It is what it is: State of the Patriots

With an impressive all around win against the Vikings last weekend, the Patriots are looking good sitting atop the AFC East. They have won games in all sorts of ways, close games, blowouts, games where the offense wins it, games where the defense wins it and even a game where special teams was the deciding factor. With all that being said, lets take a look at the whole team, some tough games they have coming up and some other Patriot related topics including the return of a disgruntled offensive lineman. 

The Offense:

The Patriot offense this season is a far cry from the high scoring, shoot to thrill offense of the 2007-2008, but they are putting up points, so I have no complaints. The backfield features BenJarvus Green-Ellis, a former third string tailback/fullback from Ole' Miss has emerged as a solid back for the Pats. Green-Ellis has been carrying the load since Fred Taylor has been out with a toe injury. I think Fred Taylor needs to retire, he's been hurt for the past couple of seasons and hasn't been half the back he was when he played for Jacksonville, I'm just saying he might want to consider it. Probably the greatest surprise of the season, has been the emergence of Danny Woodhead, who has been doing a good Kevin Faulk impersonation all season. Woodhead was cut by Sexy Rexy and the Jets, and one can only wonder if Rexy is thinking in between bites of his Ho-Ho's, ‘ $#!&, I should have kept that kid around.' Right now Danny is second on the team with 178 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. And has proven to be an asset in the receiving game as well. 

When Brady does drop back to throw, the loss of Randy Moss hasn't been a huge factor. Rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez is leading the team in receiving yards with 388, but surprisingly no touchdowns. When Moss left, the Pats phoned an old friend in Deion Branch, who has been clutch down the stretch with 14 catches and a touchdown. Rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski, ‘The Pride of Poland', has 3 touchdowns and has been big in the blocking game. 

The Defense

The part of the team that was the biggest area of concern for most fans and analysts this offseason has gotten the job done this season. It hasn't been pretty at times, but through the years it hasn't always been the prettiest of stingiest unit in the league but it's gotten the job done with the group of guys who are on the field. Case and point, who thought Rob Ninkovich was going to be a big part of the defense this year, after being mainly a special teams player for the past seasons. Coming into the season, everyone thought that Tully Banta-Cain was going to hold down one of the outside spots on a regular basis, but he has been a bench player. Another couple of young guys that have stepped up have been Sergio Brown and Dane Fletcher, these two young players have worked their way from the practice squad to nickel package players. 

Jerod Mayo has been playing out of his mind so far this season, and with rookie Brandon Spikes proving everyone who passed on him wrong, the Pats have one of the best inside linebacker combos in the NFL. Vince Wilfork has earned every cent of that huge contract and has been eating foes in the same manner that Rex Ryan eats Ho-Ho's. Rookie Devin McCourty proved all knowing Mel Kiper wrong, who said that the Patriots wasted a draft pick on a special teams player, by being one of the bight spots in the defensive backfield with 2 picks on the season.

Special Teams:

Zoltan Mesko, the Romanian born punter who spent his early years dodging bullets, so you know he doesn't get phased when the rush is on, has been good at pinning opponents deep on the season with a net yard total of 1097 yards, including 7 punts inside the 20 yard line. Stephen Gostkowski has continued to be the kicker we all know and love hitting field goals and pinning teams deep off the kickoff. 

Rookie Impact: 

It's hard for many teams to find one rookie who can contribute on a regular basis, but it appears that the Pats have struck gold with their draft class with 7 of their 12 draft picks contributing to the team. Those rookies are McCourty, Gronkowski, defensive end/outside linebacker Jermaine Cunningham, Brandon Spikes, Aaron Hernandez, Mesko and defensive lineman Brandon Deaderick. 

Upcoming Games:

With a tough stretch of games coming up, there is no rest for the wicked in New England. They have Cleveland this Sunday, who is better than their record indicates, Pittsburgh, at Pittsburgh, which is a tough place to go play. Than Peyton comes to town, which is pretty awesome because it has been a while since they have had to come through New England. Following a Thanksgiving throwdown with Detroit, they play Sexy Rexy and the Jets again. Closing out the schedule is Chicago, Green Bay, Buffalo and Miami. 

So Patriots fans, that wraps up my time for the week, hope you enjoyed my Patriots recap, tune in on Sunday when they bang heads with the Browns, it is going to be a good game, it is what it is.