Three Questions About the Patriots as Training Camp Gets Started

The Patriots enter 2019 with not much to prove after winning yet another Super Bowl with the combo last season of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

The two have now won six titles, and will go down as the most dominant QB-Coach combo in the history of the league.

But there’s work to do in 2019, as the team will never sit still, and they are looking to earn their first back-to-back titles for the first time since the Pats won back-to-back in the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

Today we take a look at three questions about this team as camp closes in.

1. Get to the Quarterback More

This team simply didn’t do much when it came to getting opposing quarterbacks down in 2018, and if they are going to take the defense to another level, they have to do a better job of it.

Overall the team ranked second-to-last in the NFL in sacks in 2018, and then they lost their best rusher – defensive end Trey Flowers, to the Detroit Lions in free agency.

This camp the team needs to light a fire from young players that are going to need to step in and make plays, and they’ve got to find 3-4 players to fill the void.

2. Protect Brady

The offensive line in 2018 allowed Tom Brady to get hit too much, and while this is a league where one hit can change the career of a player, if Brady goes down you can write off any chances of the team going back-to-back.

Brady is in amazing shape for a player over 40, and it wasn’t his fault that the line couldn’t block, but it’s up to the front office to get players that can block better and keep Brady upright.

Watching Brady take hit after hit in that late season loss to the Steelers was tough to see, and it should be a wake up call for this team to get blockers for the passing game.

3. Who Steps in for Gronk?

It did come as a shock when Rob Gronkowski retired this offseason, but the Pats don’t have time to be nostalgic about him not being around, they just need to regroup and get players that can play the game.

They got Ben Watson out of retirement, but he finds himself suspended for the first few games.

They inked Austin Seferian-Jenkins, whom the team signed and then released after he chose to take a step away from football for “personal reasons.”

So who will be the starting tight end? The competition will be beteween Matt LaCosse, Stephen Anderson, Andrew Beck and Ryan Izzo.

The four have just 63 career receptions between them. It will be a battle very much worth watching.

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