It was seven months ago that New England was blasted on their home field in a Wild Card loss to Baltimore. Now, with a few free agent additions and the arrival of a very intriguing draft class, we get our first glimpse of the 2010 Patriots.
The starters won’t play much against the reigning Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints, which is what I want. I’m more interested in the players fighting for their roster spots. Here’s what I’ll be looking for Thursday night:
Who starts: LG is up in the air with Logan Mankins holding out and Nick Kaczur injured. With one OLB spot an open competition, who plays with the first unit could indicate who’s in the lead. Will ILB Gary Guyton play alongside Jerod Mayo or has Brandon Spikes already nudged the Georgia Tech product aside? We’ll see if S Pat Chung can take the first step toward warding off challengers James Sanders and Brandon McGowan. And if WR Wes Welker sits this one out, who is the back-up plan?
Tight Ends on the Loose: QB Tom Brady never had this much receiving talent at this position in his 10 years with New England. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez get to prove if they are worthy of the high praise they received from draft evaluators.
The Cunning Mr. Cunningham: I have no idea what OLB Jermaine Cunningham brings to the team. Is he more run stopper or can he really get after the quarterback? He is one of my biggest curiosities because he was an unexpected selection.
A Pair of Good Catches: I like the idea of taking a chance on WR Taylor Price, an under-utilized receiver from a run-first offense. We’ll see if he’s better with more opportunities. And WR Brandon Tate pretty much had a redshirt year with the Pats last year. Tate could send a message to the rest of the league for not drafting him in 2009.
Head-to-head: QBs Brian Hoyer and Zac Robinson will get plenty of snaps to make their case to be Brady’s back-up.
Question? Comments? Send to talktome@randolphc.com.
