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New England Bolsters Their Offense, Says Farewell To Fan Favorites

Discussion in '2010 GM League Forum' started by GridIronKing34, Feb 9, 2010.

  1. GridIronKing34

    GridIronKing34 Silently Judging You

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    Updated: February 9th, 9:10PM ET

    Pats Add Stewart, Berrian, Higgins, & Jolly
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    By Pat Hennington
    ESPNBoston.com


    The phones have been ringing in New England as much as champagne has been popping in New Orleans. Many deals were done at midnight for a team that many feel has lost it's luster. Questions surround the Patriots such as "Is Brady the same guy?", "Where's the pass rush?", and "Is Edelman the next Welker?". The answers should unravel within the coming weeks as co-general managers Mat Chapman & Ryan Schisno look to turn New England back to a perennial powerhouse.

    New England made four moves within the first day of the trading period during the 2010 GM League. Each of these moves look to bolster one aspect of their team in 2010. The first deal sent cornerback Jonathan Wilhite to Oakland for return specialist Johnnie Lee Higgins. While Higgins is still a work in progress as a wide receiver, he is widely known for his ability to return punts. In 2008, he returned 3 punts for a touchdown. Higgins looks to bring field position to New England in a way most could not imagine.

    New England also shipped long-time tackle Nick Kaczur away to Green Bay for defense end Johnny Jolly. With two defensive ends for New England looking to hit the open market in March, the Patriots felt it was time to move on from Kaczur after Sebastian Vollmer showed promise at right tackle. Jolly has started the past two seasons in Green Bay and showed a lot of promise at the defensive end spot in their 3-4 defense. Jolly was a crucial piece of the Green Bay defense that struck fear into opposing quarterbacks every Sunday.

    The Patriots seemed to not have that spark in the passing game like they did in 2008 when Donte Stallworth was opposite of Randy Moss. They decided it was best to ship away Laurence Maroney who has been nothing more than average in his time for the Patriots for Bernard Berrian. Berrian's speed will cause defense coordinators to double-think double-covering Moss and have to make decisions on how exactly to defend Berrian's speed, Welker's shiftiness, and Moss' supernatural athletic ability. After this trade, many thought that it could not have been worse... But they were wrong.

    Jonathan Stewart. One thousand yards. Less than 225 carries. Over five yards per carry. 22 years of age. That's really all that can be said with New England's most recent acquisition. The Patriots gave up one of their three 2nd round picks for this rising superstar along with Julian Edelman, Shawn Crable, and Terrence Wheatley. Three players that are reeking with potential, but co-general managers Chapman & Schisno could not resisted the opportunity to have Stewart in the backfield. With Jonathan Stewart added to the Patriots' offense, it's safe to say that it will be extremely tough to stop Tom Brady and Company in 2010.

    Co-General Manager, Chapman, had this to say about the latest acquisitions:
    Co-GM Ryan Schisno could not be reached for comment at this hour.

    Pat Hennington covers the Patriots for ESPN Boston
     
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