Which starter would you most like to see replaced?
Stephen: The one starter I would most like to see replaced would have to be Tully Banta-Cain. Although he didn’t finish the season as a full-time starter, he did play a high number of snaps, but he was largely ineffective. I can live with Jermaine Cunningham at one spot, but another season of Tully’s poor run defense and one-move pass rushes must be upgraded.
Rick: The starter I would bench is Darius Butler. Butler last year would be the third corner, but was never a good player in coverage last season. He would always be dominated by his man. I just keep picturing that game in Week 2 against the Jets where Braylon Edwards made him look like he was back in college. He will get his chance again in the future, but Leigh Bodden is back and they have their second round pick Ras-I Dowling ready to go. Butler did not impress as much as guys like Kyle Arrington and Patrick Chung did last year with significant playing time.
Derek: I love the Law Firm, but if BJGE isn’t starting for the Patriots on opening day (and he’s not hurt) that’s a very good sign for the Patriots. It likely means that 2nd Round Pick, Shane Vereen had an impressive pre season and stole the spot away from Green-Ellis. The Patriots would clearly benefit from having a power running game to take some pressure off of Brady. After Belichick passed on Mark Ingram, there’s a lot of pressure for Vereen to perform. Here’s hoping for both him and the Patriots, that he doesn’t disappoint.
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