The chances for a Bruins or Celtics duck-boat parade have come and gone. The Sox are working their way toward the All-Star break. There may or may not be a playoff run later. There's Wimbledon. The Euro Cup (soccer). The British Open. And this year there's the Summer Olympics. It's the summer sports season.
But make no mistake about it. It's football season too. The Pats have finished with their "offseason" activities (like cutting Ocho) and will resurface at Gillette in about a month for the start of training camp. I look forward to going to the evening practice that the team holds each year for season ticket holders. Nothing like enjoying a beautiful summer night down in Foxborough drinking $10 beers and watching hall of fame quarterback Tom Brady throwing the ball around.
The first preseason game is August 8th at Gillette. As of now it's scheduled to be against the Saints -- if the Saints are still a franchise come August. Not to wish the summer away, but the Pats will be opening another NFL season and making another run at that elusive fourth Lombardi before you know it.
To get ready for camp, Patriots.com has started it's position-by-position breakdown. It's good stuff. They started with the running backs. I just can't get too excited about the running backs ... yet. But the wide receivers I can get excited about. When you have Brady throwing the ball, it's rather important who the guys are you have catching those passes. The team has already shed Ocho and former Colt Anthony Gonzalez, a guy I thought was going to have a big comeback year with the Pats. I guess not. With those two gone, who does that leave to take the six (or seven) spots when the season starts?
STARTERS
Brandon Lloyd, Wes Welker, Deion Branch, and Jabbar Gaffney. Not the youngest group of wideouts in the league. Not the tallest either. But they don't have to be. The key is clicking with Brady. Three of them (Welker, Deion, and Gaffney) have proven they are on the quarterback's frequency almost all the time. Word is that Lloyd and Brady have a chemistry already. Last time that happened was with a guy named Moss and that turned out so well I renamed my fantasy team after him. Lloyd could be the next Moss. And Welker will be Welker. Long-term contract or not, he will come close to catching 100 balls again. Hopefully he'll get another shot at catching the big one in the Super Bowl. Branch and Gaffney are two guys Brady loves. That's good enough for me ... and Belichick. If they stay healthy -- kind of a big if at their age -- this foursome should produce some huge numbers.
BACK-UPS
Julian Edelman, Matthew Slater, and Donte Stallworth. Special teams and depth. That's what these three guys give you. Edelman and Slater are Pro Bowl level special teams players. Will they step up and play a bigger role in the offense? Unlikely. Stallworth was a big part of the epic '07 offense but has a few more years on him and one more prison sentence for a fatal DUI crash. If he shows he can still break big plays then there should be a roster spot for him.
IN THE MIX
If Stallworth doesn't have anything left (or Branch or Gaffney retire), then these are the players who could step up and fill a spot. Rookies Jeremy Ebbert and Matt Rourke and free agents Britt Davis and Jesse Holley. It would be quite a surprise to see any of these guys anywhere other than the practice squad or another team.
Receiver was a strength at the end of last season. With the addition of Lloyd, the position could be stronger than ever. Record-breaking strong.
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