posted August 10, 2007 at 16:02 in NFL Articles

Football fans and bettors get their first look at the revamped New England Patriots on Friday night when the Pats travel to Tampa Bay to face the Bucs. Even Pats-haters should tune in to this one to get some early NFL Betting tips on the new Patriots.

The Patriots continued their reign atop the AFC East last season, but failure to advance to the Super Bowl meant it was time to shake things up in New England. Tom Brady saw his passing stats drop by nearly 600 yards last year and most of the blame fell to the Pats’ lackluster receivers. The receiving corps went through a major upgrade during the offseason with the addition of Randy Moss, Donte’ Stallworth and Wes Welker.

The Patriots are taking a big chance on Moss, whose stock plummeted after two abysmal seasons in Oakland. If Moss can rebound and recapture the abilities that made him one of the most feared wideouts in the league a few years ago, he could be a huge steal and a key producer for New England. The Patriots will also see a small change in the backfield this season. Last season rookie Laurence Maroney split the carries with veteran Corey Dillon, but now that Dillon is gone the starting job is Maroney’s alone.

The Patriots’ defense has been a strength for the team since they won their first Super Bowl. That tradition should continue this year after New England added former Ravens’ linebacker Adalius Thomas. Thomas recorded 11 sacks for Baltimore last season and should fit nicely into the Belichick system. The Pats’ defense could have one problem if cornerback Asante Samuel continues to hold out. Samuel had 10 interceptions last year and will be missed in the secondary if he doesn’t return.

The Buccaneers would probably like to forget last season after they went 4-12 and fell to the bottom of the NFC South. Tampa Bay’s biggest question mark during the preseason is at quarterback. The Bucs will have to choose between Chris Simms, Jeff Garcia and Bruce Gradkowski. Simms had his spleen removed after taking a pounding in Tampa Bay’s third game last season and will need to prove himself all over again if he wants to reclaim the starting job. The Bucs threw some money at Garcia after his successful season in Philadelphia last year and he should have the inside track on the starting job. Gradkowski will only end up back in the starting job the same way he did last year – through injury.

Whoever does end up behind center has a go-to target in Joey Galloway, but the rest of the Tampa receiving corps (Michael Clayton, Ike Hilliard) is pretty thin. Carnell Williams is still the starting running back despite rushing for only 798 yards and one touchdown last season. There’s nobody else on the Bucs’ roster capable of stealing his job, which equals job security for Williams. The old Bucs’ defense that used to be feared throughout the league disappeared last season and doesn’t appear to be on the way back this year. First-round pick Gaines Adams has a bright future at DE, but has little to work with this season.

Since they’re the home team and because the starters will only see a series or two, the Bucs are a 3-point favorite on the NFL odds list for this game. The Patriots and Bucs last clashed in 2005 when New England shut out Tampa Bay 28-0.

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