Youth Serving

Without S Rodney Harrison's 35-year-old ass patrolling the secondary, is it fair to say the defense is no longer old?

They at least got a little younger. Before Harrison's injury, the defense's average age is 29. Substitute S Brandon Merriweather for Harrison and it drops to 28.

If the players are young, it's described as being inexperienced, which is a bad thing. But is inexperience bad? If a player is ready, regardless of age, play him. So far ILB Jerod Mayo has handled himself well this season. He's not the only one with four or less years in the league that is performing well for the Pats. Just look at what the greenhorns did against Denver:

• Mayo led the team in tackles with eight and he recovered a fumble two teammates failed to secure.
• S James Sanders has started every game this year so far and has been solid. He got his first interception of the year along with five tackles, good for second on the team for the night.
• LB Gary Guyton went undrafted in the 2008 Draft, but plays like a day one pick. He recovered a fumble in the game.
• Guyton's fumble was caused by DL Mike Wright, another rookie free agent who was playing in place of an injured DL Jarvis Green. Wright added a tackle for a loss, a quarterback hit, and a sack.
• The team leader in interceptions is second-year Merriweather. He added his third on Monday night. Merriweather also defended two passes.
• Signed from the practice squad to restore some depth lost at the running back position, BenJarvis Green-Ellis played the second half for Sammy Morris and averaged five yards a carry. Green-Ellis finished with 65 yards.
• K Stephen Gostkowski continues to have a breakout year as he added eleven points to the night, including two field goals and five extra points. He missed just one field goal this season, a 48-yarder.
• DL Le Kevin Smith made the most of his limited playing time by recovering a fumble.
• OLB Pierre Woods got a quarterback hit on a play that led to an interception.

Maybe the Patriots are a veteran team. But there are a lot of young players that can help now and play bigger roles as the season progresses. New England is in good shape now and the future looks promising as well.