Patriots Outlook After Aaron Hernandez

You won't be seeing any of Hernandez's TD celebrations this year

     Aaron Hernandez's arrest and release from the New England Patriots brought closure on many levels to the organization. No longer will there be mass media waiting to see Hernandez, creating one distraction that I'm sure Bill Belichick hated. Also, fans and the media don't have to worry about if Hernandez will be allowed to play this season and what his role in the offense will be. Now the Pats can move on and trade for another tight end a lot earlier in the process, or continue to develop their young tight ends such as Jake Ballard. My guess is that Ballard will fill the role Hernandez is leaving and that the Patriots will be just fine going forward. Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks of all time, and it's impossible to say that he won't be good without a great receiving core. Josh McDaniels still brings back one of the best rushing attacks in the league, while adding a quarterback dimension in Tim Tebow that the division isn't read for. People have to remember that the Patriots ALWAYS field one of the best offenses in the league, so the loss of Aaron Hernandez poses no red flags for the team's playoff chances.

Jake Ballard has come a long way after being undrafted in 2010

     Jake Ballard now faces a lot of pressure coming off an ACL injury from a year and a half ago. He suffered the injury while playing against the Patriots in Super Bowl SLVI. Ballard was claimed off waivers by the Patriots in June 2012 and missed the entire season while rehabbing from the knee injury. It's funny to hear people speculate during the offseason about the Patriots having too many tight ends with Ballard, Hernandez and Gronkowski but clearly the organization knows best. With Bill Belichick serving as the team's coach and de facto General Manager you can expect the Patriots trend of success to continue until he retires. When the season rolls around, everyone will be asking Aaron who?And please, do not forget to pray for the family of Odin Lloyd. We all know what it's like to lose a loved one and there is nothing fun about it.