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Jersey Number/Player Name/Position/Contract’s final year of play

The most important thing to examine in each positional grouping is the way contract end dates appear.  To many ending this year or next year can prove problematic to re-signing desired players.  Teams typically attempt to re-sign a player at least one year prior to a deals end if said player has significantly out-preformed their prior deal.  This is also a way to get a good home town discount for the team for multiple reasons.  Firstly the team can lock a player up before they set even higher standards (a player on the rise).  Second and most important is uncertainty.  Players do not like being at the end of their contracts.  It is a significant risk for them.  If the player becomes injured then his ability to get a new and better contract is frequently quite difficult.  So the team may sign a player for less than they could get if they waited simply as a risk/reward concern.  This means the player is essentially signing away a little future money to assure it continues coming in at all.  The trick to that of course involves complex salary cap issues, guarenteed money(think signing bonuses), and percieved market value.  So let’s get to the teams concerns.

Players

Defensive Line

99 Mike Wright DL 2008                   95 Kenny Smith DL 2008

97 Jarvis Green DL 2009                   93 Richard Seymour DL 2009

80 Le Kevin Smith DL 2009             75 Vince Wilfork DL 2009

62 Titus Adams DT 2011                  94 Ty Warren DL 2013

Kenny Smith was not a significant contributer on the field so his value is difficult to gauge.  Mike Wright was an adequate reserve lineman who started for injured Ty Warren and Wilfork on different occasions.  The fact that Green, Seymour, and Wilfork are all on the last year of their contracts is a concern.  It would be expected to see at least 2/3 of them re-signed prior to the start of the season.  The three of them have ben a very important part of the D-line the last few years.  Look for Seymour, Wilfork, and Warren to continue starting, with Jarvis Green providing most of the playtime off the bench.

Offensive Line

65 Wesley Britt T 2008                      71 Russ Hochstein G/C/FB 2008

64 Mark LeVoir OT 2008                  75 Barry Stokes OL 2008?

74 Billy Yates OL 2009                      63 Dan Connolly OL 2009

70 Logan Mankins G 2009                               77 Nick Kazcur T 2009

61 Stephen Neal G 2009                    72 Matt Light T 2010

68 Ryan O’Callahan T 2011            67 Dan Koppen C 2011

62 Ryan Wendell C 2011

Offensive line determinations are difficult from year to year. The Patriots typically sign a number of veteran reserves from year to year as well as stashing at least a couple on the practic squad each year.  This ends up meaning there are quite a few expiring contracts from year to year.  Russ Hochstein has been a strong contributer in his reserve role.  He’s taken on quite a few different responsiblities in different situations.  Belichick loves this type of contributor so I highly doubt he is not re-signed in some capacity.  The major concern here is that of the starting offensive line only two players are signed beyond this season.  I would look for the Patriots to re-sign at least a couple of those players prior to training camp.  With the needed cohesion of O-Lines it is doubtful that the Patriots would shake up the starting offensive line (barring injuries) in any significant manner look for Light, Mankins, Koppen, Neal, and Kazcur to continue to start this coming season.

Quarterback

16 Matt Cassel QB  2008                  7 Matt Gutierrez QB  2009

12 Tom Brady QB 2010                    5 Kevin O’Connell QB 2011

This group is what has and will generate the most press.  Cassel has been towing the company line of late.  I expect him to be traded prior to training camp.  It would not surprise me to see Cassel in another uniform before March.  The likely scenario will involve at least a first round pick for Cassel, but I would expect more.  There have been a few disgruntled players in other uniforms that would be interesting choices for the Patriots in such a trade.  Carolina has one of the more interesting tag and trade scenarios available.  Look for the Patriots to milk this situation for all it’s worth.  With Kevin O’Connell looking promising in the 2008 pre-season it would appear as though the depth chart very well may look like this by the end of the pre-season Brady, O’Connell, and Gutierrez.  O’Connell represents the highest draft choice(3^rd round) spent on a QB since Belichick began coaching the Patriots.  The Patriots have a long history of bringing a fourth quarterback into camp to keep the others working hard so look for competition for the third slot by either an undrafted FA or a very low draft choice(5-7^th rd).

Special Teams

6 Chris Hanson P 2008                      1 Tom Malone P  2011

53 Larry Izzo LB 2008                      66 Lonie Paxtton LS 2008

3 Stephen Gostowski K 2009

The punting situation is difficult to call.  At first glance the writing appears to be on the wall for Chris Hanson.  However at the end of the Buffalo game Belichick praised Chris considerably for his punting prowess.  So this position may be intriguing in camp.  Many teams did not have more than one punter and kicker signed in  camp beyond the second roster cut down.  It would not surprise me if Hanson is allowed to walk now, though more likely is that he is signed with the intent to compete with Malone in camp. 

I can’t imagine the Patriots fail to re-sign Lonie here.  The long snapper is one of the strangest jobs in the NFL.  Lonie did not mess up a single time this past season to my memory and has been a consistent contributor.  Do not look for the Patriots to change this.  Izzo has been a productive contributor on special teams for quite a number of years.  He has not played any significant time outside special teams in his career with the Patriots.  With the turnover of the Special Teams coach this year it would be expected that the special teams captain(Izzo) is re-signed to maintain some consistency in that phase of the game. 

Kicking is a fickle pursuit.  Gostowski has earned himself a pro-bowl nod this year.  Look for the Patriots to re-sign him during this upcoming season providing he continues his accurate and consistent ways.

Secondary

Safety

26 Tank Williams S 2008                  30 Mark Dillard S 2008?

37 Rodney Harrison S 2008              41 Ray Ventrone S 2008

36 James Sanders S 2008                  31 Bradon Merriweather S 2011

The Patriots safety position and secondary in general is under intense scrutiny following a season in which defense ranked last in the league in third and long.  Coach Belichick has been quoted saying essentially the majority of errors were of technique usage so we’ll have to see if the shakeup at secondary coach will impact this or if the loss of Harrison as the signal caller for the secondary was to blame.  Speaking of Rodney Harrison it is all together likely that his season ending injury in 2008 was his last year of play.  His contract is up (althoguh much of the secondary is in the same position) but his age would seem to be catching up to him.  He has had season ending injuries in several campaigns now and this does not bode well for his future.  Sanders and Merriweather were the mainstays at the position in the absence of Harrison so look for them to fill the void.  The real question mark is Tank Williams.  In 2008 preseason he was being used in an interesting package.  The Patriots were using what they called a big nickel which employs three safeties.  Tank was on the field for those snaps prior to his trip to Injured Reserve.  It would not be a surprise to see him return and Coach Belichick try something similar.  The prevelence of larger recievers and quality catching tight ends has made this particular defensive package much more intriguing.

Cornerback

23 Jason Webster CB 2008               29 Lewis Sanders CB 2008

35 Mike Richardson CB 2008          21 Deltha O’Neal CB 2008

27 Ellis Hobbs III CB 2009               28 Antwain Spann CB 2009

22 Terrence Wheatley CB 2011       24 Jonathan Wilhite CB 2011

Corner back has been the scape goat for the defense this past season.  Though several of the players played through significant injuries. Deltha O’Neal was beat repeatedly early in the year  and eventually had to give up a large cushion to recievers due to his penchant for allowing people to get behind him.  Look for O’Neal to be out of football this year.  The Patriots seemingly stuck him in there with lack of anyone else to play.  They had  season ending injuries to several of the players.  Expect increased playing time for 2008 rookies Wheatley and Wilhite as the season progresses.  It is difficult to gauge Hobbs true abilities as he seems to be injured every year.  Do not be surprised if the Patriots draft a cornerback early or trade/sign a more marquee player.

Wide Reciever

10 Jabar Gaffney WR 2008              17 Maurice Price WR 2008?

88 Sam Aiken WR 2009                    15 Kelley Washington WR 2009

81 Randy Moss WR 2010                 83 Wes Welker WR 2011

18 Matthew Slater WR 2011

The receiving corp lacks depth after Moss and Welker.  There is no doubt that should they remain healthy they will be the starting tandem for the Patriots in 2009.  Gaffney has proven to be a lower tier option.  He has dropped several key balls in the small number of attempts he gets, do not expect the Patriots to pay a premium to retain him.  On the other hand the roster gets much worse beyond Gaffney.  The remaining recievers combined for less than 200 yards for the entire 2008 season.  Aiken and Washington have proven to be useful on special teams so they have the ability to move into the third reciever spot if either can show more flash in the passing game.  Matthew Slater is one of the more interesting prospects.  He’s a sort of jack of all trades.  We’ve seen him at safety, corner, and reciever this year as well as special teams.  I have little doubt he will return again next season as long as he can show constant improvement.  Belichick just loves those kind of guys.

Tight End

86 David Thomas TE 2009               84 Ben Watson TE 2009

85 Tyson Devree TE 2009

Tight end is a difficult group to judge.  They primarily are used for blocking in the Patriots offense.  Most especially since Watson, with all his gifts and grit, drops the ball way way to much.  Look for him to rededicate himself to the craft and come back with a vengeance this preseason.  Thomas was primarily a block and Devree seemed to be still learning the offense so look for more action in the preseason with TE competition.  The Patriots lack a truly dynamic threat in that position.

Running Back

44 Heath Evans FB 2008                  42 BenJarvus Green-Ellis RB 2008

32 Lamont Jordan RB  2008            33 Kevin Faulk RB 2009

34 Sammy Morris RB 2010              39 Laurence Maroney RB 2010

The running game was well executed this year.  The main problem was finding a healthy running back.  Expect shakeup in this position as the off season progresses. Faulk was as dependable as ever so expect him to contribute again this coming season.  Samy Morris showed himself well in the runing game when called upon.  Outside those two the water gets much murkier.  Green-Ellis was decent in reserve work, but his YPC was wel below what a full time starter should have.  Do not expect the Patriots to use him barring injuries.  Lamont Jordan is a question mark with his health concerns but has been a great runner when healthy.  His return could go either way depending on the available backs and draft.  Heath Evans did not see significant playing time this season, barring improvement on his part, or a shift to a more running oriented offense (extremely unlikely) look for his spot on the roster to be up for grabs.Look for the potential release of Laurence Maroney.  He has been injured regularly since being drafted and has looked tentative running the ball when healthy.

 Linebacker

55 Junior Seau MLB 2008                                58 Pierre Woods OLB 2008

54 Tedy Bruschi MLB 2009             51 Jerod Mayo MLB 2012

52 Eric Alexander LB 2008               92 Darrell Robertson LB 2008

95 Rosevelt Colvin OLB 2008          59 Gary Guyton LB 2009

49 Vince Redd LB 2009                    50 Mike Vrabel LB 2009

48 Angelo Craig LB 2010                  96 Adalius Thomas LB 2011

98 Shawn Crable OLB 2011                                91 Bo Rudd LB 2011

The linebacker position is overstocked in part because many of these players have played exclusively on special teams as well as the plethora of injuries to the Patriots linebackers over the course of the season.  Do not expect Seau or Colvin to return.  Look for Pierre Woods to be re-signed in the offseason well before the draft.  Bruschi has been playing less and less football as each year passes so expect him to retire this or next season as his role diminishes.  Darrell Robertson is a longshot to make the roster this coming season.  Gary Guyton was a pleasant surprise this season as an undrafted FA.  He made his way on the field in subpackages throughout the year so expect an expanded role for him this coming season.  Starters for the year will likely be Vrabel, Woods/Guyton, Mayo, and Thomas.  The real question marks are Crable, Rudd, and Redd.  Their early trips to IR make for much speculation.  Belichick loves smart linebackers so expect him to really whittle this pack down to a more dedicated group.   It is, however, safe to say that the Patriots questions at linebacker are fairly well solved after this past seasons excellent drafting/signing process.