chad Ochocinco, but he was solid as well with 8 solo tackles and a pass defended.  Brandon Meriweather, the most experienced Pat in the secondary chipped in with 7 tackles.  This is a young secondary and they will have their ups and downs, but it seems that they get what the coaches want them to do; we should see some steady improvement throughout the season.

Special Teams- B

Kicking Game-B

Stephen Gostkowski was 5 for 5 for extra points, but the usually solid kicker missed two field goal attempts missing two from 40 plus yards.  It is early in the season and he is a great kicker, so no reason to panic yet.

Rookie punter Zoltan Mesko had one punt for 43 yards.  Not much to discuss here.

Return Game-A

Second year receiver, Brandon Tate had a great first NFL game.  He missed all of last season after a knee injury in the preseason.  The speedy Tate had four returns for 184 yards, averaging 46 yards a return.  He had an electrifying 97 yard return to open up the second half and give the Pats a 31-3 lead.

Overall the Patriots had a great game, jumping out to an early lead and maintaining the lead throughout the game.  The Bengals got some yards and points in garbage time which is to be expected, but I would have liked Belichick to continue to be aggressive with his young defense.  We shall see how things work out next week against the hated Jets.

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The Patriots traveled to Atlanta to face Matt Ryan and the Falcons.  The Falcons are coming off a year in which they missed the playoffs and had many injuries.  The Falcons have many weapons on offense and would put some pressure on the young Patriots defense.  As I mentioned in the last post, the Pats have showed some swagger and look like they have something to prove with each snap.

Game two welcomed backed Wes Welker to the offense and Tom Brady threw to him right away.  Welker finished with 2 catches for 20 yards.  It was a dropped pass that made him feel like he was back; he took a hard hit as he was going down.  As many players say, it’s that first big hit that makes you feel back in the game.  Brady continued to impress, 10/12, 84 yards, and a TD.  He did take a big hit in which he fumbled but the Pats recovered.  Second year backup Brian Hoyer looked good as well, 8/15, 94 yards and a TD as well.

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I do not know if the Belichick “Jedi Mind Trick” has worked, but the Patriots seemed to come out fired up in their first game since the playoff loss to the Ravens.  Belichick has removed everything that reminds the team of prior success, pictures, clippings, whatever, it’s gone, like most of the players from that run.  I know the Saints had been on the road for a week before the game, but it was good for the Pats to come out the way they did against the Super Bowl Champs.

I still have not been able to look at Tom Brady with a straight face with his “Beiber” cut, but the man without a contract for next season looked in game shape throwing the ball down the field very easily against the Saints, connecting on 5 of 8 passes for 67 yards.  It is the first game, but he looked much better than he did a year ago.  Brian Hoyer was impressive as well, going 8/13 for 106 yards.

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According to Mike Reiss from www.espnboston.com the Patriots have placed WR Wes Welker on the Active PUP list for the start of training camp.  I originally wrote that he would be a full participant in camp, earlier than expected, which is still the case.  Once again, Belichick pulls a great move, by putting him on the Active PUP List, this allows Welker to participate in team activities and frees up a roster spot.  This is a loop hole that the Colts used two seasons ago when Manning had his knee surgery.

Everyone knows Welker will be back and on the team, the “active PUP list” tag allows the Pats to look at other receivers and players longer and determine what to do with them.  A position that was once thought of as a critical need has become a position that will have a lot of figuring out.  We all know that Moss and Welker are on the team, but there is going to be a fight for the last three or four roster spots.

Tory Holt is a good possession guy, but who knows if he can run the routes and create the space he needs as he has lost a step, the Pats do not want another Joey Galloway situation.  Holt has had two down years, but he was on bad teams and not Brady throwing to him. Julian Edelman looks like another Welker type guy and was productive last year, but needs to stay healthy.  David Patten was an odd sign this off season, I don’t know what he has left in the tank, and he hasn’t been productive since 2007.  That leaves Sam Aiken, Brandon Tate, Matt Slater, and their third round pick, Taylor Price.

Aiken (20 Rec, 326 yds, 2 TDs) had a decent numbers for being thrust in the third receiver role in the middle of last season, but he has been around for 8 seasons with various teams.  Tate, a third round pick from 2009 was only active for three games last year and did not have a catch.  He is more known for his KR/PR skills and with Kevin Faulk getting older, he may be valuable.  Matt Slater, listed as a WR, but he is a special teams wiz and we know how Belichick loves special teams guys and NFL pedigree (He is the son of HOF lineman, Jackie Slater).  Unless Tate or first round pick Devin McCourty steps up, there will be a place for him somewhere.  That leaves 2010 3^rd round pick, Taylor Price. I feel with his talent, he can be productive and he has an NFL build.  He needs to show what he can do right away with the opportunity he has.

All and all, they have a strength that looked like a weakness heading into the offseason.  They need to get younger and make sure Brady likes the younger guys, so I have a feeling that baring a crazy injury, Sam Aiken and David Patten may not make the roster and that will allow the young guys to step up and show us what they have!  It should make an interesting battle at training camp.

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According to sources including 98.5 FM Boston, The Sports Hub and Chad Finn of Boston.com and the Boston Globe (he also mentioned it on the Hometeam today), Wes Welker will report to practice with the “full participation” label on him, this just less than 8 months after tearing all three major ligaments in his knee.  All signs showed that he was ahead of schedule and most people thought he would start on the PUP list and then be activated week 6, once again, Welker proves everyone wrong.

What does this mean for the Patriots heading into the start of camp next Thursday?  It means that baring any set back, their worry at the wide receiver position has decreased tremendously.  This leaves Tory Holt, Julian Edleman, Sam Aiken, rookie Taylor Price, and a slew of others to fight for the last few spots to solidify the potent Patriots offense.  It also means Tom Brady can focus on other things (his contract, maybe?) rather than trying to find a new go to guy while Welker was healing.  Brady already has to get use to three new tight ends this season.

It was heart breaking to see Welker on the sidelines after his injury, and the Patriots seemed to lose a little of that “toughness” that Welker brings to the field.  Observing the way he plays as well as how he works, it is not surprising that he is back earlier than expected, but this early is border line amazing.

The next few weeks will be a big test on Welker’s knee, he runs very specific patterns and if his stop and go moves and quick cuts are not there, he becomes just an average guy.  So keep this in mind Patriots fans, Wes Welker is back, but give the man some time to get back in to the swing of things, and if he drops a few passes and has a few “average” games in the first few weeks, don’t worry, he has always defied the odds.

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In closing the 2009-2010 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens ripped apart the Patriots defense.  Ray Rice looked like a hall of famer and ran through everything that was thrown at him.  This past season was definitely a transition year for the vaunted Patriots defense, no Bruschi, no Harrison, no Seymour.  It was the first year I could remember saying, “who was that?”  2010-2011 may have a similar feel to it, but the master, Bill Belichick has taken back over the defense, there were some losses, but some good additions.

Defensive Line Losses

Jarvis Green- Signed with Broncos.  Green was primarily a reserve with the Patriots, until last year with the loss of Seymour.  He has always been productive eating up blockers and slowing down the running backs, as well as getting some sacks.  His sack totals have dropped, that may be due to losses on the D Line, or different schemes that made him hold blocks more that get to the QB.  He now joins “Patriots West” and the Denver Broncos.

Defensive Line Additions

Gerrard Warren- Free Agent from Oakland.  Warren has been on some bad teams, the Raiders, Browns, and a couple years with Denver, but has always been productive.  He is older, 31, but knows the 3-4 defense well and at 6-4 325 lbs, he will be able to assist Wilfork in holding the blockers and will break through for some coverage sacks.  He will also add some attitude to the team, similar to Rodney Harrison when he came to the Pats.  Warren has been somewhat of a “hot head” but brings some great energy on the field.

Vince Wilfork- Franchise Tag, then resigned to a long term deal.  This was a no brainer, but almost turned bad.  After the issues with Seymour and the trade to Oakland, the Pats had to come back and sign this massive force in the middle.  He is the most consistent player on the defense, he is still young (28), and has only missed 6 games in his 6 year career.

Derrick Burgess- Resigned.  As long as he can remain on Belichick’s good side and on the field, he should be productive this year.  He averaged double digit sacks with the Raiders a few years back with an aging Warren Sapp along side him, expect him to pile up some sacks with Warren and Wilfork taking up multiple blockers.

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Each year in the Patriots off season is a new chapter of “what will Bill do.”  If you look at all of the years Belichick has done things different, one year it is barely doing anything and picking up a few no names of “washed up” veterans, then another making a huge splash by trading for Randy Moss and Wes Welker.  2010 was restocking and keeping the veterans that have always produced on the field and in the locker room, which was lacking last season, even Tom Brady mentioned the lack of leadership.

Offensively, the Pats were very up and down looking great sometimes and extremely poor other times.  They lacked the consistency in the play calling that they had with Josh McDaniels and Charlie Weiss.

Offensive Changes/Additions

Tight End

Benjamin Watson-TE- Signed with Cleveland.  Since Watson has been with the Patriots he was the definition of inconsistency.  Coming out of college Watson was highly touted as an athletic and gifted tight end.  Whether it was the Patriots not using him correctly or Watson not living up to his potential, we will always remember him for chasing down Champ Bailey in the AFC playoffs.

Chris Baker-TE- signed with Seattle.  One year was apparently enough for this former Jet.  He was used primarily as a blocker in New York, also getting some goal line routes.  In the preseason it looked like he was going to be a valuable addition to the team, catching multiple touchdowns in a game with Brady throwing to him, but that was preseason.  He is an aging veteran, but can block with the best of them, and will valuable to any team.

Replacements

Alge Crumpler- Other than Vick, Crumpler has been the most affected by Vick’s legal troubles, he production has been non existent since Vick left the Falcons.  Last year he was with Tenn, who had a lackluster passing attack.  Crumpler is still big and had proved he can catch, the Patriots are hoping he can get back to the form he had with the Falcons.

The Rookies- Aaron Hernandez and Ron Gronkowski, will be contributors the day they walk into training camp.  Many believed that Gronkowski was the most complete tight end in the draft, losing his last season to injury only dropped him to the second round which is impressive.  Hernandez was consistent throughout his career at Florida and can be used in many different ways.

The only concern here is that Brady does not have any rapport with any of these guys and a tight end is a QBs friend, it will be interesting to see what happens to this position.

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“With the 27^th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft the New England Patriots select……WHO?”  Let’s meet their first pick, Devin McCourty, cornerback from Rutgers University.  Many think that Bill Belichick made a mistake with this pick; they could have picked Dez Bryant, but traded down with Dallas and let them take the receiver.  I disagree that this pick was a stretch, to me, this pick shows the Belichick is back to taking his kinda guys.

During the draft they really did not do Devin McCourty justice when they were talking about him.  Yes, he is considered a “special teams demon,” but he also had 80 tackles last season.  His numbers are amazing, opponents completed just 35% of the passes that were thrown his way last year, and he shut down every receiver he faced, just letting up 2 touchdowns the entire year.  He may not pick off a ton of passes, but this kid is a drive killer, he recorded 94 third down stops and 33 fourth down stops, he accounted for killing 39% of the drives he faced.  He is capable of being a shut down corner, but he is also not afraid to get his nose dirty and stop the run, 91 of his 236 career tackles were inside the box.

He is a complete player, a former point guard in high school; he possesses great leadership skills and is considered “a coach on the field.”  He is a student of the game and studies film and can diagnose the plays before they happen.  This is the type of player that the Patriots have been missing since Harrion, Bruschi, and Samuel left.  Look for McCourty to step in and be a contributor right away.

Talking with several people after the first round, people were already questioning if the Pats have lost “it.”  What makes the Patriots so good, is the rest of the draft, and the “value picks.”

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With the Red Sox not happy with their left handed pitching options of the pen, the Red Sox have announced that they signed 40 year old left handed relief pitcher, Alan Embree to a minor league deal that included an invitation to spring training. This spring lefty veteran Brian Shouse has not been really impressive and prospect Dustin Richardson getting hurt and then quickly optioned out. The Sox were looking for a lefthander who could be a southpaw option out of the pen with Hideki Okajima.

Embree spent 2009 with the Colorado Rockies, going 2-2 with a 5.84 ERA in 36 relief appearances. His season was cut short when a batted ball fractured his right tibia on July 10. He ranks ninth all-time among Major League left-handers and second among active lefthanders with 878 career relief outings.

He returns for a second stint in the Red Sox organization after going 8-9 with four saves and a 4.69 ERA in 211 relief appearances with the club from 2002-05. He allowed earned runs in just one of his 19 postseason games with Boston, going 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA (2 ER/14.0 IP).

The Red Sox announced some roster moves after today’s  game. LHP Felix Doubront and catcher Mark Wagner were optioned to Class AAA Pawtucket and infielder Gil Velazquez was reassigned to the minor league camp. The Sox now have 43 players in camp.