Road to the Superbowl: Top 3 obstacles facing the Patriots
1) The running-back position
The Patriots were the 5th best rushing team in the league in 2013, according to ProFootballFocus, and while a lot goes into creating a strong rushing attack, a key component of last year's success, LeGarrette Blount, is currently serving out a suspension for marijuana possession on the Steelers payroll. Meanwhile, concerns linger about Stevan Ridley's ball security and the jury is still out on whether 4th round pick James White can live up to his pre-season hype. Don't get me wrong, there are bright spots in the backfield. We know by now that Shane Vereen can be a stud when healthy, and when he isn't in the doghouse, Ridley shows sparks of being a speedy, workhorse running back.
However, what Blount brought was consistency, ball security and the ability to make a big play, either on special teams (yes, we did use a 240 pound back on special teams!) or by breaking countless tackles for extra yardage. While Ridley is capable of this (see his 2012 season), we need to see it on a more consistent basis and we need to stop seeing him drop the football. If Ridley can simply stop fumbling this year, the running game should be strong once again, with Vereen and White/Bolden taking some of the load.
2) The front-seven
'Wait what? But you just said in the intro that the front-seven was full of talent!' Well it is, but it is by no means deep. You may have read about the Patriots linebacker depth in a great piece from writer Adam Bogdan, but in the current 4-3 system, the starting linebackers (Mayo, Collins and Hightower) are backed up only by Darius Fleming. Great starters, not much behind them.
Adam's piece stipulates that we may see a shift to a 3-4 this year, which with the Patriots personnel, could be very exciting. Athletic, speedy ends like Chandler Jones and Ninkovich (who plays LB sometimes anyway) will be solid in this system, and Wilfork and Mayo are more than capable of stuffing the run. But it also means that the much needed rest that we thought Vince Wilfork may get this year would be reduced, and the defensive line currently reads as Wilfork, Easley (rookie) and Vellano/Siliga. The talent is certainly there, but Wilfork is the only guy with a wealth of NFL experience, and he is coming off a torn achilles. Easley would need to make a quick impact in his debut season, and prayers should be said for the health of this unit.
If everybody stays healthy, expect this unit to be a top-5 defense. In fact, I'd almost bet the house. But with this level of fragility, if even one key contributor goes down, we may be scrambling to pick up the slack.
3) Health
It's tough to find any weaknesses in a Patriots team at the start of the year. They are always compiled with such diligence and depth that come Week 1 you'd be confident in picking them to go 16-0. But rewind back to last year. If Wilfork, Mayo and Gronkowski were healthy, would you have bet against the Patriots in the AFC Championship game? I certainly wouldn't have. But these are the 'ifs' and 'buts' of the NFL. Some years the injury bug bites harder on some teams than others. This team has all the talent to go far again, but we will have to pray for some luck.
Many of the big names on defense and offense have struggled with serious injuries of late. To name a few, Wilfork, Mayo, Revis, Easley, Vollmer, Gronkowski, Dobson and Amendola. Revis is two years removed from his ACL tear and should have no lingering effects, but among that group there were broken legs, torn groins, shattered knees and torn achilles.
The same could be said for any team, but a team with this much potential, really the most important challenge will simply be staying on the field. If that happens, there won't be many teams that can hang with the 2014 Patriots.
Photo by AP Photo/Elise Amendola
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