Here’s my list of the Top 5 guys I’m praying to Hoodie are back at practice today. Or at least able to go on Sunday.
1. Albert Haynesworth – It will truly be a travesty if the Patriots are not able to take advantage of the struggling Jets offensive line. If Haynesworth plays and Nick Mangold does not Sanchez should take out some additional life insurance before kick off. There have been rumors that the Pats are holding Albert back for this game in particular. I don’t know if I necessarily buy that, though it seems like he’s getting close by the fact that he had a full pads practice last Wednesday.
2. Mike Wright – For similar reasons getting Wright back could be one of the biggest factors in how much of a Super Bowl push this Patriots team can make. Fanalysts can talk about “pass rushers” all they want, but until the Patriots have someone on the interior who can push the pocket they’re going to continue to struggle generating real pressure. Sadly I’ve all but written off Wright for the season, but it’d be nice to get him back at some point.
3. Leigh Bodden – Last time Bodden faced the Jets he picked off Mark Sanchez three times. Not to say that will mean much of anything Sunday, but Bodden needs to be out there to continue knocking off the rust. The trickle down effect through the secondary from having Bodden back would greatly improve what they can do. And put Kyle Arrington back in the slot where he’d been playing so well.
4. Aaron Hernandez – Really I could’ve put Hernando at number one but let’s face it, he’s a luxury at this point and it’s the defense that needs the most help. What we’ve seen in the two weeks since he’s been out is that he elevates the offense to another level. Gronk is an amazing player on his own, but when coupled with Hernando they’re pretty much unstoppable. Make no mistake, though he’s fourth here, I will jump for joy if he’s at practice later today.
5. Ras-I Dowling – Would it be too much for Ras-I to go a game without an injury? He’s shown some flashes out there, but it seems like every time he makes a play he’s injured a play later. It’s clear that they like him as an outside corner and not a Free Safety as many of us (me included) speculated. With all the big physical receivers that we’ve seen McCourty struggle with we could eventually see Dowling handling those guys in the future. If he can stay on the field. But it would be really helpful to have him on Plaxico in the red zone this weekend.