New England Patriots Training Camp Preview
The New England Patriots stormed back from a 28 to 3 deficit in the super bowl last season against the Atlanta Falcons and won it in overtime. This season the Patriots have a target on their backs once again.
New England is definitely the most hated team in the NFL if you are not a Patriots fan. Well it doesn't matter what the Patriots think of you or not, they have one goal at the end of the day and that's to win another championship.
That all starts with Tom Brady. He has been amazing considering his age. Will see what he has in the tank this season. Jimmy Garoppolo will be the backup. Jacoby Brissett will be the third quarterback.
Running back is an interesting position for the Patriots. They don't like to run the ball a whole lot. New England likes to use them as extra wide receivers. They are also very small, but they are very fast.
Dion Lewis will be the first running back. James White will be the second running back. The other two running backs that make the roster will be Mike Gillislee and Brandon Bolden.
The Patriots have a very good receiving core, but it is more of a committee week in and week out. Chris Hogan, Julian Edelman, and Brandin Cooks will be the three main receivers on the team. Danny Amendola and Malcolm Mitchell who will most likely be four and five are also reliable.
In reality, the sixth spot will be a battle but not necessarily. It will be Matthew Slater over Andrew Hawkins because Slater has been a special teamer for years for New England.
At tight end, Rob Gronkowski is the best in the business when he his healthy. Dwyane Allen will be the second tight end and he will be pretty good as well. James O'Shaughnessy or Matt Lengel will be the other tight end on the roster.
The offensive line is good but it could also be very inconsistent at times. The starters will most likely be Nate Solder, Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Shaquille Mason, and Marcus Cannon. Jamil Douglas and Cameron Fleming could also compete for a starting spot on the offensive line.
The defensive line is average but Kony Ealy starting will make it above average. The other starters will probably be Alan Branch, Malcom Brown, and Trey Flowers. Lawrence Guy could be a key piece in the rotation.
New England could have one of the most underrated linebacking cores in the entire league in Dont'a Hightower, David Harris, and Rob Ninkovich. Shea McClellin and Brooks Ellis could make an impact at linebacker as well.
The secondary is also underrated. Malcolm Butler, Patrick Chung, Devin McCourty, and Stephon Gilmore will be the starters. Eric Rowe and Nate Ebner will also be a huge part in this secondary.
Stephen Gostkowski will be the Patriots kicker. Ryan Allen will be the Patriots punter. Dion Lewis will be the team's kick returner and Julian Edelman will be the team's punt returner.
The Patriots are on a mission to repeat. No one has done it since the Patriots did it themselves during 2004 and 2005 playoffs.
