End of Season Report: New England Patriots (Season Two)
Season One Report Here
Record: 10-6 (12-4 last year), AFC East champs, #4 seed.
Offense:
29.9ppg (7th) - [Last year: 22.1 ppg (11th)]
318.1ypg (7th) - [Last year: 290.3 ypg (11th)]
156.7 passing ypg (22nd) - [Last year: 163.7 passing ypg (12th)]
161.4 rushing ypg (4th) - [Last year: 126.6 rushing ypg (9th)]
Passing:
Tom Brady - 146/208, 70.2% (#1 in the league), 2202 yards, 20TD, 15 INT, 106.7 Rating
[Last year: 188/278, 67.6% (#1 in the league), 2626 yards, 18TD, 16 INT, 95.4 Rating (#3 in the league)]
In everything but yards, Brady was much better in season 2 than he was in season 1. The increased focus on the running game allowed him to pick his spots more carefully, and his INTs tended to come in bunches when the team fell behind. Definitely still some room for improvement, but leading the league in completion percentage for a 2nd straight year is nice.
Rushing:
Cobie Ross - 257 carries, 2092 yards (8.1ypc), 23 TDs (14 games)
This was truly the year of Cobie Ross for the Patriots, as he was basically a one-man wrecking crew for this offense. Green-Ellis was a distant second on the team with 39 carries, but in his first season Ross seized full control of the starting job in New England.
Receiving:
Roddy White - 46 catches, 806 yards (17.5ypc), 13 TDs
Rob Gronkowski - 35 catches, 474 yards (13.5ypc), 1 TD
Aaron Hernandez - 27 catches, 474 yards (17.6ypc), 5 TDs
Wes Welker - 19 catches, 292 yards (15.4ypc), 2 TDs
It wasn't a banner year for any Patriots receiver, though again Brady spread the ball around well. Gronk, Hernandez, and Welker all saw their targets drop with the presence of Roddy, which was only to be expected. Welker in particular saw his production drop, but he was still a reliable receiver when targeted. Gronk only finding the endzone once was a bit surprising, though he and Hernandez finishing with identical yardage totals is nice.
Defense:
16.9 ppg (4th) - [Last year: 10.5 ppg (1st)]
254.1ypg (5th) - [Last year: 203.5 ypg (2nd)]
174.5 passing ypg (8th) - [Last year: 97.2 passing ypg (1st)]
79.6 rushing ypg (6th) - [Last year: 106.3 rushing ypg (19th)]
Given that my overall performance was a bit off of season 1 despite a stronger offensive year overall, it's not surprising that my defense took a bit of a step back. Last year's scoring defense was historically good, and obviously giving up 6 points and 50 yards more per game will have some effect, though by any measure this was still an elite defensive unit, and unlike last year finished in the top 10 in all 4 major categories. What's particularly interesting was the switch in what phase I defended better, with my run stopping improving dramatically at the same time my passing defense worsened. It's not as if I didn't face tough rushing attacks either, since I faced the #1, #2, #5 (twice) and #7 rushing attacks this year. Might just be inexplicable.
Once again, the Patriots weren't a huge turnover team. Jerod Mayo actually lead the team with 4 INTs, and all my CBs combined only had 5. I did have my first double-digit sack performance, with Jermaine Cunningham notching 11 (Mayo also had 9).
Not a bad season overall. Despite dropping two wins, I actually think my performance was pretty steady. My point differential actually increased, and one of those added losses was actually a sim loss, so I'm not too much worse off. Last year's season ended with a loss to Doom in the AFCCG, we'll see if I can improve on that.