Okay, that's done, let's talk football...

Moss for 24 and Brady for 52 TDs, Welker fro 120 receptions, Gaffney for a career season, Vrabel with 1 reception/TD etc, etc etc....

The offense will set a couple new records and reset some from last year.

The defense will be ...ahem... the weak point again by being ranked 4th or 5th in the league. Who starts what position...Hmmm

Bryant starts, Hobbs just had another surgery so it's up in the air for me, will he be ready or not. If not it may be Wheatly, or maybe Slater. Harrison will start the season and keep the job if he remains healthy. Meriweather will take over if he doesn't, to nobody's suprise. 

LB's are all the old guys (no pun intended...) with rotations by Hobson and Mayo will be broken in slow.

My $.02 (basically stating the obvious to kill time at work...)

Have a good weekend all!!!

I am a fan of another team but I follow the Patriots with great interest.

1. I think Moss and Brady will have another tremendous year, but not record shattering.  Brady should have around 40 TDs and Moss should grab about 18 of those.  I have always liked Moss and think that he plays with alot of heart.  He was in a toilet in Oakland and didn't respond well.  Ultimately, though, he is a future hall of famer and his play on the field will continue to reveal that.

2.Your cornerback situation is probably your biggest question mark.  Meriweather was drafted high and didn't really impress at free safety, but he may find his niche as a cover corner.  Harrison is great but getting old.  Hobbs is fast but gets beaten more than he should.  Questions abound, but if the rookies step and the pass rush returns to full force the d-back play could be okay.  Corners-Bryant, Meriweather.  FS-James Sanders. SS-Harrison.

3.The LB corps should be alot better with the addtion of Mayo.  IMO he was the best LB in the draft.  (Keith Rivers benefited from alot of hype, Mayo had better on the field production with similair measureables).  The Patriots defense is almost always in the right position.  Last year, though, they really lost some speed.  Your starters should be Thomas, Bruschi, Mayo, Vrabel.  Mayo will have some adjustments to make, but will learn quickly.  I think Thomas will really step up this year.

4.I think the offensive line is really good.  Their performance in the Superbowl was disappointing and the primary culprit for the loss.  Part of that, though, stems from the philosophy of the spread offense.  I think that if they could do it over, the Patriots would have had Brady hand off more in the SB to set up play action.  The Pats line gives Brady alot of time and doesn't need an overhaul.  Looking to make long passes is feast or famine sometimes and Brady just didn't have time to do that in the SB.  I suspect more of a commitment to running and the short passing game with occasional shots downfield.

Anyway, good luck Pats fans!  Hopefully my Saints could meet the Patriots in the Superbowl and pull one out against your team.

• The Brady to Moss combo will continue to dominate but I doubt they'll match 2007's numbers.  I'd really love to see Jackson emerge as the #2 guy this year and show us why the Pats made him a 2nd round pick.
• Rodney at SS with Tank ready to take over in case of injury.  I'd love to see Meriweather take over the starting position at FS but even if he doesn't, Sanders has proven to be a solid starter.  Bryant and Hobbs are my choices for starters at CB for now but I wouldn't be surprised to see Wheatley replace Bryant midway through the season.  Wilhite will most likely be in on Dime packages but I'm not getting my hopes up otherwise.
• I could see Mayo earning the spot next to Bruschi in the middle with Vrabel and Thomas on the outside.  Look for Crable to get lots of playing time on passing downs.
• O line is going to be just fine if you ask me.  Keep in mind, the Giants had the best front four in the NFL last season, so it's not like our O line laid an egg against a bunch of scrubs.  I think we've got some depth on the line too when you consider the experience our backups have.  I wouldn't worry about this unit in 2008.

1. I think Randy Moss will continue to "play with heart" as you put it, but he and Tom Brady will not come close to either of their records from last season. I think opposing teams will really try to cover their ass on the deep balls, and it will force Brady to throw a lot more to his underneath routes. This leads to 100+ receptions for Moss, and 110+ for Wes Welker. Moss and Welker each go over 1,000 yards, and Brady finishes somewhere around 35-40 TDs.
2. The starting secondary is still up in the air. If Ty Law does eventually sign on with the Patriots I think you see he and Ellis Hobbs as the starters, Fernando Bryant comes in on the outside during nickel situations and Hobbs goes in to the slot. Terrence Wheatley will see a lot of time rotating in and in dime packages, while I think Jonathan Wilhite ends up on the practice squad. Starting Safties would be Rodney Harrison and James Sanders with Brandon Merriweather being used primarily to rotate in. If Law doesn't sign then Hobbs and Bryant are your starters with Wheatley as the nickel back and Merriweather will be moved to CB, leaving Harrison and Sanders as starting safeties but with Tank Lewis as the primary backup. This position is far from settled.
3. LBs? I'm not so sure we see Tedy Bruschi as a starter... (blasphemy, I know). I'm not sure if Jerod Mayo starts the year as a starter, but he will be by mid-season. I think if Victor Hobson works out he, Brushci, and Mayo rotate in the middle, but don't forget that Junior Seau may still be back... Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas are your definite outside starters, and I think Shawn Crable's athleticism wins him a job rotating in ahead of Pierre Woods or Eric Alexander (neither of whom I care for at all). Ruud? if he isn't on the practice team he will see time primarily on special teams, but very little time on the defensive side of the ball.
4. I'm not overly concerned with our offensive line, I no longer think they are the dominant unit we thought we had throughout last year, but better play calling against the big time pass rushing teams would go a long way to helping them. I think Josh McDaniel is the one who choked in the Super Bowl, never changing their offensive approach until the last offensive drive. I don't think depth is a problem, because we have very experienced back ups who could probably start for some other teams. Nick Kazcur has started on and off, Wesley Britt has seen some time, and Russ Hochstein can play any position and has started on some of our Super Bowl winning teams. We may not be dominant up front but we are deep.

Maroney will run a lot more than last year.

Hopefully Mayo will start, not sure who gets the other spot.

The offensive line is fine. They just had a bad game.

Moss and Brady connection, not to mention Welker will probably be even better this year. Time will surely tell about Mayo, but I would say he will prove to be well worth the top ten pick. With this years defense, there is alot of youth along with it, so now there will be more speed mainly up the middle. This should be a totally different defense this year. I'm quite satisfied with the draft picks. Should be a good year.