"Week 1 of the NFL regular season is underway, and the new-look Patriots will kick off the first game of the Mike Vrabel era on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. It's been an offseason marked by transition into new offensive and defensive schemes, an overhauled roster, and the tension of trying to put it all together. These Patriots are expected to look quite different from the punchless version that finished 4-1 last season."
"They have a more experienced Drake Maye, an accomplished No. 1 receiver (Stefon Diggs), a $100 million man (Milton Williams) at the point of attack on defense, and several rookies expected to play key roles on both sides of the ball. There's a lot of hype right now, but not many concrete answers on how the season will go. Here are ten burning questions for the team ahead of the season opener."
"Can Will Campbell live up to the hype? The Patriots spent a top-5 pick on their biggest positional need, left tackle. The upside is that if Campbell pans out, they'll have that position filled with a young, athletic player who said during his interview on draft night that he would die to protect Maye. Of course, the downside this season is that he's a rookie. He's inexperienced, and we don't know exactly what he'll look like within the context of a regular-season NFL game."
Week 1 opens the Mike Vrabel era at Gillette Stadium amid major schematic and roster changes. The team added veteran and high-profile talent including Stefon Diggs and Milton Williams while fielding a more experienced Drake Maye and multiple rookies expected to contribute. The Patriots prioritized left tackle with a top-five pick in Will Campbell, who showed promising preseason play but remains inexperienced against elite pass rushers. Top cornerback Christian Gonzalez faces hamstring concerns after missing practice and his Week 1 status is uncertain. Overall, optimism clashes with unanswered questions about health, rookie development, and how the new schemes will perform.
Read at Boston.com
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