2006 New England Patriots Preview

2006 preview of the New England Patriots football team from MadduxSports.com. Don't forget Maddux's expert handicappers once the 2006 NFL Season gets underway for Expert NFL Picks and be sure to bookmark our Live NFL Point spreads page from 16 quality online sportsbooks updated to the minute so you know you always get the best number.

In six years with the Pats, Bill Belichick has amassed a 73-34 record and coached the team to three Super Bowl victories. Tom Brady (530 ATT, 334 COMP, 4,110 YDS, 26 TDs, 14 INT) has been the go-to QB for most of those games and all of the championships. Last season, despite a painful injury, he led the league in passing yards. This year he’s healthy-- watch out!

The QB likes to hit a lot of targets. The 2006 season sees Chad Jackson, David Thomas and Garrett Mills added to the receiving mix, which includes vets Deion Branch (78 REC, 998 YDS, 12.8 AVG, 5 TDs), Troy Brown, Daniel Graham and Ben Watson (29 REC, 441 YDS, 15.2 AVG, 4 TDs).

Running back is a bit questionable with Corey Dillon (209 ATT, 733 YDS, 3.5 AVG, 12 TDs) returning after an off year. To back up Dillon, New England chose top RB prospect Laurence Maroney (Minnesota) as its first pick. The offensive line looks to be sound.

The Patriots were successful 63.8% of the time when in the Red Zone-- third best in the league. Which was important, because their secondary gave up a lot of big plays. The Pats were 31st in pass defense. One reason was the early season injury to star D-back Rodeny Harrison. If he’s healthy in 2006, the secondary will be too. Other hopes for this unit include Randall Gay, coming back from an ankle injury and second-year safety James Sanders, who needs to continue to develop.

Vet Willie McGinest is gone from the linebacking corps, leaving the smart trio of Mike Vrabel, Rosevelt Colvin and Tedy Bruschi. Someone else has to step in to solidify the group.

And then there’s Adam Vinatieri-- Mister Clutch-- gone to the Colts. The team signed the down-and-out, formerly reliable Martin Gramatica as its field goal specialist. He’s got a tough act to follow.

2006 New England Patriots Predictions

Some telling games will be Denver-- always tough for the Pats-- in September, Miami in October and Indy in November. If they can handle those three, this will be a tough team to beat. We like the 2006 Patriots to win the AFC East Division and be a tough force in the playoffs as they have been the last few seasons.

For more information on the Patriots division rivals check out the Dolphins, Jets, and Bills season previews from Maddux Sports.

For more info and news on the 2006 New England pro football team visit the Patriots NFL.com section.