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Health Will Be Key for Patriots and Garoppolo

By Robert Doherty

Aug 13, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) at the line against the Green Bay Packers during the second half in a preseason NFL football game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 13, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) at the line against the Green Bay Packers during the second half in a preseason NFL football game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Other than Tom Brady not playing the first four games of the season, there are some really big issues that face the New England Patriots offense.

With Jimmy Garoppolo and a fully healthy cast, there is a case to be made for Tom Brady stepping back in week five on his way to another undefeated season.  Sadly, there are some big health concerns on the offensive side of the ball.

Julian Edelman might not be ready week one and even if he is cleared to play it might be better to take it slow with him. His games played, catches, and yards have been decreasing for three straight years, and as much as you might love him, he is 30 years old. No sense in rushing him back

Danny Amendola and Dion Lewis are also limping into training camp but should be ready to go week one.  Lewis coming off his second ACL injury at only 25 years old is scary.  Amendola has always had some injury trouble during his career, the addition of Chris Hogan should give him a buffer to make sure he is fully ready to go.

Going into the first month of the season with a quarterback with just about no experience playing in NFL games is scary by itself, with a banged up offensive cast it becomes even more scary.

Jun 7, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Steven Schu (44) catches a pass during mini camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 7, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Steven Schu (44) catches a pass during mini camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

Luckily, Garoppolo is being gifted the greatest tight end to ever play the position in Rob Gronkowski, not a bad safety net.

Throw in the addition of Martellus Bennett who is a big question mark given the lack of success that Scott Chandler had last season, to be fair Chandler was one of those guys who just straight up killed the Patriots but wasn’t really that good.

Chandler still managed to have four touchdowns last year in a disappointing season, Bennett’s  career high is six touchdown grabs. Bennett is a better player than Chandler and should be a big contributor in the first month, should being the key word.

The Patriots are a lot of things, but being unprepared is not one of them. That is the biggest thing to be confident in if you are a Patriots fan. The health of the weapons around Garoppolo will be a question mark until kick off on September 11th.

Next: New Red Sox Pitcher Drew Pomeranz: A Scouting Report

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