AFC EAST - NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

2006 PREVIEW

The Patriots are a team on the decline that lost a ton of players in the off-season without adding any veteran impact players. They did have a good draft as usual, but outside of Laurence Maroney, they may not reap the benefits for another couple of years. Still, this team is good enough to win one of the weakest divisions in football in the AFC East, although we do expect another early exit in the playoffs just like last year.

New England still has one of the best clutch quarterbacks in the game in Tom Brady, and the mercurial Maroney should see a lot of action at running back right away as a nice compliment to the more bruising Corey Dillon. However the receiving corps is suddenly suspect, unless second round draft pick Chad Jackson has an immediate impact. As talented as Jackson is, wide receivers usually need a few years in the NFL before blossoming, and we think he is no exception. Finally, when the game is on the line, the Pats no longer have kicker Adam Vinatieri there to kick winning field goals.

The defense was the staple of the Patriot championship teams, and while this unit was still stingy vs. the run last season allowing just 98.8 rushing yards per game, the pass defense left much to be desired. In fact the secondary was torched for 245.4 passing yards per contest, second worst in the entire NFL. New England lost linebackers Willie McGinnest and Matt Chatham to free agency, along with defensive back Tyrone Poole. Given that the only veteran addition to this unit is safety Tebucky Jones, look for good passing teams to take advantage of this New England team at every opportunity. Fortunately for the Patriots, there is no such team inside the division.

2006 Prediction: 1 st Place AFC East