Brady & pocket presence

Sean Leahy of USAToday.com delivers a breakdown on the Patriots today, and sums up his thoughts this way:

"The Patriots will almost certainly contend. At or near 100 percent, Brady, with his additional weapons, should put the offense into a groove similar to the one it enjoyed in the team's record-breaking 2007 campaign. The retooling on defense shores up what had become serious holes in the secondary. As long as Brady is healthy, the Patriots should challenge for a spot in the Super Bowl again."

The piece also has comments from retired quarterback Trent Green, who touches on one area that will be important to consider when it comes to Tom Brady's return -- pocket presence.

"We're so focused as quarterbacks on down the field, ignoring everything that's going on in very close proximity to you," Green tells Leahy. "When you're coming back from an injury, especially where someone hit him low, you need to feel that pocket presence, need to feel it closing. It will be good for him the first few times to get hit. He'll realize, 'I can stand in the pocket, take the hit and everything will be OK. This is just work as usual.'"