2014 Bold Predictions: Patriots Will Have A Top Five Offense, And Top Five Defense
By Cyrus Geller
Dec 15, 2013; Miami Gardens, FL, USA: New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) scores a touchdown in the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. The Dolphins won 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
4. And A Top Five Offense
Contrary to their defensive failures over the last four years, the Patriots offense has always been near the top of the NFL in terms of both yards, and points. When you have Tom Brady under center, and you surround him with weapons like Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez, you will be rewarded.
However last year saw this unit take a step back. They lost quite a few weapons to free agency, injury, and jail, which left Brady in a tough position. But since he is such a great quarterback, he still managed to lead the team to the AFC Championship, but it was obvious that the offense he ran wasn’t the same.
But that will change in 2014. We will see this group rise to the top once again, and join the best offensive units in the league. The number one reason I say this, is because of the familiarity Brady has with his receiving corps this year. Last year there was a ton of turnover in the offseason, and the lack of chemistry showed throughout the regular season. But this year the Pats return 97% of last year’s receiving leaders, which is a terrific number. Having a good rapport with your receivers is very important to succeed in today’s day and age, so from that alone we should see an improvement come September.
The combination of Danny Amendola and Julian Edeman in the middle will once again give defenses a lot of trouble, and hopefully, if all goes well, second year man Aaron Dobson will become that deep vertical threat that has been missing for so long. Of course, they have a deep, talented running back group as well, led by Stevan Ridley, and Shane Vereen, who is virtually uncoverable in the passing game.
And finally, if Rob Gronkowski is healthy, all the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place, and Tom Brady will once again be king of one of the best offenses in the league. There is a lot of luck involved, mainly keeping everybody healthy (I’m looking at you, Amendola), but I have faith that New England will return to dominance in this facet of the game in 2014.