Five Things the Patriots need to do to go 19-0

At BetOnline Sportsbook, under NFL Futures, is a "special" that puts a number on the New England Patriots going undefeated throughout the ENTIRE season, culminating in a Super Bowl win (an idea that is obviously in the minds of some people). The number is 40/1. So what would this team have to do to cash a huge ticket for you?

Let’s get started:

 (1) TOM BRADY’S GOING TO HAVE TO COME OUT HEALTHY AND SHARP — What we mean here is that Brady does not have time to "ease" into the swing of things. He does not have the luxury of having the first few games of the regular season to get himself into "game shape." He has to come out firing, and he has to be able to find Randy Moss for those long passes and Wes Welker on those short timing routes. It will be interesting to see if he’s able to avoid hearing those footsteps, a natural occurrence for any quarterback who has suffered his first serious injury. There is a special challenge involving this, because I suspect that Brady is not going to get a lot of snaps during pre-season games. Remember when Payton manning, who was coming off surgery, missed a lot of camp, including the exhibition games, and it took him a while to get started last year? Sure, he rebounded to win the MVP, but his timing wasn’t quite there at the beginning. This is not exactly the same situation, because we expect that Brady will be in on all the camp drills, but that’s not game action.

(2) A THIRD AND FOURTH WIDE RECEIVER WILL HAVE TO BE FOUND — I am sure that Randy Moss can once again become the long-ball threat and a receiver who gets to the 1300-yard mark. I don’t see any reason Wes Welker can’t once again catch 100 passes. I’m not too worried about them. However, when the Patriots went on that 18-0 run they simply overwhelmed the opposition with their firepower. Looking quickly at the guys they have to put on the field along with those two aforementioned receivers, they have Joey Galloway, who may be too old to scare anybody; Greg Lewis, who, truth be told, was nothing special in Philadelphia, and Brandon Tate, a rookie with big-play capability but a rookie nonetheless. One of those players, and probably two, will have to emerge to become genuine threats. So Galloway would have to defy Father Time for another year or Lewis would have to show that he can benefit greatly from working with a better quarterback.

(3) THE "COMMITTEE" AT RUNNING BACK WILL HAVE TO BE WELL-ESTABLISHED — That means that Fred Taylor, who was let go by Jacksonville, will have to rejuvenate himself and really thrive in his role of #1 of many in the backfield. He doesn’t have to carry the whole load, but he has to be like the Fred Taylor of old, not an "old" Fred Taylor, when he gets his carries. Lawrence Maroney will also have to be healthy for the entire season, and explosive when he’s in there. Those things are possible, I suppose. Sammy Morris will have to keep doing what Sammy Morris does, which is exceed expectations. Kevin Faulk is a third-down specialist and great at picking up the blitz, so we’re not too worried about him.

(4) THE OFFENSIVE LINE HAS TO SHOW IT HASN’T SLIPPED — The Super Bowl looked like the beginning of a downfall. Brady was pressured all night by the Giant pass rush, and it made a difference. Last year these guys gave up 48 sacks. There have been no significant changes in that offensive line, and more than one NFL scout I have talked to has called this unit "vastly overrated." If their perceived proficiency was largely a by-product of Brady’s instincts and mobility, how will they perform if Brady has less mobility? This unit has to blow all those critics out of the water.

(5) THE SECONDARY NEEDS AN ALL-PRO — The Patriots added people like draftees Patrick Chung and Darius Butler, as well as veterans Leigh Bodden and Shawn Springs. They also have former first-round pick Brandon Meriwether starting at one of the safety positions. This is all pretty good, but what you have to keep in mind that they have now lost Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs in consecutive years. That constitutes a drop in quality no matter how you look at it. If this is going to be an undefeated team, somebody will have to play better than he ever has before. I’m not sure Meriwether is up to it. Bodden was released by a winless team (Detroit) and Springs is a 13-year veteran who has seen better days.