New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots will experience something familiar when they host the Las Vegas Raiders for a season-opening matchup at Gillette Stadium.
It’s the start of yet another new era…
Mike Vrabel will become the third consecutive head coach (Bill Belichick, Jerod Mayo) that tries to send the once-proud franchise back into the right direction — and it all starts at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
If you’re looking for some specific things to watch during the game, perhaps consider these seven storylines:
Jabrill Peppers decidedly won’t be.
The Patriots’ shocking decision to release their former captain — and someone who has been a primary defensive communicator for several seasons— brings about a few major questions in the secondary.
Who will start games? Who is barking out coverage orders? How does the move affect the roles of Kyle Dugger, Dell Pettus and Brenden Schooler?
I’ll be interested to find out the answers. Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson have been pointed toward as the primary duo heading into the season, which likely means we’ll be seeing a heavy rotation including that trio we mentioned earlier — all of whom could still play significant roles depending on the game plan.
Christian Gonzalez almost certainly won’t be ready for Week 1.
Gonzalez suffered a hamstring injury during training camp, and has since missed more than five weeks of practices trying to recover. The Patriots need to prepare for what looks to be a multiple-week absense from their best defensive player — which tosses a spotlight on the likes of Alex Austin and DJ James.
James is perhaps the most interesting player who will be impacted by the absence, as he’ll be forced into infrequent and uncomfortable opportunities as the top reserve cornerback.
Las Vegas offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is one of the forefathers of the hurry-up offense — and there’s zero reason to think he won’t continue using tempo in his return to the NFL.
New England’s depth will be tested early because of that fact, with the front-seven likely receiving reinforcements by way of the practice squad in an effort to keep everyone fresh.
It’ll be interesting to see how Mike Vrabel elects to utilize his gameday elevations and inactives, with my guess being he leans toward giving the defense as many players as possible to work with.
The Patriots should continue to have one of the league’s better special teams units under coordinator Jeremy Springer — but who will be the stars?
Brenden Schooler, Elijah Ponder and Marte Mapu were particularly noticeable during the preseason, but there will be some veterans to slide into significant roles on those units. Kyle Dugger is particularly interesting to me, as that could be his way toward more consistent playing time.
Marcus Jones, TreVeyon Henderson and Efton Chism III are interesting options at returner, though.
Will Campbell, Jared Wilson, Garrett...
