New England Patriots 2016 Season Preview

(photo credit: endzonescore.com)

The New England Patriots thought they would have to play the first four games of last season without Tom Brady as he was suspended for his actions in the Deflategate scandal. After the ruling was overturned, Brady was not suspended, and he was allowed to play for the entire season. Brady powered New England to a 12-4 record, which helped the team clinch its 10th AFC East title in the last 11 seasons. New England fell one game short of reaching the Super Bowl, after losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship. The NFL wasn’t done with Deflategate, as they appealed the decision to not suspend Brady to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The court sided with the NFL, as Brady’s original suspension was upheld, and he decided not to appeal to the Supreme Court, which means he will have to sit out for the first four games of the 2016 season. The Patriots will play the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills in those four games that Brady is forced to sit out. Three of those four games are in Foxborough, with the only game on the road being against the Cardinals.

Jimmy Garoppolo will be the starting quarterback for the Patriots while Brady serves his suspension. Garoppolo was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Garoppolo has only made one start in his NFL career, and he’s thrown for 188 yards and one touchdown. Garoppolo threw for 554 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason last year. Garoppolo has a plethora of weapons to throw to, as New England now has two top-tier tight ends for the first time since Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski were dominating teams across the league. 

Gronkowski is still with the team, and he's entering the prime of his career. Gronkowski caught 72 passes for 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2015. For the first time in a long time, "Gronk" played a full season without sitting out a long time because of an injury. Gronkowski now has a partner in crime, as the team added former Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett. Bennett hauled in 53 passes for 439 yards and three touchdowns.

Bennett had the best season of his career in 2014, when he caught 90 passes for 916 yards and six touchdowns. New England will have a four-headed monster at running back, as Dion Lewis, Legarrette Blount, Steven Jackson, and James White will all compete to get carries. Perhaps the Patriots biggest weapon besides Gronkowski is Julian Edelman, who compiled 692 yards and seven touchdowns last year. The Patriots traded away one of their best defensive players, Chandler Jones, to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for guard Jonathan Cooper, who will shore up a porous offensive line.