Last Season: 14-2 regular season record, Super Bowl Champions
By the way, that gives us FIVE (5) Championships:NasWinsAgain:
Notable Roster Additions:
Brandin Cooks, WR :LaughingAtYou:
formerly of the New Orleans Saints
Stephon Gilmore, CB :patsmjgrin:
formerly of the Buffalo Bills
Dwayne Allen, TE :UMadPats:
formerly of the Indianapolis Colts
Rex Burkhead, RB/FB
formerly of the Cincinatti Bengals
Mike Gillislee, RB :PacHahaPats:
formerly of the Buffalo Bills
Re-signed Players:
Malcolm Butler, CB :PatsCelebration:
Dont'a Hightower, LB
Duron Harmon, S
Brandon Bolden, RB
Notable Losses:
Martellus Bennett, TE :BennettBlackFist:
Rob Ninkovich, TE (retired)
LeGarrette Blount, RB :patsfrancis:
Logan Ryan, CB:patsfrancis:
Chris Long, DE
Barkevious Mingo, LB
Jabaal Sheard, DE :cmonbreh:
Julian Edelman, WR (torn ACL during preseason)
:Cole_World:Since Tom "GOAT QB" Brady has become the starter, the New England Patriots have won the AFC Division for 8 straight seasons. The Pats have also won the AFC division title in 14 of the 16 years that Tom Terrific became the man.
Brady's milestones, records, and unbelievable comeback victory from a 25-point deficit victory against the AtLanta FaLcons :soulsnatched:in last year's Super Bowl SOLIDIFIED Brady as the GOAT QB. And now he's looking to match his idol (Michael Jordan
) by capturing ring #6.The Patriots will likely represent the AFC in the Super Bowl for the 8th time in the Brady-Belichick era. And they'll probably win their 6th title in that time frame.
The Pats are as big and deep of a squad as it has ever been before during the Brady-Belichick era. Brady now has an abundance of weapons in the air and on ground.
Brandin Cooks' addition will provide Brady with a big-time receiver that will probably be his best long route receiver since Randy Moss. At 22, Cooks already has 215 catches for 2,861 yards and 20 TDs on 315 targets, which includes back-to-back seasons with 1,000+ yards receiving. New England gave up their 1st-round pick in 2017 and a 3rd rounder while getting back a 4th-round selection.
To recover from the losses of Martellus Bennett and LeGarrette Blount, the Pats signed Dwayne Allen, Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee.
Allen is a talented TE but, in Indianapolis, he was unable to develop into a premier TE. However, he's a big redzone threat and will have his share of scoring opportunities from Brady.
Burkhead had his best season as a pro RB last season with the Bengals. After Giovani Bernard went down, he outplayed Jeremy Hill on early downs (74 rushes/344 yards/2 TDs – 4.6 yards per rush) while being viable in the passing game (17 receptions/145 yards).
Gillislee was brought in to take over the lead power back role. In the last 2 seasons with the Bills, he averaged 5.7 yards per rush with 9 TDs with 148 rushes for 844 yards. However, he offers little in the passing game (15 receptions/79 yards/1 TD). In his best season at Florida, Mike rushed for 1,152 yards with 10 TDs on 244 carries. He also caught 16 passes for 159 yards and a TD. Last season, the Pats gave Blount 299 rushes for 1,161 yards and 18 TDs. Gillislee must prove he can handle a high volume of rushes over a long season. He’s never had over 260 touches in a season.
The Pats' major defensive signing is Stephon Gilmore to start at CB (we lost Logan Ryan to the Titans). This is a HUGE addition for the Patriots but Belichick also sent a signal to Malcolm Butler whose future is at risk. Butler is looking to get PAID but the Pats control his rights for a couple of more years. The Saints tried to add him, but they didn't want to give up the 10th pick in this year’s draft.
Re-signing Dont'a Hightower and Duron Harmon were also great personnel decisions by Belichick. Belichick certainly couldn't afford to let High leave because Ninkovich retired. Had we lost both High and Ninkovich this offseason, our defensive would've fallen apart at the LB positions. Glad that Kraft and Beli weren't too stingy with the money. :NasStaysWinning:
Despite Julian Edelman's torn ACL injury during preseason (he'll most likely miss this upcoming season
), the Patriots still boast one of the league's best receiving corps. Patriots still have: Brandin Cooks, Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, Malcolm Mitchell, Dwayne Allen, Austin Carr, Matthew Slater and Devin Lucien as WRs and TEs. Brady will have absolutely no shortage of receiving options.I can honestly say that this is the most talented and deepest Patriots squad in the past 16 years. Patriots are clear favorites to win the AFC and the Super Bowl altogether. Although the team lost some very important players either to retirement or free agency, the Pats did an excellent job on re-signing crucial players and adding established and talented veterans to offset their lost players.
Barring major injuries (really, to Brady), Brady and the Pats will capture Ring #6, further cementing Brady's legacy as the GOAT QB, Belichick's legacy as the GOAT coach, and the Patriots' reputation as the league's best football team.
If there's anything we've come to learn about the Patriots, it's to NEVER count them out.
Greatness is on the horizon for the Patriots this season. Let's enjoy the ride and cherish our sustained excellence for almost 2 decades. :NasWinsAgain:
My #Brehtriots
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