Today we look at the New England Patriots.

LAST SEASON: The Patriots made the playoffs once again, finishing the regular season 12-4.  They got to the AFC Championship game, but just fell short to the Colts.

Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers

QB's: Tom Brady, Matt Cassel, Old Man Testaverde
WR's: Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, Chad Jackson, Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney, Chad Jackson, Troy Brown, Kelley Washington, Bam Childress, C.J. Jones, Kelvin Kight

Quarterback is definetly not a concern, as Brady is great.  Moss once upon a time was great, but he lacks effort, and I don't think he's a legit #1 receiver anymore.  Stallworth isn't a terrible #2 guy, but he's injured often.  Welker is a pretty good slot option, and Caldwell isn't a terrible receiver either.  And if Troy Brown is called upon, he's still not bad.  Not a bad group, but they fall short of a 9.

QB/WR score: 8/10

Running Backs/Tight Ends

HB's: Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris, Justise Hairston, Quadtrine Hill
FB's: Heath Evans, Garrett Mills
TE's: Ben Watson, Kyle Brady, David Thomas, Matt Kranchick

Maroney had a solid season in his rookie year.  The question of course is is he ready to be the #1 guy?  Morris isn't a terrible power back behind him, although he's not quite Dillon.  Faulk is a great receiver out of the backfield.  Evans is a solid blocking fullback, and not a bad running one either.  Watson is a very good receiving tight end, and Brady is a great blocking tight end.  Solid group.

RB/TE Score: 8/10

Offensive Line

T's: Matt Light, Nick Kaczur, Ryan O'Callaghan, Wesley Britt, Clint Oldenburg, Corey Hilliard
G's: Stephen Neal, Logan Mankins, Russ Hochstein, Billy Yates, Gene Mruczkowski, Mike Elgin
C's: Dan Koppen, Brian Barthelmes, Lonnie Paxton

Light is a very good tackle, and when the young Kaczur is healthy, he's solid as well.  If Kaczur still struggles, the 2nd year O'Callaghan was solid last year in his place.  Neal and Mankins are both very good guards, and Koppen is one of the NFL's better centers.  Plus, if injury happens at guard or center, Hochstein can come in and do well.   A great line.

OL Score: 10/10

Defensive Line

DT's: Vince Wilfork, Rashad Moore, Kenny Smith, Le Kevin Smith, Mike Wright, Santonio Thomas, Kareem Brown
DE's: Richard Seymour, Ty Warren, Jarvis Green, Justin Rogers

Wilfork is a very good line clogger for the 3-4 defense.  Mike Wright isn't a bad guy to take the spot if he gets hurt.  Seymour is a great run stopping end, and Warren is a pretty good end himself.  Green is a pretty good pass rusher to bring in as well.  A great defensive line.

DL Score: 10/10

Linebackers

LB's: Mike Vrabel, Adalius Thomas, Tedy Bruschi, Rosevelt Colvin, Junior Seau, Larry Izzo, Chad Brown, Corey Mays, Eric Alexander, Pierre Woods, Oscar Lua

Thomas was a great pickup, as he can be a great playmaker from the outside.  Bruschi and Vrabel are pretty good inside linebackers.  Colvin is a solid pass rushing outside backer.  Old man Seau still has some kick left in him as well.  Another great group, and another 10.

LB Score: 10/10

Defensive Backs

CB's: Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Chad Scott, Tory James, Artell Hawkins, Willie Andrews, Randall Gay, Eddie Jackson, Mike Richardson
S's: Eugene Wilson, Rodney Harrison, Brandon Meriweather, Rashad Baker, Mel Mitchell, James Sanders

Samuel is a great #1 corner.  The Patriots problem is that Samuel is planning on holding out, which could kill them as they don't have another #1 guy.  Hobbs and Scott aren't bad, but neither are more than a #2 corner.  James isn't a bad add, but another guy who's really a #2 guy at best.  Wilson isn't bad, but has injury issues.  Harrison is still very good, but also can't stay healthy.  They drafted Meriweather, but can they expect a rookie to take over?  They may have Hawkins play there if injury occurs, and he's average at best.  With Samuel, they get probably a 9, and without a 7, so I'll give an 8 with questions looming.

DB Score: 8/10

Special Teams

K: Stephen Gostkowski
P: Josh Miller
KR: Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk

The rookie Gostkowski had a rookie like average season.  He's not bad, but not great either.  When Miller is healthy, he's a solid punter.  Maroney was a pretty good kick returner last year, and Faulk was a pretty good punt returner.  Solid group.

ST Score: 8/10

Coaches
 

Head Coach: Bill Belichick
O. Coordinator: Josh McDaniels
D. Coordinator: Dean Pees

Belichick has done nothing but good things for the Patriots, and is arguably the best active coach in the game.  McDaniels is a 2nd year offensive coordinator, and is they youngest coordinator in the game (29).  Pees is also a 2nd year coordinator.  But Belichick is really the only name you need to see when scoring this group.

Coach score: 5/5

Recap

QB/WR- 8/10

RB/TE- 8/10

OL- 10/10

DL- 10/10

LB- 10/10

DB- 8/10

ST- 8/10

C- 5/5

Make sure and leave your rankings for the Patriots.

Up next, we look at the final division in the series, the AFC West, and look at last years' worst team; the Oakland Raiders.