What is Your Biggest Question Mark as the Patriots’ Season Kicks Off?

Rick: The biggest question mark for the 2014 New England Patriots is at the linebacker position. After the final cuts were made to get the roster to 53, the one glaring weakness is the lack of depth at the position. They cut James Anderson a couple of weeks ago and only have Darius Fleming and Chris White as possible backups as of this moment on the depth chart. Jerod Mayo is coming off of a torn pectoral injury last season and a lot is on the shoulders of Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins to have successful seasons. This is a Patriots’ defense that is very much improved with the injured players back and the acquisitions of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner in the secondary. However, if the Pats suffer an injury at linebacker during the season, it would leave a vulnerable hole in the front seven for a Pats’ defense that was 30th in the league in stopping the run last season.

Raj:  My biggest question mark(or marks rather) is to what extent can the Patriots compete with the top of the AFC this season and, is it enough to not only make it to the Super Bowl, but to win it as well? We saw how last year, the Patriots made it to the AFC Championship game with a depleted defense and an offense that featured Edelman as the #1 receiver, no Gronk, a week O-line, and rookie receivers. Now that the Pats added some players on offense, got some really great defensive players in free agency and, got all their injured starters back, what’s there not to like about this year’s Patriots? Sure, Denver will be pretty dominant too, Indianapolis and Kansas City are rising teams, and you can’t sleep on teams like Houston or San Diego. But that still doesn’t mean the Patriots can’t be a force to be reckoned with. If we don’t see what we expect in the first few weeks, then I’ll be concerned and those question marks will start to rise again. Assuming New England can beat teams comfortably in its conference combined with the idea that we will be watching some NFC action as well, it will be interesting to see whether the Patriots can outplay those teams because in the super bowl, that’s what matters the most. I have faith that they can get it done.

Derek: I am tempted to go with “can they stay healthy?” after the injury debacle that was last season, but that question is the biggest one for almost every team, every season.  Instead, the area that gives me the most concern is the offensive line.  How will this offensive line unit fare in its first season without Dante Scarnecchia?  Will the Logan Mankins trade have a significant impact?   Nothing will submarine this team quicker than an injury to Tom Brady.  If the O-line can’t keep him protected and Brady spends his Sundays under heavy pressure, we could be in for a very disappointing year.