2012 New England Patriots Predictions
Odds to win Super Bowl XLVII: 13-2

The Patriots won the AFC Championship last season but once again fell to the New York Giants (in 2008 as well) in the 2012 Super Bowl. The Pats still have one of the league’s most prolific offenses as long as Tom Brady is back at quarterback. They addressed their defensive issues in the off-season but whether that’s enough to win their fourth Super Bowl, is another story.

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Offense:

Brady threw for 5,239 yards last year, with 39 TDs and 12 INTs. The one major issue is at left tackle as Matt Light retired. Sebastian Vollmer (6-8, 315) is injury-prone, and will move to right tackle while second-year pro Nate Solder (6-8, 319) will take over for Light at left tackle. BenJarvus Green-Ellis is off to Cincinnati. They did sign Joseph Addai was signed in the off-season to compete with Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen and Danny Woodhead for playing time. They averaged 110.3 yards/game rushing last year (20th) which was mediocre. They’ve never needed a great running game but a strong one doesn’t hurt. Brady needed some receiving help considering the unit is aging. Wes Welker had another great season, catching 122 passes for 1,573 yards and nine TDs. He was franchised in the off-season.They added WRs Anthony Gonzalez and Brandon Lloyd, who can help. He caught 70 passes for 966 yards for St. Louis and Denver last year. This will be his sixth team. Brady depended an awful lot on his tight ends, especially Rob Gronkowski (6-6, 265), who was second on the team with 90 catches for 1,327 yards and 17 TDs. Aaron Hernandez (6-1, 245) is more of an H-back who caught 79 passes for 910 yards in 14 games. The offense ranked second in the NFL overall in yards per game with 428 and third in points per game with 32.1ppg and second in passing yards with 5,084.

Defense:

Head coach Bill Belichick knew that defense has been the Achilles’ heel of the team for several years. That’s an issue when you have a salary cap and spend a lot of your money on offense. The defense ranked 31st overall, allowing 411.1 yards per game though they allowed just 21.4 points per game. New England lost DE Mark Anderson (10 sacks) to the Buffalo Bills. Andre Carter (10 sacks) was an unsigned free agent and coming off a torn thigh muscle. The Pats drafted Chandler Jones (6-5, 265) from Syracuse, who should slide in at the outside linebacker/defensive end spot right away and help the Pats’ pass rush. DE Jonathan Fanene (6-4, 292) comes from Cincinnati to add depth up front NT Vince Wilfork (6-2, 325) is a Pro Bowler who anchors the middle. He has 47 tackles and 3.5 sacks last year. At linebacker, Jerod Mayo (6-1, 245) was third in tackles with 57 solos, adding two picks. They could use a playmaker and found one in Donta Hightower (6-2, 265), a big inside linebacker from Alabama, who could put his hand in the dirt and play as a pass rushing outside linebacker. In the secondary, the Pats moved Devin McCourty to safety late in the year after he struggled in coverage. He is a very good tackler, who was second on the team with 65 solo tackles. CB Kyle Arrington led the squad with 7 interceptions and 66 solo tackles. It’s never a good thing to have your corners as your top two tacklers. DB Tavon Wilson (6-0, 2030 arrives from Illinois to play safety. They also picked up FS Steve Gregory (5-11, 195) from San Diego, who had 67 tackles last year for the Chargers with just one pick. The secondary was so poor last year, they had to move WR Julian Edelman to nickel corner late in the season.

Special Teams:

Stephen Gostowski made 28 of 33 kicks last year, including a long of 59. Punter Zoltan Mesko averaged 42.8 yards per punt and nailed 24 inside the 20. Edelman (10.6ypr, 1TD) and Welker (10.3ypr) are sure-handed tough punt return men. They can use more explosiveness on kick returns as Woodhead averaged just 21.9ypr and had a long of 37.

Outlook:

Other teams keep improving but as long as the Patriots have Brady, they’ll be a contender every year.

2012 Schedule:

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