2) Big shoes filled in Foxborough. Last year, Dave DeGuglielmo took the place of long-time Patriots offensive line coach (and longer-time Patriots assistant) Dante Scarnecchia, a daunting task for any coach but particularly for one returning to his home state and being charged with keeping the jersey of a legend clean. It hasn't been perfect, but it certainly hasn't been bad. And where the O-line rotation had Tom Brady tasting the turf often early last season -- before the Patriots settled on a starting five -- the concept of one has been validated early this year. New England, in fact, is rotating more than it did in early 2014. In each of the Patriots' first three games, six of the team's offensive linemen have played more than 50 percent of the snaps, and every lineman in uniform has gotten significant time. Those are statistical oddities for a position group where chemistry is considered paramount. And the Patriots' willingness to rotate players has allowed three rookies to develop, and put the team in position to maintain depth when second-year center Bryan Stork returns in midseason. One executive who's worked with DeGuglielmo described him to me: "He has the interior OL personality. ... I think guys like playing for him because he's honest and they think he equips them with what they need to know preparation-wise to go out on Sunday and be successful. He tells it like it is. He can be firm but also put his arm around a guy when he needs it. Just an all-around good guy that's passionate about ball and offensive-line play." Taking all this into account, it's hard to believe the guy spent 2013 in sports radio in South Carolina after getting fired by the Jets.