Patriots: 10 Most Valuable Players from 2015 Regular Season
The postseason is upon us. Well, sort of. For New England Patriots fans, this week marks a much-needed lull in the action. The Patriots’ first-round bye allows the team and the fan base to reflect on the regular season and mentally prepare for the playoffs. With that in mind, we’re going to list the Patriots’ ten most valuable players from the 2015 regular season, a group which will be instrumental in the team’s Super Bowl hopes.
Here are the honorable mentions:
David Andrews. The undrafted rookie out of Georgia went from a completely unknown long shot to make the roster to one of the most-used offensive linemen this season, appearing in 68.5 percent of snaps, the third-most out of the 12 blockers to suit up for the Patriots in 2015.
Jabaal Sheard. One of the most prudent free agent signings over the 2015 offseason, Sheard posted career numbers in sacks (eight) and forced fumbles (four).
Jerod Mayo. When Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower were hurting, Mayo stepped into the starting role and out-played newcomer Jonathan Freeny.
LeGarrette Blount. Some fans love Blount, others don’t. But his 703 yards of downhill running served the Patriots well, and it was a bummer when Blount went down for the season with a hip injury.
Rob Ninkovich. The most durable player on the Patriots’ roster deserves a shoutout.
Alright, now let’s get on to the 10 most valuable Patriots players of 2015.
Next: 10. Stephen Gostkowski
10. Stephen Gostkowski
Gostkowski reached his third consecutive and fourth overall Pro Bowl nod in 2015 as a result of continued excellence in the kicking game. The Patriots’ franchise leader in points connected on 33 of 36 field goal attempts and blasted through all of his extra points.
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In fact, Gostkowski was the NFL’s leading scorer with 151 points. As noted by WEEI’s Ryan Hannable, that is a landmark achievement.
Stephen Gostkowski (151 points) led NFL in scoring for 5th time, joining D. Hutson, G. Cappelletti as only players to lead league 5 times.
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) January 6, 2016
2015 saw Gostkowski set his career long of 57 yards. He also drilled a 54-yard kick in the waning seconds of the Patriots’ thrilling victory over the New York Giants, one of the most clutch kicks of his career.
Kickers aren’t the sexiest topics of conversation, but we are witnessing one of the greatest kicking careers of all-time unfold before our eyes. Gostkowski is a playoff or Super Bowl clutch kick away from being seriously considered the best kicker in the history of the game.
Next: 9. Danny Amendola
9. Danny Amendola
He isn’t Julian Edelman by any means, but Amendola is a very good player in his own right. There were times in the 2015 regular season when Amendola was by far the most trustworthy receiver at Tom Brady’s disposal (the Week 7 game against the New York Jets comes to mind).
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This season, Amendola caught more passes (65) than he had since 2010 with the Rams, when he snagged 85 balls. Amendola churned out 648 yards and a trio of touchdowns on those 65 receptions, helping to fill the void left by Edelman in the latter part of the season.
In addition, Amendola made his mark in the punt return game. The Texas Tech product was the NFL’s best punt returner in 2015, averaging a league-leading 12 yards per return. Had Duron Harmon not clipped Amendola’s ankles against the Giants, Danny would have scored his first career punt return touchdown.
When Amendola is out of the lineup, the Patriots’ passing game misses him dearly.
Next: 8. Malcolm Butler
8. Malcolm Butler
Butler followed up his Super Bowl XLIX heroism by earning a Pro Bowl nod in his sophomore season. Game in and game out, he acted and played like a true No. 1 cornerback.
Pro Football Focus ranked him the 22nd overall cornerback in the NFL, and his 15 passes defended were tied for 15th most among all defensive backs. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better football story over the past two years than that of Butler, who went from West Alabama to undrafted anonymity to Super Bowl savior to elite cornerback.
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One could make a case that right now, Butler is a better cornerback to have on your roster than Darrelle Revis. At just 25 years of age, Butler has plenty of top-notch years left in him, while the 30-year-old Revis is certainly no spring chicken. In five years, Butler will still be at the top of his game, and Revis will most likely be on the downswing, if not already retired.
Next: 7. Chandler Jones
7. Chandler Jones
In 2015, Jones put forth the best season for a Patriots’ defensive end since Mike Vrabel in 2007. Jones’ 12.5 sacks ranked fifth in the league and matched Vrabel’s total eight years ago. Jones also forced four fumbles, one of which translated into a scoop and score for Akiem Hicks against the Tennessee Titans in Week 15.
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Here’s an evaluation Bill Belichick made of Jones’ play back in November:
"The closer you are to the ball more often, the more chances you’re going to have of making plays, and I’d say Chandler has definitely done that. He’s put himself close to the quarterback on a number of occasions and sometimes he makes the play, sometimes he forces to somebody else, but he’s around there quite a bit, so he certainly is getting a high level of production there because of that."
Jones has been aided by the consistently strong play of Ninkovich and Sheard. Those three guys have worked together to produce one of the best quarterback-pressuring units the Patriots have had in recent memory; the Patriots’ 49 sacks ranked second in the league only behind the Denver Broncos’ 52.
Next: 6. Devin McCourty
6. Devin McCourty
Thankfully, the Patriots retained McCourty during a free agency period that saw Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington depart the secondary. Without McCourty, Butler wouldn’t have had such a solid sophomore season and Logan Ryan would have been completely and utterly estranged at the No. 2 position.
As it turns out, Ryan has had a pretty decent season in his third year with the Patriots, and he can owe that success in part to his fellow Rutgers alum. Often, the Patriots have slapped Butler on the No. 2 wideout, a matchup that Butler just about always wins; and then they give Ryan the tough No. 1 assignment, but with the security blanket of McCourty over the top.
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A mark of a good safety is noticing how much he’s missed when not on the field, and that was clear in Week 16 against the New York Jets when Duron Harmon filled-in for the injured D-Mac and got absolutely toasted by Brandon Marshall. When McCourty isn’t on the field, the Patriots’ pass defense is very vulnerable.
That’s why McCourty should be considered the sixth-most valuable member of the Patriots entering the postseason.
Next: 5. Jamie Collins
5. Jamie Collins
Patriots fans have known how scarily good Collins is for a few years now, but 2015 marked his coming-out party to the rest of the NFL. Despite missing four games due to a serious illness, Collins led the Patriots in tackles, registered 5.5 sacks and led the entire league with five forced fumbles. He is an animal.
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It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Collins the most athletic player on the Patriots’ roster. When a running back pushes out wide toward the sideline before the snap and Collins follows him out there, he looks every bit the part of a cornerback. And when he rushes the passer, Collins looks like an insanely quick defensive end. Most often, you will find Collins patrolling the middle linebacker position with Dont’a Hightower, where he fits naturally and flies sideline to sideline.
Simply put, when Collins is on the field, the Patriots’ defense is markedly better. Collins knows that as well as anyone, which is why he will be hoping to cash-in when the Patriots extend him in the near future.
Next: 4. Julian Edelman
4. Julian Edelman
Doug Kyed of NESN.com put into perspective just how much better the Patriots are with Edelman on the field. Here’s an excerpt from Kyed’s article earlier this week about how poorly the Patriots’ offense has played in Edelman’s absence:
"The Patriots’ completion percentage drops nearly 10 points, their passer rating drops nine points, Brady is sacked at a higher rate and their average yards per play drops by 2.7 yards. “Perhaps what’s most glaring is how poorly the Patriots have performed on third down without Edelman. The Patriots’ third-down conversion rate dropped by 16.1 percent. Brady had a 113.5 passer rating while targeting Edelman, completing 71.8 percent of his passes for 692 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady also was able to get rid of the ball much quicker with Edelman, which made the Patriots’ offensive line issues much less glaring. It took Brady an average of just 2.10 seconds to release the ball in Weeks 1 through 9. It took him 2.44 seconds to release the ball since Week 10, when Edelman left the game at the end of the first quarter."
With all that in mind, it’s clear that the Patriots need a healthy Edelman if they are going to gear-up for a Super Bowl run.
Next: 3. Dont’a Hightower
3. Dont’a Hightower
Hightower takes the cake as the most valuable member of the Patriots’ defense because he is the vocal leader and a major difference maker in the run game. Again, referencing that insightful Kyed article from a few days ago:
"The Patriots allow .85 more yards per carry and .5 more yard per play when Hightower is off the field. They sack the quarterback on 8.6 percent of passing plays with Hightower and just 6.6 percent when he’s not in the game. Hightower missed the Patriots’ Week 6 win over the Indianapolis Colts with a rib injury. He injured his knee midway through the Patriots’ Week 12 loss to the Denver Broncos, missed Week 13 and Week 14, came back for Week 15 before aggravating the injury in Week 16 and being declared out for Week 17. The Patriots are 2-2 in games Hightower sat out and 3-4 in games Hightower has either been out or missed time because of injury. Hightower provides pressure on 22.4 percent of his 116 pass rushing snaps with 3.5 sacks, six QB hits and 16 hurries."
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To weather any postseason storms they may encounter involving potent ground games (such as those of the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos), the Patriots are going to be enthused to have Hightower back on the field next to Pro Bowler Collins.
Next: 2. Gronk
2. Rob Gronkowski
As was the case with J.J. Watt, 2015 wasn’t Gronk’s most productive season. But for players like Watt and Gronk, not reaching your full potential in a season still means you have played better than everyone else at your position.
Gronk’s stat sheet reads 72 receptions, 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns. Not shabby numbers by any means. His average of 16.3 yards per catch ranked 12th among all pass catchers (including speedsters like Torrey Smith) and best among tight ends.
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When Gronk is in the pre-snap huddle, every player on the offense feels confident that they are going to pick up the first down, reach the end zone and ultimately, win the game. His physical presence alone is enough to give the rest of the offensive unit confidence in succeeding at the task at hand.
Thankfully, the Patriots navigated through a regular season characterized by injuries without serious detriment to Gronk. He survived a Week 12 injury scare in Denver, and he’s at full speed entering the playoffs where he will be needed the most.
Next: 1. TB12
1. Tom Brady
No surprise here. The most valuable player on the Patriots’ roster, as well as the entire NFL, is Tom Terrific.
Patriots fans received the scare of the season when Brady endured a blood-curdling hit from Ndamukong Suh last week. All 307 pounds of Suh’s unsportsmanlike body fell on Brady’s precious ankles, causing him to fold into an awkward heap.
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2015 has seen Brady post his best passer rating (102.2) and highest touchdown total (36) since the 2011 season. In addition, the seven interceptions he threw were the lowest for Brady in a season since 2010 and the second-lowest total in his 16-year career.
Also worth noting is that Brady completed more passes this season (402) than he previously had in a single season.
At age 38, Brady is still at the top of his game. He won’t stop until he corrals that fifth Super Bowl ring.
Next: AFC Power Rankings: End of regular season edition
Go Pats.