53 pick-up

After a weekend of comings and goings -- mostly goings -- the 53-man roster for your 2011 New England Patriots is just about set.

Nine players that were released by the Pats have already been picked up by other teams. That's an unusually high number. That either means the Pats had so much depth at some positions that they had to let good players go ... or they just made some really bad decisions.

They have cut veteran players Ty Warren, James Sanders, and Brandon Meriweather, making one of the youngest defenses in the league even younger. That's a concern. But if new additions Ochocinco, Haynesworth, and Ellis can put together strong years then the Pats should be right in the fight for best in the AFC.

Here's a very quick look at the roster:

OFFENSE
Quarterback: Brady is the best player in football. An injury -- as we know -- is the only thing that can slow him down. Backups: Hoyer and rookie Mallet are good enough.

Running back: BenJarvis and Woody were a very big part of 14-2 last year. Very big. They could be even better this year. Backups: Rookie Stevan Ridley scored three TDs in the first practice game and hasn't been seen since. The other rookie, Shane Vareen, has been battling injury. They don't need to be stars.

Wide receiver: When you have a QB like Brady this is a crucial position (remember Doug Gabriel?). Welker is one of the leaders on and off the field. He just needs to stop slamming his head into things. Deion Branch picked up right where he left off with Brady. If Ochocinco can play at about ochenta percent then the Pats are set. Backups: Taylor Price replaces Brandon Tate who replaced Bethel Johnson as the young receiver with potential. Edelman and Slater can make plays and are strong special teams guys.

Tight end: Gronk and Aaron Hernandez should continue to build on their outstanding rookie seasons. Backups: Uh, ya. There aren't any. Everyone was watching the battle between Yeatman and Smith for the third spot. The Pats cut them both. My hope is that Coach Crump comes back.

Offensive line: The key to success or failure this and every year. The Pats seem to be able to patch together a solid line better than any team in football. The starting tackles look to be Vollmer and the bad penny Matt Light. Center is Dan Koppen -- a rock. At left guard is Pro Bowler beast Logan Mankins, who should have a huge year since he is signed and happy. Well, he's never happy. On the other side the team had a problem with Dan Connolly hurt and no depth below him. The Pats added veteran Brian Waters from the Chiefs yesterday. Backups: Rookie tackle Nate Solder could be starting over Light at some point. Ryan Wendell leads the names of guys who hopefully won't get much playing time.

DEFENSE
Defensive line: The center of all the attention in training camp will come under even more scrutiny once the real games begin. At one point in camp the Pats seemed to have about 20 D linemen on the roster. My co-worker Rich joked Belichick was going to go with an 11-man front. They almost have enough guys to do it. In the middle of everything is Big Vince. He'll be surrounded by some combination of Phat Albert, Shaun Ellis, Mike Wright, Andre Carter, and Jermaine Cunningham. If the Pats can't generate a decent pass rush with those guys I'll be surprised. Backups: Gerard Warren was a solid starter most of last year. Kyle Love, Myron Pryor, and Mark Anderson add depth.

Linebacker: The days of Bruschi, Willie, Ted Johnson, and Vrabel are long gone. Vrabel's now coaching at Ohio St. Jerod Mayo would have fit in nicely with those greats. He led the team in tackles last year. He was everywhere. My nephew Steve and I aren't satisfied. We want to see him take it to Bruschi level. He's joined by Brandon Spikes, Cunningham, Rob Ninkovich, Gary Guyton, and Dane Fletcher in what should be a solid if not outstanding group. Backups: Tracey White, Ricky Brown, and Jeff Tarpinian.

Cornerback: What looked like a big problem last year turned out to be a strength thanks to rookie Devin McCourty. Maybe Belichick's best draft pick. Veteran Leigh Bodden returns from injury to play the other side. Backups: Rookie Ras-I-Dowling has been banged up in preseason but he has potential. Kyle Arrington had some good games last year. Darius Butler somehow is still on the team.

Safety: Patrick Chung is apparently going to cover the entire deep middle of the field all by himself. He's good. But he's not THAT good. Backups: I can't list Sergio Brown, Josh Barrett, or James Inhedigbo as the other starter. I just can't.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Stephen Gostkowski looks fully healed and it's good to see him back. Now that kickoffs have been moved up five yards I'm waiting for when he kicks one off the lighthouse. Zoltan Mesko had a good rookie season. He has the leg and the toughness. Now he has the experience.

One name that I have not mentioned is Kevin Faulk. The running back is on the injured list. I hope he can come back and contribute down the stretch but time is running out for the veteran. I'm sure he knows it. But if he doesn't play another down for the Pats, he has already etched his spot as one of the team's all-time great clutch players. Those three Lombardi trophies have his fingerprints all over them. If he should retire in the next few weeks I look forward to a ceremony honoring #33. Maybe at the half of the Colts game?