2012 New England Patriots Preview

2012 New England Patriots

I think that the best place to start when talking about the Patriots...is making it clear how much I despise them. Growing up as primarily a Jets and Colts (thank you for your greatness, Peyton) fan, New England has terrorized me over the years, but far less in recently. The best game I’ve ever seen was the 2006 AFC Championship Game, when Indy was down to the Pats 21-3 and ended up winning that game in the final minute, 38-35. I was jumping up and down in euphoria. After that, there was the famous “4th and 2” game, when the hoodie tried converting a fourth down in his own territory, only to have it backfire immediately with Peyton taking over and driving for a game-winning touchdown. Two years ago, the Jets finally got over the hump as they went into New England for the Divisional Game of the playoffs and won a huge game. And, of course, the last two Super Bowls that New England has played in, which have each resulted in a loss to my other New York team, the Giants. The first was especially important for me, because I saw the Patriots pursuit of perfection end in the most devastating way possible. That game made David Tyree basically the Aaron Boone of New York football. This past year, the Big Blue simply outplayed New England when it mattered most. Seeing the Patriots lose simply brings me the kind of extreme joy that only a fierce rival going down can supply.

My hatred of this team is more intense than any other; it surpasses that of the Red Sox, Heat, Spurs, and Blue Devils. However, that does not mean that I do not respect this organization. The New England Patriots do everything the right way; good ownership, a genius coach, and a Hall of Fame quarterback lead the way for a franchise that has been more than successful for over a decade. Their mantra “Do your job” has held true for all these years, and even the role players are able and willing to do whatever they can to have a positive impact. The Patriot way has not disappointed their radical fan base, and it is this continued success that makes this team so fun to hate. They rarely falter, and so when they do, it is gratifying that they look so mortal, so uncomfortable, and so vulnerable. So that being said, I will not let my New Yorker show too much and my loathing of the New England Patriots get in the way of being objective throughout this piece, which will be obvious as you continue. THE PATRIOTS SUCK AND I HOPE BERNARD POLLARD INEXPLICABLY INJURES ANOTHER PATRIOT AND PREFERABLY SCREWS UP BRADY’S KNEE AGAIN!!!!!!! Oh...uh...starting now with that objectivity thing.

Offense

There is not much to be said about the Patriots offense that people don’t know already. They are a well-oiled machine, and Belichick masterfully orchestrates his gameplans based on whatever opponent he faces that week to exploit the opposing defense’s weaknesses. They are led by The not-quite-so Golden Boy, Tom Brady who leads his bitchy short-passing offense that requires precision and exact timing. He also arguably had the quietest would-be record-breaking performance of all-time last year, as almost no one talked about him breaking Dan Marino’s passing record because of the excellence that is Drew Brees. It is a running back by committee, that is led by whichever name the hoodie pulls out of the hat on that particular day, whether it is Ridley, Vareen, Woodhead, newly-acquired Olympian Jeff Demps, or even Aaron Hernandez. The receivers are led by Wes Welker who is a virtual lock for 100 catches every year. We’ll see how the addition of Brandon Lloyd will play out; it seems he is just as likely to catch 30 passes as 80 in an offense that shares the wealth. And of course, there’s the pair of lethal tight ends that are virtually uncoverable. Aaron Hernandez is the human equivalent of a Swiss army knife. Then there’s the Gronk, who, along with breaking multiple records for a tight end last year, also single-handedly supplied my favorite quote of all-time last year, with his utterance of “Yo soy fiesta!” Gronkowski may still be a frat boy, but there is no denying his dominance on the field. He probably won’t repeat his performance from last year, but his combination of power and speed should get him at least 12-13 touchdowns this year. This unit should put up at least 28 points per game this year. Good luck, defenses.

Defense?

That was not an unintentional question mark. The question is deservedly out there whether the Patriots will in fact play defense this year or not. Their abysmal pass defense last year might have cost them a championship, albeit one that they were fortunate to get to in the first place (looking at you, Lee Evans and Billy Cundiff). The first round picks of Hightower and Chandler Jones should help this group out, but we’ll have to wait and see if the secondary can step up enough to get New England over the hump this year. That’s really what it comes down to: the offense is Super Bowl caliber, obviously, but can the defense go along for the ride?

Schedule

After going 13-3 last year, and absolutely dropping the hammer down and putting a shellacking on Tim Tebow and the Broncos, the Patriots were finally a little exposed in the AFC Championship Game when the Ravens choked their collective lungs out they defeated the Baltimore Ravens, and a lot exposed against the Giants in the Super Bowl. Even though their season ended unfavorably (for them), a cupcake schedule and increased talent should have them back in a similar position this season for another title shot. Let’s take a look at how I think their 2012 schedule will turn out.

Week 1: W at TEN

Week 2: W vs ARI

Week 3: L at BAL (BERNARD POLLARD ALERT!!!!)

Week 4: L at BUF (hopefully, but unlikely twice in a row)

Week 5: W vs DEN (hopefully not, if Peyton returns strong)

Week 6: W at SEA

Week 7: W vs NYJ

Week 8: W at STL

Week 9: Bye

Week 10: W vs BUF (if BUF wins first game, this will be a beat down)

Week 11: W vs IND

Week 12: L at NYJ (I would be very thankful on Thanksgiving)

Week 13: W at MIA

Week 14: W vs HOU (possible AFC Championship Game?)

Week 15: W vs SF (49ers have a good shot though, NE on short week)

Week 16: W at JAC

Week 17: W vs MIA

So it’s looking like another 13-3 season for the Pats. There might be one or two more losses in there somewhere, like HOU and SF back-to-back, or at SEA in between the Peyton game and the Jets. But overall, New England is looking at an easy regular season and probable #1 seed. But will they get back to the Super Bowl? I’ll leave you with a bold prediction as usual, but before I leave, here’s a message: If you read this and have comments or opinions or anything, feel free to comment! I would like feedback, whether negative or positive, I don’t care (well, I mean I hope it would be positive, naturally). Next preview...the New York Jets. Oy vey. See you then!

Bold Prediction: Tom Brady will win the NFL MVP award this year. That sound you hear is my pride crumbling. I think we’re looking at 4,500 yards and 35 touchdowns. Minimum. And best record in the NFL. Recipe for hardware.