A Look Ahead to the Final Roster
Michael MacDonald (August 30, 2009)
Against the Washington Redskins Thursday evening, it felt like 2007 all over again. There was Tom Brady dropping back into the pocket. There was Randy Moss screaming downfield. There was Brady lofting a pass over Moss’ left-shoulder for a touchdown. A few minutes later, and the scene was repeated.
Tom Brady has clearly been working as hard as he has ever worked and the Patriots brass has endowed this team with a wealth of talent. Soon, they will have to whittle the squad down to 53 players and it is clear that some who get cut will end up starting for other teams.
Here is the run-down by position.
At quarterback, Terrific-Tom is back and it’s a good thing because Kevin O’Connell didn’t look sharp. Currently, there are numerous reports that O’Connell has been released by the Patriots–assuming that is true, then that leaves the Patriots with recently signed Andrew Walter as backup. The Pats are still carrying Brian Hoyer–an undrafted rookie but may end up needing to trade. The waiver of O’Connell is also likely a sign that Brady’s sore shoulder after getting hit Thursday night is not serious.
At running back, things continue to be murky. Many consider to be BenJarvus Green-Ellis tobe the odd man out here but I think his demise is not a done deal. He did not help his case with a fumble against the Bengals but it is clear that Belichick likes Green-Ellis. For now, Fred Taylor, Kevin Faulk and Laurence Maroney are givens. Assuming he is healthy, the same is true for Sammy Morris. That might make the field too crowded for Green-Ellis but it also means that Maroney needs to run hard and to stay healthy.
Tight-end is another tough spot to figure. Benjamin Watson is the mystery man here. He missed 15 games in his rookie season and 10 more games over the last 4 years. He has missed most practices this year with an undisclosed injury. A terrific blocker and a better-than-average receiver, Watson has to demonstrate that he has NFL durability. The Pats will carry 3 or 4 tight ends. For now, pencil Watson in but he is fighting for his job. Alex Smith has a 1.4 million dollar contract that the Patriots might not want to carry. Chris Baker and Dave Thomas are pretty much assured spots.
At wide receiver, Moss and Wes Welker are the studs. After that, there is a lot of talent but how it plays out in forming a squad is debatable. Julian Edelman will get a spot as will Sam Aiken if for his special-teams play alone. After that, pencil in Joey Galloway though I have not been as impressed as I had thought I would be. Ditto Greg Lewis. If Belichick decides to go with just 5 receivers, Galloway or Lewis will be out of a job.
Offensive line: Veterans Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal and Nick Kaczur are givens. That leaves most likely just three open spots. As of this juncture, I’d guess those would be Russ Hickstein, Rick Ohrnberger and Sebastian Vollmer. Ryan O’Callaghan has played well in the pre-season but there may not be room for him on the September 14 roster.
Ted Bruschi has announced his retirement after 13 seasons with the New England Patriots.
The Pats figured to have a lot of holes to fill in the defensive backfield. The strongest part of that squad appears to be the linebacking corp. Adalius Thomas is healthy and looking great and Jerod Mayo looks to have another great seeason. Gary Guyton and Pierre Woods probably have the other two slots sewn up.
NOTE: As I was writing this, I learned that Tedy Bruschi had announced his intention to retire. I had written this “Tedy Bruschi is back but is clearly a step slower than he used to be and may see limited action or even end up fighting for his job.” I for one am happy to see Tedy hang up the cleats. I had been in the running to write his biography and though I don’t know the man personally, I have admired him and see no need for him to be out on the field getting beat up.
Derrick Burgess and Tully Banta-Cain both look to be solid contributors as defensive ends when the Pats run the 4-3 dropping back to linebacker or rushing the passer.
The rest of the defensive line looks strong with Richard Setmour, Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork battening down the hatches. Jarvis Green is a perennial contributor and Ron Brace and Myron Pryor are two rookies who look to get a lot of playing time through the year. Mike Wright will likely get a spot because of his versatility.
At safety, Brandon Merriweather is terrific. James Sanders is a proven veteran. Pat Chung has been playing hard and is a shoo-in. Either Brandon McGowan or Matthew Slater will take the fourth slot. Slater has hurt himself by twice getting penalized for fair catch interference. He may have saved his own job when he down a punt on the Washington 2-yard line. While teams normally carry four safeties, the Boston Globe is predicting that the Pats will carry 5. Given the injuries in that position over the past years, perhaps they are correct.
At cornerback, Leigh Bodden is the obvious first choice. Jonathan Wilhite has played hard and may have earned himself a starting position opposite of Bodden. Darius Butler is a talented young rookie who will find a spot on the roster and generous playing time as well. Shawn Springs has a big contract and the Pats may keep him on the roster just to avoid the salary cap hit. If so, Terrence Wheatley may be odd man out. Once again, the Pats may carry 5 in this position.
Placekicker Stephen Gostkowski and punters Chris Hanson are no-brainers of course. I like rookie Jake Ingraham in the long snapper role though veteran Nathan Hodel is still battling for the spot. The loser will be carried on the practice squad.
My best guess for the final 53 barring any trades, free-agent signings, etc. Players in brackets are the ones most likely to be fighting for their jobs right to the end:
- QB: Tom Brady, Andrew Walter, Brian Hoyer
- RB: Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, [BenJarvus Green-Ellis]
- TE: Benjamin Watson, Chris Baker, Dave Thomas, [Alex Smith]
- WR: Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Sam Aiken, Greg Lewis, [Joey Galloway]
- OL: Nick Kaczur, Dan Koppen, Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Stephen Neal, Russ Hochstein,
- Sebastian Vollmer, Rich Ohrnberger
- DL: Jarvis Green, Richard Seymour, Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Ron Brace, Myron Pryor, Mike
- Wright
- DL/LB: Derrick Burgess, Tully Banta-Cain
- LB: Jerod Mayo, Adalius Thomas, Pierre Woods, Gary Guyton, [Eric Alexander]
- CB: Leigh Bodden, Jonathan Wilhite, Darius Butler, Shawn Springs, [Terrence Wheatley]
- S: Brandon Meriweather, James Sanders, Pat Chung, Matthew Slater, [Brandon McGowan]
- ST: Stephen Gostkowski, Chris Hanson, Jake Ingram
