Looking at the Patriots - 2021

Our TE room is one of the best in the league.

Jonnu should surprise some Pats fans this year who don't know his abilities as a receiver. Smith is great with the ball in his hands and makes a lot of plays running away from defenders.
Our QB, whoever that is, will find him a comforting presence on the field.
Henry is our "complete" TE; for now, I think of him as 80% of prime Gronk. Only five tight ends averaged more targets on a per-game basis last year. Henry learned quickly how to
help his rookie QB.

How good are our TEs?

Listening to "Moving the Chains" on SiriusXM NFL yesterday ranking the AFC TE rooms --> Patriots are ranked the 2nd best TEs room in the AFC this year, having 2 TEs ranked in the top 5 of AFC TEs.
The Pats are the only team to have 2 TEs ranked individually in the top 10 league wide.
Both Henry and Jonnu were ranked higher league-wide than better known names like Gronk, Engram, Irv Smith, Robert Tonyan and many more.
In the AFC, only Kelce, Waller, Mark Andrews and Fant are ranked higher. Henry is next at 5th and Jonnu is 6th.

NFL TE rankings:
Bold = AFC
1. Kelce

2. Kittle
3. Darren Waller
4. TJ Hockenson (Detroit. Loved the guy in his draft)
5. Mark Andrews
6. Dallas Goedert
7. Noah Fant (projection bc injured much of last year)
8. HHenry
9. Jonnu Smith
 
Judging by the colors of that QB color chart, Kirk Cousins is the best, I.e. The most green. And Wentz the worst. Be an interesting year for Wentz.
 

That was really a fun watch. People thought Gronk was hard to bring down, but Coates was a runaway dump truck when he was in his prime. For
the pure ability to run over guys I think he was the strongest TE I've ever seen. He was scary in the open field.

I knew his name when he was a rookie and he didn't play much, but in his second training camp here I heard a quote from
Marv Cook, who was a talented receiving TE for us saying that his days with the team were probably numbered because Coates "was
going to be unbelievable".

Those were prophetic words.
 
Early NFL odds in the top games of the season. Pats are mentioned 4 times and favored in 3 of them.

· Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3½) at New England Patriots
· Dallas Cowboys at New England Patriots (-1½)
· New England Patriots (-2) at Carolina Panthers
· New England Patriots (-2) at Atlanta Falcons


Odds makers have the Pats going 11-6
 
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Rick Gosselin gives his annual "as of June 1st" ranking of all 32 NFL teams; he doesn't like our Pats very much. :mad:
1. TB Bucs
...
32. Detroit Lions

 
Gosselin is a writer i do respect. his stuff was behind a pay wall for a bit and i don't pay for articles. i will read this one.
 
PFF ranks the Pats' OL as the 3rd best in the NFL. (Browns, Colts)


3. New England Patriots

The Patriots are known for trotting out top offensive lines year after year. Last season was no different, and 2021 should be a similar story.

Left tackle Isaiah Wynn took a step forward in his second season, grading out at 82.6 overall, good for 11th among tackles. He had the fifth-lowest percentage of negatively graded plays in the run game, a stable number for tackles from year to year, so expect more of the same.

The Patriots rotated through several players at right tackle last season, with rookie sixth-rounder Michael Onwenu taking the majority of the snaps. He was one of the biggest surprises in the league, as he was excellent whether playing right guard or right tackle, and his 84.3 overall grade was by far the best of any rookie offensive lineman.

New England traded for Trent Brown, which will likely push Onwenu to left guard to replace Joe Thuney. Brown returns to New England after two years with the Raiders, where he graded out at 69.1 in 2019 and 68.9 last year on 282 snaps. Brown spent one year in New England in 2018, earning a career-high 73.4 overall grade.

The right guard spot is manned by Shaq Mason, one of the most powerful run blockers in the NFL. He has recorded 80.0-plus grades in the run game in four of his five seasons, though last year saw him post a career-low 60.5 mark in pass protection.

At center, David Andrews returns after notching a 67.7 overall grade last season, tied for 16th among centers. It was Andrews’ lowest grade since his rookie year in 2015, so expect him to bounce back toward the top half of the league.

New England has solid depth, as well, starting with the return of Ted Karras, who can play center or guard. Justin Herron also showed some ability as a sixth-round rookie, and Onwenu’s versatility is almost worth an extra roster spot.

The Patriots have solid starters all over the line, possibly forming the best offensive line in the league by the end of the season.
 
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