New England Patriot Q & A

Recently I spoke with Jamie Pacheco of MusketFire and we asked each other a few questions about the upcoming game between his New England Patriots and our Miami Dolphins.  Here is what Jamie had to say to my Q’s.  You can read my answers to his questions by going to MusketFire.

1:  With all the draft picks the Pats have had in recent years, why is their defense still suspect?

"Poor drafting on the defensive side of the ball. Bill Belichick hasn’t selected a single pass rusher and his secondary picks have been flops. Devin McCourty has been the best of the secondary bunch, but even he has struggled this season. Jerod Mayo has been the only recent defensive draft pick that I can say has definitely panned out. Of course, if you keep moving back, you pass by plenty of talent (Clay Matthews, Jr)."

2:  who is the biggest threat to the Patriots post season success?

"The Patriots’ defense! But if you’re looking for a team, there’s a couple. If Ben Roethlisberger can get healthy enough, he has shown that he can take advantage of the Patriots’ defense while having a defense good enough to slow Brady down. If the Chargers are able to sneak in, they could be dangerous with their offense as well."

3:  there have been a lot of injuries this year, some have derailed playoff hopes, will Belichick rest his players if they have a big lead or lock up home field advantage?

"Belichick already has sat Brady late in games a few times, so I think that he would continue that. He wouldn’t sit the starters for an entire game, but they certainly wouldn’t finish the game. The Patriots have already suffered numerous injuries, and they can’t afford to lose anybody, especially on offense."

4:  aside from Wes Welker and the two TEs who is the biggest receiving threat for the Pats?

"Deion Branch. Who else is there? Chad Ochocinco has done diddly poo offensively (channeling some Jim Mora there) and Tiquan Underwood is more known for his hair than his receiving skills."

5:  what are the off season needs for the Pats, since Miami fans are in full off-season mode already?

"Defensive ends (pass rushers), linebackers (pass rushers), and some secondary help. That’s all levels of the defense right? Offensively, the Patriots could use a wide receiver that can stretch the field, more of a vertical threat than Wes Welker or Deion Branch."