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Cole was one of the Patriots less-heralded impending free agents this offseason, and he was expected to re-sign with the Patriots. Cole never reportedly received interest from any others teams, and that comes as no surprise. It will be interesting to see if he makes the 53-man roster again after just getting on last year, and Cole showed us more than we thought he was capable of.

I thought he was a special-teams only player and would get burned repeatedly when thrust into starting duties due to injuries. However, he proved the cynic in us wrong with a solid start due to injuries. Cole had a nice season overall and looked like a quality dime back, and he came away with 17 tackles and an interception in 2012. He also held his own in coverage, and that surpassed our expectations.

I am glad to see Cole back, because he is a valuable contributor on special teams who brings good depth and good character to this squad. With a strong camp, Cole will be back on the Patriots 53-man roster again.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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Tackle Mark Zusevics, cornerback Marquice Cole, rookie backup safety Nate Ebner, rookie project DE Jake Bequette, newly re-added depth wide receiver Kamar Aiken, solid rookie starting cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, and the always versatile interior offensive lineman Nick McDonald are the seven inactive for the Patriots today.

Not on the list? Brandon Spikes and Rob Gronkowski. Some projected that Spikes would be inactive after being nicked up coming into the game and missing the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, but the Patriots star middle linebacker is back. The Pats need him in order to bully the opposing running game and take advantage of a weak interior.

Gronkowski was expected to play per reports from Tom E. Curran and Ian Rappoport, and it was Albert Breer who tweeted this morning that Gronk was medically cleared to play and would indeed play after missing more than a month with a broken forearm. I hope Gronk only plays for a bit to shake off the rust, because there is no sense in getting him injured again leading into the playoffs. His health is of paramount importance as one of the best players in the game.

The inactives are not surprising, with Dennard being the only starter who is inactive. We’ll miss him and possibly the depth lost with Cole’s absence, but the Pats look healthy and ready to lock up a win on a cold, snowy day at Gillette. If the Patriots win, then they will finish undefeated in divisional play for the second time in franchise history and the first since the near-undefeated year of 2007.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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Stevan Ridley’s performance really stood out to me on offense, as he bounced back big-time from an awful game against the San Francisco 49ers. To me, he was the MVP of this offense in going for 84 rushing yards on 18 carries for an average of 4.7 yards per carry. Ridley also never fumbled the ball and no other running back received more than five carries.

That’s the part that bothers me a little, because the Patriots should have eased up on Tom Brady. He attempted an ungodly amount of passes last week against the 49ers (completely understandable), but 41 attempts is too many to ask from Brady especially after that workload last week. Brady played his second worst game of the season by throwing two picks and finishing with a 73.9 QB Rating, but he wasn’t bad. He was more “slightly above-average” than subpar in this one.

In all honesty, it’s mainly because Brady didn’t receive enough help from his receivers. Wes Welker was excellent with ten receptions for 88 yards and a TD, but Aaron Hernandez was held to one catch. The fact that he was almost completely negated is embarrassing for him, and it was easily his worst game of the season.

Brady also had little help from his offensive line, and this is the second straight week that he has been subject to intense pressure whilst also throwing over 40 passes. Jason Babin and Jeremy Mincey combined for five QB hits, and the Jags finished with three sacks and nine QB hits. That’s ridiculous.

Speaking of pressure, Chandler Jones was able to consistently get pressure on Chad Henne, who threw three picks in subpar day that was accentuated maybe a little too much by the picks. Patrick Chung was the recipient of two of those interceptions, while Marquice Cole snapped up the other one. Cole played much better than Kyle Arrington, who was once again a tremendous liability on the outside. I hope Aqib Talib and Alfonzo Dennard return quickly.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.