That headline is a little confusing so let me explain. If you were to construct the best Patriots team position by position, what player and year would fill that spot. For example, for Quarterback, would it be Brady’s 2007 season? Or another?
For the purpose of making this easier lets stick to players under Belichick. Hannah, Tippet, Haynes, etc. would all be on the team, but I didn’t watch any of them play.
Quarterback
- Tom Brady- 2016 season
- 291 completions, 3554 yards, 28 touchdowns and two interceptions in 12 games.
- The gut reaction would be to say 2007, and you wouldn’t be wrong per se. You just wouldn’t be looking at the full picture. That 2007 team was the first of its kind, with the best receiver of all time, and one of the greatest slot receivers of all time. The way the were able to take the league by surprise during the regular season in incomparable. A league record 50 touchdowns and 4800 yards was incomprehensible at the time. But I don’t even think its his second best season. That belongs to 2010.
- If you expand the numbers to include a full season in 2016 you get a line of 4738 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.
Running Back
- Corey Dillon- 2004 season
- 345 rushes, 1635 yards, 12 touchdowns in 15 games
- While Antowain Smith was a good, serviceable back for the first 2 Super Bowl teams, Corey Dillon put the offense over the top. The year before he arrived the offense scored 348 points, good for 21 points per game. The following year with Dillon, returning virtually the same skill players, the team scored 437 points, an average of 27 points per game.
- His bullishness between the tackles and ability to break off long runs gave this offense a dimension that allowed it to flourish. The 2004 team was arguably the greatest Patriots team ever, if not one of the best teams ever, and Dillon was a large reason why.
Receiver
- Randy Moss-2007
- 98 catches, 1493 yards, 23 touchdowns
- This selection goes without saying, as Moss was the greatest weapon Brady had as both set records in the 2007 season. His ability to take on double and even triple coverage and make circus catches look routine will be hard to match.
- Brandon LaFell-2014
- 74 catches, 953 yards, 7 touchdowns
- I know what you’re thinking here. But hear me out. LaFell in 2014 was the top outside receiver option on the team and, as a third option, put up great numbers. Partly due to Gronk and Edelman garnering the attention of the defense, LaFell still did his job. His 2015 was atrocious, but single season? He was arguably their best outside receiver other than Randy Moss. And between Moss and the next guy on the list, he’d have a filed day.
- Wes Welker-2011
- 122(!) catches, 1569 yards, 9 touchdowns.
- Patriots fans sometimes forget just how good Welker was. While Edelman is more beloved and comes up huge in big moments, Welker is statistically dominant over Edelman, and his 2011 season was just absolutely ridiculous.
Tight End
- Rob Gronkowski-2011
- 90 catches, 1327 yards, 18 touchdowns (17 receiving)
- Gronk started making noise at the end of his 2010 season, and his coming out party was 2011. Gronk ran wild on literally everybody and created the wave of drafting tight ends high. nobody has changed a position more or been more dominant at their position in 2011 that Gronk was.
Left Tackle
- Matt Light-2007
- Pro-bowl, first team all-pro, 6 penalties
- This was an easy selection, as there have only been three left tackles for the Patriots since 2001, and Light was the best of them. His 2007 season was his best.
Left Guard
- Logan Mankins-2010
- Pro-bowl, first team all-pro, 2 penalties
- Appearing in only 9 games due to a contract dispute, Mankins was so dominant in his half season that he was still voted as the best left guard in the league that year.
Center
- Dan Koppen-2007
- Pro-bowl, 3 penalties
- The Patriots have never had a dominant center, but they’ve always been smart. Having to know every read and check and be able to coordinate that to the other 4 guys all in a matter of seconds is what makes a great NE center, and Koppen in 2007 was the best.
Right Guard
- Brian Waters-2011
- Pro-bowl, 5 penalties.
- Even though he only spent one season in New England, Waters has the only pro-bowl season for a right guard since 2001, therefore by default he gets the nod here.
Right Tackle
- Marcus Cannon-2016
- Would you believe me if I told you no Patriots right tackle has ever made the pro-bowl? Cannon was the choice here as it came down to him in 2016 and Nick Kaczur in 2007. Cannon gets the nod for keeping protecting two backup quarterbacks for 4 games and keeping Tom clean for 15.
There is you’re all 2000’s-2010’s offensive team. There is room for debate at a few positions and arguments could be made to persuade me to change my mind. What do you think?
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