{"id":72527,"date":"2019-09-08T07:10:09","date_gmt":"2019-09-08T11:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=72527"},"modified":"2019-09-08T07:15:55","modified_gmt":"2019-09-08T11:15:55","slug":"antonio-brown-best-new-england-patriots-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/09\/08\/antonio-brown-best-new-england-patriots-team\/","title":{"rendered":"With Antonio Brown, This Could Be the Best New England Patriots Team Ever"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/a> already had a stacked team heading into 2019, but their roster got even better when they signed Antonio Brown<\/a><\/strong> as a free agent. Brown might be a headcase, but he\u2019s one of the most talented receivers in the league. Bill Belichick<\/strong> knows how to control crazy characters, and if Brown stays in line this could be the best Patriots team in history.<\/p>\n

Obviously, this is based on nothing more than looking at the roster on paper. The games still need to be played, but this roster matches up well to any of New England\u2019s previous elite teams. The best collective units from this two-decade run of dominance are probably the 2003, 2007, and 2014 incarnations of the Patriots. On paper, you could easily make the argument that the Patriots are just as good or better than those old teams of legend.<\/p>\n

2019 New England Patriots Could Be Best Team Ever With Antonio Brown<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Offense<\/h3>\n

Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong> is still around, and he\u2019s as good as ever<\/a>. The 42-year old quarterback still has plenty left in his tank and should remain a top-five quarterback in 2019. Brady\u2019s numbers took a dip in 2018, but that was due to an underwhelming supporting cast more than a physical decline by Brady. His arm and brain are as good as ever, and he can still make just about any throw in the book. Despite his advanced age, Brady should be an MVP frontrunner throughout the season.<\/p>\n

Antonio Brown is no Randy Moss<\/a><\/strong>, but he\u2019s about as close as you can get. Everyone knows how good Julian Edelman<\/a><\/strong> is, and having Josh Gordon<\/a><\/strong> as your third wide receiver is just lunacy. Even if Gordon can\u2019t stick around for a full season, Demaryius Thomas<\/a><\/strong> looks ready to go after tearing his Achilles late in the 2018 season. Factor in the inevitable return of first-round N\u2019Keal Harry<\/strong><\/a> and you have five starting-caliber receivers with high upside. How any team is expected to stop these receivers and James White<\/a><\/strong> out of the backfield is beyond me.<\/p>\n

The offensive line doesn\u2019t have the best depth, but it should be a top-five unit if everyone can stay healthy. Shaq Mason<\/a><\/strong> is the best guard in the league, and Joe Thuney<\/a><\/strong> isn\u2019t far behind him. Marcus Cannon<\/a><\/strong> is an above-average right tackle and 2018 first-round pick Isaiah Wynn<\/strong><\/a> looked great in the preseason. The only question is at center, where Ted Karras<\/a><\/strong> will take over for an injured David Andrews<\/a><\/strong>. Karras is no Andrews, but he should be a starting-caliber center. Dante Scarnecchia<\/strong> is a wizard, and he\u2019ll find a way to get the best out of Karras.<\/p>\n

Of course, New England’s running backs are also great. The offensive line should produce all the holes that 2018 first-round pick Sony Michel<\/a><\/strong> needs to be a 1,000-yard rusher. He\u2019s reportedly improved<\/a> as a pass-catcher, which should make the offense less predictable. James White is a top-five receiver back, and Rex Burkhead<\/a><\/strong> is a solid dual-threat when healthy. If injury strikes, third-round pick\u00a0Damien Harris<\/strong><\/a> should be able to handle an expanded role.<\/p>\n

The only weakness on the offensive side of the ball is at tight end. Ryan Izzo<\/strong><\/a> is an unproven commodity and projects as a blocking specialist. While you could certainly do better than Izzo, it doesn\u2019t really matter when there\u2019s this much talent at all the other positions. That said, Rob Gronkowski<\/a><\/strong> has hinted at a return and could come back midway through the season. If he returns and plays at a 2011-2017 level, then there\u2019s simply no way to stop this offense.<\/p>\n

The Defense<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s start by breaking down the best secondary in football. Stephon Gilmore<\/a><\/strong> is coming off the best season of his career, earning First-Team All-Pro honors while finishing as Pro Football Focus\u2019 top cornerback. While he could regress (it\u2019s hard to play that<\/em> well for an extended period), he\u2019s still going to be a top-five cornerback. Behind him are four starting-caliber cornerbacks in J.C. Jackson<\/a>, Jason McCourty<\/a>, Jonathan Jones<\/a>,<\/strong> and Joejuan Williams<\/strong><\/a>. Jackson and McCourty are both fantastic CB2\u2019s, while Jones is one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league. Williams is Brandon Browner<\/a><\/strong> all over again and has the ability to take away larger receivers and tight ends. The safeties, while not as deep, are still ridiculously talented. Devin McCourty<\/a><\/strong> and Patrick Chung<\/a><\/strong> are still good starters, and Duron Harmon<\/a><\/strong> could start on most teams. Terrence Brooks<\/a><\/strong> looked great in the preseason and Obi Melifonwu<\/a> <\/strong>offers fantastic upside.<\/p>\n

The linebackers are the best since those stacked early-dynasty defenses. Dont\u2019a Hightower<\/strong><\/a> and Kyle Van Noy<\/a> <\/strong>are both above-average starters with the versatility to line up inside or outside. Jamie Collins<\/a><\/strong> looked like his 2015 self in the preseason, and Ja\u2019Whaun Bentley<\/strong><\/a> looked like a star in the making last year. Elandon Roberts<\/a><\/strong> is probably the best fifth-string linebacker in football and could probably start for half of the teams in the league.<\/p>\n

The defensive line is probably the \u201cweakness\u201d of the defense, but that just speaks to all the surrounding talent. Michael Bennett<\/a><\/strong> essentially replaced Trey Flowers<\/a><\/strong> while the rest of the defensive line should be just as good or better than 2018. Lawrence Guy<\/a><\/strong> is a top-10 interior lineman and Danny Shelton<\/a><\/strong> is a solid early-down run stuffer. Byron Cowart<\/strong><\/a> and Chase Winovich<\/strong><\/a> looked like studs in the preseason while Deatrich Wise<\/a>, John Simon<\/a>, <\/strong>and Adam Butler<\/a><\/strong> provide top-level depth.<\/p>\n

How Good Can the 2019 New England Patriots Team Be?<\/h3>\n

There really is no ceiling to this team\u2019s potential. The offense and defense are as good as any unit in recent memory and most positions have great depth. I\u2019m not going to predict 19-0, simply because so many things have to go right in order for that to happen. New England will probably lose one or two fluke games, but they should be the best team in the league and clear favorites for Super Bowl 54.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>